UNCOMMEN: Father FiguresSample

Joseph: Earthly Father of Jesus

Focus verse: "And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly."

In a world full of selfies, glory hounds and some of the most insecure people to ever live, I can appreciate the humble strength of Joseph. What it must have taken to go through the mental process of your wife whom you’ve never “known” being now with child and saying “God’s the father.” You can almost hear the eye rolling from Joseph or at least could have understood that reaction.

Here’s to all the step Dads holding it down like a boss. Being a step Dad isn’t for everyone and some step into that world completely unprepared. But there are some who have been called to step into that role and excel. Joseph strikes me as the perfect example of a step Dad called by God. 

The Bible doesn’t touch on it much, but you can read between the lines and see that Joseph cared for Mary so much even after the news. She rode the donkey to the census. He was the one pounding on the door of the inn to get her out of the weather when it was time for Jesus to be born. Jesus was a carpenter because Joseph spent time teaching him the trade. You can see the humbleness of Joseph just doing what a Husband/Dad does for his wife and child. 

I never got the feeling he thought of Jesus as a step-child. He knew Jesus was from God and grew to understand he was more than just a man. But he always showed Jesus the father figure he needed to have in his life. The Bible calls Joseph a righteous man, and there was a beautiful example of strength, honesty, kindness, and humbleness about him. 

What a great example to have in the life of a child. In a world where children are taught undesirable things or have to grow up way too early, we are in need of strong, humble Godly men. We need men who know when to step in to a situation with wisdom and when to be quiet and let God direct them.

I don’t know when the word “humble” became synonymous with weak or a pushover, but it’s time for men to revisit the word. I believe that when a man is humble, he’s teachable.

Scripture Reference:

Matthew 1:19-24