Matthew 1:18-21,24-25 NLT. [18] This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. [19] Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. [20] As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. [21] And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” [24] When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. [25] But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
What do we know about the physical man Joseph? He was a descendent of King David of Bethlehem. He was a carpenter. He was husband to Mary, mother of Jesus. He took his family to Egypt for awhile to protect his son Jesus from King Herod’s jealousy. When he returned, he settled in the town of Nazareth in the region known as Galilee. He had four other sons besides Jesus and an unknown number of daughters. By the time Jesus entered his ministry and died on the cross, Joseph is no longer mentioned in the gospels. We don’t know why.
What do we know about the spiritual man Joseph? First, and foremost, he is described as being a righteous man. Joseph believed in the one true God of Israel, followed the Jewish laws, as far as we can tell, and was a man of compassion. That compassion was revealed in his planned treatment of Mary when he discovered she was pregnant before they held their marriage ceremony. He didn’t want to disgrace her. He could have asked for her to be stoned for committing what appeared to be adultery.
Spiritually speaking, Joseph must have had a strong faith in God. God sent an angel to Joseph four times in dreams to give him instructions concerning Mary and her baby. His faith in God’s guidance was revealed in his actions. He followed God’s guidance and did what God told him to do. Each time he did that, he either provided for or protected his fiancé Mary and the baby and fulfilled prophesies about the birth of the Messiah.
We know Joseph tried to follow the Law of Moses. He went to Jerusalem for the Passover regularly. He faithfully carried out the requirements of the law relating to the birth of a son as the first child. He demonstrated respect for the guidance of God that was being revealed in his son Jesus. In all likelihood, Joseph would have tried to raise all his children to have faith in Jehovah, too.
Fathers, Joseph is a good example for us to follow. Here’s why—obedience to God’s instructions and possessing a heart of compassion will always make us better men. Being like Joseph will have a positive effect on your family.
Any man who listens to the voice of God and obeys that voice will provide for and protect his family, just like Joseph did. God will help us be directed toward His plans for us and for our families. God will bring people into contact with us who will bless us and encourage us, just like He sent the shepherds to the manger and the wise men bearing gifts to the house in Bethlehem. The Holy Spirit will help us avoid danger, like He did when He showed Joseph to flee to Egypt so Herod couldn’t find and kill Jesus.
I’ll say it again—Setting an example of obedience to God will have a positive effect on our families, too. Mary and Jesus and his other siblings probably saw Joseph’s dedication to following the laws of God. They would have participated with him in the annual trip to Jerusalem for Passover. They saw his willingness to offer sacrifices to God, in all likelihood. They saw him worshipping God. Here’s a statistic to remind you of the importance of your example men—93% of the families that have a father who follows Jesus will also follow Jesus. Men, you can set the tone of obedience to God for your whole family.
Obedience to God’s instructions had a major impact on Joseph’s life and on his family. His compassionate heart also had an impact, especially on his wife Mary. Joseph was already thinking about how he could keep Mary from being publicly disgraced before the angel told him to go ahead and marry her. He already did not want her to be harmed. His obedience to the angel’s instructions magnified his compassionate and caring heart to Mary.
Mary, more than anyone else, saw Joseph’s compassion at work. Men, your family should know better than anyone else just how much compassion you possess. They should know better than anyone whether or not you have a judgmental, condemning heart or a forgiving heart. If they see love, acceptance and forgiveness in you, then they will gain an understanding of how important those qualities are in someone’s life.
Ok, men, let’s invest a minute in looking at how you can follow Joseph’s example. First, find out what God says about how you should lead your family. Listen to His voice as He speaks to you through reading the Bible and through prayer. Open yourself to be guided by the Holy Spirit in all you do as you learn the teachings of Jesus found in the NewTestament.
As you learn about what Jesus taught, live with a compassionate heart. Pray for everyone you encounter, even those who don’t think like you do. Be merciful to everyone, even those who show no mercy to you. Help everyone in need that you can, even those who probably wouldn’t help you.
Living like Joseph did will not be easy, but you can do it. Studying God’s instructions and doing what they say will not be a piece of cake, but you can do it. Living with compassion and understanding toward others takes effort and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but you can do it. Follow Joseph’s example.