WHAT A MAN!
05th Jul 2017
I’m thinking about Joseph, the man chosen by God to be the human expression of fatherhood for Jesus, the beloved Son of God.
Consider the qualities of this man. Joseph was responsive to God’s voice, he cared deeply for his betrothed, and even when the problem of her ‘out of wedlock baby’ came to his attention, he considered her well-being rather than his own. He knew the child was not his, and yet instead of responding with jealousy and anger, because of this humiliation, his concern was greater for Mary than for himself.
Do you see how deeply he loved and cared for her? He was considering how to deal with divorce, without exposing her to public disgrace and the possibility of stoning. If this was a test, Joseph passed it!
Into this dilemma, God sent an angelic message in the form of a dream. Joseph was given a clear mandate from heaven; to marry Mary, accept the baby as his, he was informed that the baby had been conceived supernaturally (relief) and the name of the child was Jesus - the One who would save His people from their sins, in fact The Messiah! He was told not to be afraid even though everything he was about to do was against the culture of the day.
Joseph - chosen by God was a man sensitive in spirit, courageous to stand against cultural norms and ready to obey instructions coming from heaven. He was also flexible, ready to go to Egypt to protect this new baby whose destiny had been revealed to him, and after the return from Egypt, to continue to train Jesus as a carpenter like himself, and to model the same love and respect shown to Mary, to Jesus, whose attitude to women was vastly different to the prevailing norms. (Read Matthew 1:18 to 2:23)
Let’s look for these qualities in the men we choose as husbands, let us pray they may be the kind of men that become husbands to our children and grandchildren - men of faith, integrity, selfless, obedient, kind, and able to become role models for future generations.
by Joyce Sibthorpe
