Unsung Hero

December 30

Joseph is the unsung ‘hero’ of Christmas. This man, probably several years her senior, was betrothed to Mary the virgin who was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus. The marriage between the two may have been arranged from her birth. We know such agreements were often reached between the parents of the bride and groom.

We are not told how long their engagement was to be but the custom of the day was that a betrothal would last approximately a year before the marriage was to take place. The driving factor that established the length of time between the official engagement and the wedding was usually the groom’s ability to pay the ‘bride price.’

When Mary was found to be with child “before they came together,” Joseph, a kind and godly man, decided to “put her away” quietly. According to the tradition of the day, Mary could have been executed for adultery, but Joseph was unwilling to “make her a public spectacle.” (See Matthew 1:18-19.)

At this juncture, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and said to him, “Joseph, do not fear to take Mary unto you as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. The Son she shall bring forth, Jesus, shall save His people from their sins,” (Matthew 1:20-21).

Joseph knew the prophecies concerning the Messiah and he knew the voice of God, so he believed and assumed the role of father-protector over Mary’s holy Child.