December 17, 2017 Dr. Jim Cecy Joseph: The Forgotten Hero of Christmas Introduction: “The earthly father of the most important man to ever walk the earth is virtually an extra in the movie of Jesus’ life.” Joseph: The Forgotten Hero of Christmas JOSEPHOLOGY = The Study of the Life of Joseph —God’s choice to be the devoted husband of Mary —God’s choice to be the earthly father of Jesus. —God’s choice to be an example to all of us today. Joseph: The Descendant of King David We do not know where and when Joseph was born (50 BC?). The Gospel of Matthew traces Joseph’s genealogy through the royal line of King David, a thousand years earlier. Luke’s Gospel traces Jesus’ PHYSICAL descent through Mary back to the time of Adam. Matthew’s Gospel traces Jesus’ KINGLY LINE from Abraham and David through Joseph of Nazareth. Mary and Joseph had to travel from Nazareth of Galilee to be registered in Bethlehem of Judea because Joseph was of “the house and family of David” (Luke 2:4). If it wasn’t for both Mary AND JOSEPH Jesus would not be qualified to be the Messiah. Joseph: the Devout Jew He followed the Law in the way he dealt with Mary, by bringing the Baby Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised and dedicated, bringing his family to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish feasts and in training his son, Jesus, in the Scriptures. Joseph: The Educator Joseph trained his son, Jesus, to be bar mitzvah—“a son of the law” at age 13. In order to do so, he had to teach his son to read and study the Torah. Jesus carried that habit into his adulthood. Luke 4:16 “And He (Jesus) came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.” Joseph also followed the Law in training his son in a trade Matthew 13:55 “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” Mark 6:3 “Is not this the carpenter...? Joseph: The Nazarene At some point Joseph (whose family line was from Judea to the south) had come to the town of Nazareth of Galilee where he would marry Mary and raise Jesus (i.e. Jesus of Nazareth). Nazareth was mainly known for its trade workers and craftsmen. Joseph: the Carpenter The Greek word for carpenter (Greek: tekton), used to describe Joseph and Jesus, is the word for construction worker. Around the time Joseph and Jesus lived in Nazareth there was a major Roman building project just a couple of miles away—called Sapphoris. It is very possible Joseph and Jesus worked on this major construction site, built for the Romans. Joseph: the Righteous and Obedient Man Mary’s response: Luke 1:38 “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” Joseph’s response: Matthew 1:19-21 “And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” What did he do? Matthew 1:24 “And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife...” Imagine how the story might have changed if Joseph had not chosen to obey

Joseph: The Protector The Hebrew word for father means “protector”—a perfect description of Joseph • Joseph protected Mary’s reputation, keeping her a virgin until after Jesus was born, so no one would question Jesus’ virgin birth • Joseph protected Mary during her nine months of pregnancy. • Joseph protected his pregnant wife as they traveled to Bethlehem in the last days of her pregnancy The early church referred to Joseph as Nutritor Domini: The Educator and Guardian of the Lord. “Why did you bring the Lord of Glory into the world to be raised by a poor construction worker like me?” “... though He (Jesus) was rich (speaking of his glory in heaven), yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Joseph: The Follower of Jesus, the Messiah Joseph was a man who came to respond to his earthly son as his personal savior. Joseph: The Deceased Father of Jesus Tradition represents Mary as a widow during the adult ministry of her son, which began when Jesus was about thirty years old. There is good reason why this may be true... • The last time we even hear about Joseph in the Gospels is a Passover visit to Jerusalem when Jesus is twelve years old (cf. Luke 2:41-15) • Joseph is not mentioned as being present at the wedding at Cana in Galilee, where Jesus performed His first public miracle • In Mark 6:3 the people of Nazareth ask about Jesus, “Is this not Mary’s son?” —instead of naming Joseph • Joseph is also not mentioned at the crucifixion of Jesus. As a devout Jew it would have been expected of Joseph to take care of his son’s body (not Joseph of Arimathea) • the death of Joseph would explain why Jesus entrusted the care of His mother, Mary, to John the Apostle and not Joseph. Joseph: The Example #1. God may ask me to do things I don’t want to do. Will I respond like Joseph? #2. I may not live to see my children grow old. Will I prepare them like Joseph did? #3. I may be an unsung hero, but I can point people to the Savior. Will I? Joseph: The Lifestyle Evangelist When people spoke well of Jesus, Mary “treasured these things in her heart.” (Luke 2:19, 51). I imagine this was especially true of Joseph... John 1:44-46 “Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Joseph: The Signpost to Jesus

Joseph: The “patron saint of a happy death.”

© 2017 Dr. James M. Cecy, Campus Bible Church, Fresno, CA 93726 | www.campusbiblechurch.com