THE FORGOTTEN FATHER

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” —Matthew 1:20, 21

Joseph often seems like the forgotten hero in the story of Jesus’ birth. He’s there in all the nativity scenes, but he is always a support character.

In many retellings of the story, he is only briefly mentioned along the way. But God was also working in Joseph’s life, which is made obvious by angels appearing to him at least three times in Matthew’s telling of the story. At the time of Mary’s unexpected and unexplainable pregnancy, she was engaged to Joseph. Although their culture around engagement was different than how we understand it today, the story is clear that their marriage arrangement had not been concluded—and Joseph could still have chosen to back out.

Unsurprisingly, he was upset and probably wished to avoid dishonoring himself, but he also did not want to publicly shame Mary. He wanted to protect her from the accusations, gossip, and even possible threats to her life that would be directed at her in such a scandalous situation. As Joseph struggled, God intervened. This time, an angel appeared to him in a dream, confirming that Mary’s explanation for her unexpected condition was true and that he should not be afraid to stay with her. Not only did the angel reassure Joseph, giving him a way forward in this difficult situation, but he was also established in the father’s cultural role and given the privilege of naming the child. Even here was a reminder of the saving significance of who Jesus would be in God’s larger plan of restoration and relationship.