Matthew 1:34-25 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Mary and Jesus get most of the attention at Christmas, but Joseph too is worthy of considerable meditation. His level of faith, humility, and kindness would be hard to overstate. We can imagine what it would be like to learn your fiancée is pregnant, and you aren’t the father. That he just wanted to call off the engagement as quietly as possible says volumes about him, but the shock must have been terrific. That he then, on the basis of a dream, followed through with the legal paperwork for the marriage is downright astounding. However, God knew the character of the man He had chosen to raise His Son, so all of this falls into place. Catholic tradition notwithstanding, it is obvious that he was a normal, healthy man, because of all the other children who are mentioned in Mark 6:3. Catholic tradition says that Joseph was a widower, and all those others were children of his first wife, but there is no Biblical backing for that as far as I can see, and the wording in this passage indicates, to me at least, that after Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary had a normal marital relationship. Trying to say they didn’t is placing coitus and procreation in a special category that to me, actually encourages abuse. In any case, Joseph was a man worthy of every respect and admiration, and every husband should seek to follow his example in how he treated his wife.

I have been happily married for 55 and a half years. Thinking about it, Christmas Eve will mark 55 years and seven months. My wife was engaged to someone else when we met, but that obviously wasn’t God’s plan for her. I don’t put myself on the plane of Joseph, but I don’t think my attraction to her would have been diminished had things been different than they were. We have letters my parents wrote to us after we were engaged that comment on how absolutely “smitten” I seemed to be by her, and I certainly don’t deny it. God knew who I needed, and who she needed, and He brought us together just as surely as He brought Joseph and Mary together. We have no record of when or how the Lord took Joseph home, but the impression I get is that Jesus didn’t start His ministry until after He had buried Joseph. I feel sure that Jesus’ brothers and sisters had been raised to be good, productive members of society, so support for Mary during the years of Jesus’ ministry wasn’t an issue. That spiritual bonds can be deeper than physical bonds is illustrated by Jesus entrusting Mary to John, rather than to one of His brothers, during His crucifixion. (John 19:26-27) I never had the issue of supporting senior parents, since the Lord took my father at 64 and my mother at 72. At this point, the Lord has just recently provided so that I don’t have to be worried about my wife, should He take me first. Regardless, I want to follow Joseph’s example of respecting, honoring, and loving my wife, for as long as He allows me to do so, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your perfect plans. Help me flow with Your Spirit on Your schedule, as the husband, father, and disciple You want me to be, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!