When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. Matthew 1:24 (NIV)
The Bible doesn’t tell us much about Joseph. We know he was a righteous man, a carpenter living and working in Nazareth, and that he belonged to the house and line of King David. Just your average Joe with a regular job, looking forward to a quiet and happy future with the woman he loved.
Then, in one moment, his world falls apart. The life he’d carefully planned with his beloved was now nothing but vacuous daydreams. This was more than just a bend in the road; it was a drop-off.
Yet even in those dark, heart-rending moments, he still opted for the honorable decision: divorce her quietly to spare her public shame and disgrace. Huddled amid the ruins of his future, Joseph chose kindness over condemnation, mercy over judgment.
We refer to Mary as the chosen one, yet God chose Joseph as well. He saw in him a man after His own heart, a man qualified to love His Son and raise Him as his own—a man who would stand beside Mary and love her for better or worse. Joseph’s faithfulness and strength of character would be tested repeatedly: a pilgrimage to Bethlehem, a birth in a stable, a midnight flight to Egypt, and living in a foreign land as a fugitive.
Not much more is said about Joseph other than the incident at the Temple when Jesus was twelve. Yet this one verse stands out: “Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded.” What an epithet! Obedient to God, no matter the cost. Oh, that the same might be said of us!