Joseph didn’t feel much like a most-favored descendant of King David. Mary returned from a 3-month staycation with Elizabeth carrying a child that wasn’t his and a story for the ages.
The Bible doesn’t give a rundown of where and when Mary broke the news to Joseph, but any male reading the text can place himself in Joseph’s shoes. Questions would bubble to the surface.
“Is the child mine?”
“Who’s the father and where does he live?”
“Why’d you do this to me?”
And he might have even said a quiet part out loud in the back of his mind…
“What did I do to push her away?”
Joseph’s forefathers experienced troubles with the females in their lives, but their dilemmas were self-inflicted. David was the one doing the philandering in his love triangle with Uriah and Bathsheba. Solomon curated a harem the size of battalion. Each situation came with its own set of consequences. David lost his child with Bathsheba and schemed to ensure the death of a loyal warrior in Uriah. Solomon’s many desperate housewives led him to worshipping other gods. He possessed wisdom in spades, but when you listen to what’s going on below the belt over everything else, you’re bound to end up astray.
Generations later, Joseph didn’t sit on a throne. And his queen appeared about as guilty as could be. Even the suspicion of adultery stirs around a cocktail of resentment, paranoia, and confusion. Yet Jospeh kept his head.
“Being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.”
Matthew 1:19
Even at rock bottom, he was a carpenter through and through, taking stock of the situation. “Measure nine times, cut once” never found a a better a better fit. But his workaround never made it past the blueprint.
It was time for “Sleeptalk Sessions” with angels.
“But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.’ “
Matthew 1:20-21
He went to sleep with the nightmare scenario of Mary being an adulteress. Only hours later, he woke up secure in the full truth. His betrothed had been faithful to him all along, and no salacious affair happened. Quite the opposite, she found favor with God. Her woodworking husband was no deadbeat, either. Instead of lobbing sarcastic shots like, “Virgin birth? Yeah, and I’m a eunuch with a dozen biological children,” he got straight to work.
When Joseph woke up from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Matthew 1:24-25
The Sleeptalk Sessions continued.
When Herod got word a Messiah was born, he sanctioned the state-sponsored murder of all boys two and under in Bethlehem, hoping to nail Jesus before he was out of the toddler years. An angel warned him to pack up the family and flee to Egypt, which fulfilled another prophecy that “Out of Egypt I called my Son.”
After that particular Herod died, an angel appeared again in Joseph’s dreams. Joseph brought Mary and Jesus back to Israel. He got antsy that Archelaus, son and successor to Herod, appeared to be a chip off the old block and just as cruel as his father. Instead of making their home in Judea, they lived in Nazareth, courtesy of yet another angelic dream.
Think of the obedience required of Joseph. If at any point he decided to start freelancing and ignored these “Sleeptalk Sessions,” dire consequences would have followed.
In a current age where manhood gets redefined far from its original bearings, Joseph represents a clear standard for godly men and those who are trying to raise them. The second-most-famous carpenter drops out of the Biblical narrative not long after. Scholars speculate he may have died before Jesus’ ministry began.
Whatever the case, his 100% obedience after every dream smoothed the way for the Gospel story to take shape. So when you hear those Christmas hymns, give a little head nod of thanks that Joseph woke up with a purpose after some very real Sleeptalk.
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Kevin Cochrane is the creator of Replenish, the site to resupply your faith with overlooked insights from Scripture-based stories. Share your thoughts by commenting below or dropping a line to kevin@replenishstories.com.
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