I love the story of Mary and have read many books about her but recently for some reason I’ve started to think about Joseph. Perhaps it’s because I have a good husband, sons, a son-in-law, grandsons, a grandson-in-law, and my sweet great grandson Henry that I wondered how difficult that time must have been for Joseph. He was, from all accounts, a good Christian man who was a carpenter by trade and engaged to a younger woman when she tells him she is expecting a child and that he is not the father. Not only that but an angel appeared and told him God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. Can you imagine his thoughts and his heavy burden of deciding what to do? I’m sure he had many questions and doubts about what Mary and his future would hold.Wow –that was a lot to handle!
He could have publicly shamed Mary and broken their engagement but he didn’t.
Mary and Joseph were married as planned – perhaps a little sooner than planned. Sometime after the wedding and before the birth of the baby they had to travel to Bethlehem for the census and to pay their taxes. They walked from Nazareth to Bethlehem and along the way Mary goes into labor – they don’t know anyone, there were no rooms to be rented and Mary gives birth in a barn! I wonder if he had to assist in the birth? And still Joseph is by Mary’s side. Eventually they are able to return home and raise their family.
There isn’t a lot more we know about Joseph and there is no mention of him when Jesus was crucified so I think he died prior to Jesus death or we would have read of his being at Mary’s side.
What a wonderful love story and what a good man! Joseph certainly loved and trusted God and Mary.
Andrea Pugh
