Week 36 - September 1-7, 2024:Joseph Wasn’t That Important, and Neither Are You

This week’s daily readings:

September 1-7, 2024

This week’s devotional:

Joseph Wasn’t That Important, and Neither Are You

by Rev. Lucy Albert

Scripture:

So he [Mary’s husband Joseph] got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

— Matthew 2:14-15 (NIV) 

Reflection:

I’m always intrigued by characters in Scripture whose appearances are minimal in comparison with the importance of their roles. For example, Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18-20, Ps. 110:4, Heb. 7:11) foreshadowed Jesus, but his entire narrative is told in three verses. Likewise, Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) was led by God to see the Christ child when his parents brought him to the temple for Mary’s purification. The entirety of Simeon’s story in Scripture takes up only eleven verses. There was so much more to these peoples’ lives and ministries that we know nothing about! 

And then there’s Joseph. This one is a real head scratcher for me. Mary – already betrothed to Joseph when she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit – needed Joseph all the more at that point. Matthew describes Joseph as a righteous man (Matthew 1:19), and he obeyed the Lord repeatedly when told to do hard things like marry Mary despite her pregnancy, flee to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod, return when God said to, and search for 12-year-old Jesus when he turned up missing after the Passover feast. It had to be surreal at times to be an earthly father to Jesus! 

Yet Joseph is not quoted anywhere in the Bible. Mary appears often and is quoted repeatedly, but not Joseph. And without explanation! There’s no apparent “moral failure” or any other reason that he’s relegated to the shadows, but we hear not one thing that he said. Only the angel’s side of its conversation with Joseph is relayed; when Gabriel visits Mary, humankind is blessed for all time with the Magnificat. 

We don’t even know when Joseph died. He simply disappears from the Scripture narrative. Imagine having to create a eulogy or obituary for Joseph based on what we know of him? He was a righteous man, he obeyed God regularly, we don’t know a single thing he said, and we don’t have an estimate of when he died. Mary, we could memorialize with full honors—but not Joseph. 

The uncomfortable reality for us is that Joseph was far more important while his time on earth played out than he was afterward. God didn’t need him to be profound, or say anything memorable at all, really! He was simply needed to show up and do what he was already on track to do: to marry Mary, be a good husband and father to their children, and remain a righteous man. 

What a great reminder: if the earthly father of Jesus wasn’t important enough to be quoted in Scripture, we’re not that important, either. Stay humble. Sit well in the tension between bearing the image of God and knowing that “to dust you shall return.” 

Prayer:

Father God, as we read about the life of Jesus here on earth, we realize how little we are told about this important figure, Joseph. He’s called a righteous man for obvious reasons: he showed great faithfulness and strength in his earthly role – not unlike so many of us as we struggle through this life. May we all be like Joseph in our obedience toward you and our willingness to step humbly aside while others carry out your ministry and receive the attention. Knowing we have done your will is reward enough! Amen and Amen