Of all the Gospels, Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth gives the greatest insight into the role of Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph. When reading chapters 1 and 2, we see that:

• Joseph was carefully chosen as Jesus’ earthly father. The prophecies of the Old Testament said that the Messiah would be a descendant of David (Isaiah 11). Joseph was a descendant of David (Matthew 1:1–17).
• God had been equipping Joseph for the role he would play in God’s plan. When Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant, he knew the child was not his. He could have had Mary killed for having sex outside of marriage while she was engaged to him because, during this time, it would have been lawful to punish a woman with death for that kind of sin. Even so, Joseph was unwilling to do so. He planned to save her life and spare her dignity by ending the relationship quietly. This seems to be an indication of the compassion and grace that God had shaped in him as preparation for his very important role.
• Joseph sought to please God and not his peers. After the angel revealed to Joseph the baby’s identity and instructed Joseph to take Mary as his wife, he faithfully obeyed. From an outside perspective, people assumed that Mary’s pregnancy was a result of a scandalous situation and judged them both considerably. Despite social shaming and judgment, Jospeh acted in confidence in God’s instruction, not social pressure.
• Joseph’s obedience brought glory to God but not a life of ease for him. In Matthew 2, Joseph was warned that Herod was trying to kill Jesus, and so the family fled to Egypt then to Nazareth. Being chased by a murderous king, tasked with raising the Messiah, and moving internationally several times is no picnic. Despite the opposition that came from being obedient to God, Joseph saw the glory of God made manifest among us. Seeing the glory of Christ is far more worthy than any earthly ease that could be gained (Philippians 3:7–8). He had a daily reminder of the hope that this broken world would be redeemed and made new.

Joseph inspires us to pray for the faith to obey the Lord in the face of worldly pressures and the courage to follow God’s plan even when it’s difficult.

• Do you find it hard to obey God in the face of social pressure?
• Do you obey out of love and trust for the Lord or out of fear of the consequences? How is that different?