The Silent Obedient Yes Of Joseph

In the story of the birth of Jesus, Mary and Jesus get most of the attention. Rightfully so! A young virgin gives birth to the son of God. That is a pretty big deal. Yet central to this story is Joseph. Here is a man mentioned in all four Gospels yet not a single word he spoke was recorded. There is so much we can learn from the silent obedient yes of Joseph. As we enter our fourth week of Advent, let’s ask Saint Joseph for his intercession so that we may be as obedient to God as he is.

The Birth of Jesus the Messiah

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus. Matthew 1 : 18-25

Scriptural Analysis – The Build Up

Matthew opens his retelling of the birth of Jesus by referring to him as Jesus Christ. Using this formal title is intended to focus the reader on Jesus’s identity as the Messiah. It also connects this story with the genealogy which also emphasized the messianic identity of Jesus. The Greek word used for birth, genesis, is the same word used to open the geneaology further connecting these two sections.

There are important details in the introduction of the story that are easy to overlook. First, Mary was betrothed to Joseph. Betrothal is not like a modern-day engagement. It is the first part of a two-part ancient marriage process. A betrothed couple would exchange consent before witnesses and would be considered legally married. However, they would not live together. The wife would remain with her parents for up to a year. The bride would then go to live with her husband and the marriage would be consummated. Matthew specifically tells us that Mary was betrothed to Joseph but they are not yet living together and it was during this period that she conceived: before she and Joseph lived together.

Betrothed couples were considered legally married. Therefore, Mary being found with child through the Holy Spirit would have caused a great dilemma for Joseph. The description of Joseph as a “just man” tells us that Joseph was a man of the law. The law specifically stated that a betrothed woman found not to be a virgin was to be put to death, “I the thing is true, that the tokens of virginity were not found in the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones.” (Deuteronomy 22:20-21) However, in first-century Rome, Jews could not carry out capital punishment under Roman law. Therefore a public trial and divorce were the normal recourse in cases like this.

Joseph was faced with an enormously challenging problem. It is easy to quickly pass over this portion of the Gospel but that temptation should be resisted. Rather, it is necessary to appreciate what Joseph was faced with. There are three competing viewpoints with regard to the decision Joseph was faced with and what was going through his mind:

According to one view, if Joseph found Mary pregnant and knew he was not the father, he might have suspected adultery. He would be expected to bring Mary to a public trial and accuse her. However, Joseph was not willing to do that. So, he decided to divorce her quietly. A written bill could be drafted and signed by two witnesses making the problem go away quietly
A second view is that Joseph thought It was possible that Mary may have been with another man, but not of her own free choice. Even if this was nonconsensual, Jewish law said Mary was no longer suited for marriage. Joseph was required to divorce her. Therefore, he divorced her quietly since it was not her fault.
A third option supported by Thomas Aquinas and others is known as the “reverential fear” theory. This theory holds. that Mart told Joseph that the child she was with was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Joseph responded with religious awe over the mystery of what God was working in Mary. Joseph decided to release Mary from her obligation not out of anger, not out of shame, but out of a humble holy fear that he was unworthy to be the husband of Mary.

Scriptural Analysis – The Visit From The Angel

Now we turn to Joseph’s encounter with the angel. The angel’ greet’s Joseph calling him, “son of David.” This calls attention to the royal heritage and the crucial role Joseph plays in passing on the Davidic descent to Jesus. Much is at stake if Joseph leaves Mary therefore the angel needs to reassure Joseph that God’s plan is unfolding in all this. The angel tells Joseph to not be afraid and to take Mary into his home (the second stage of a Jewish marriage). The angel assures Joseph that Mary’s pregnancy did not come about by another man but through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Joseph has a very important role to plan in the birth of Jesus. He is not an afterthought in all of this. Joseph is to name the child. This act of naming a child in the Jewish culture is to claim the child as your own. Thus, when the angel tells Joseph that you are to name the child, the angel is really telling Joseph that you are to claim the child as your own son. This is why when we read about Jesus being rejected in Nazareth the response of the crowd was to ask, “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” (Matthew 13: 55) As his legal son, Jesus would have all the hereditary rights of a son which includes Joseph’s royal Davidic descent and claim to the throne.

In Matthew’s presentation of Jesus’s genealogy, we were already told the name of the child. The angel instructed Joseph to give the child the name of Jesus. This name foretells of his mission which is to save his people from their sins. This statement is extremely powerful Not only does it tell us that Jesus brings salvation, but it is salvation from sin.

The Old Testament name Joshua, from which we get Jesus, means Yahweh is salvation. The fact that Jesus is the one who brings salvation is an intentional association of Jesus with Yahweh. Second, many people expected salvation from political oppression. Rather, the salvation announced is from sin.

Now we have the first fulfillment quotation in Matthew;’s gospel. Matthew announces that Mary’s conceiving of Jesus is the fulfillment of a prophecy from Isaiah. Matthew quotes from the Greek Old Testament which he will do throughout his Gospel. This particular prophecy came during a crisis for the people. Enemies threatened to invade and remove Ahaz, the king of Israel. With the Davidic dynasty in question, Isaiah foretold of an heir that would be the sign that the kingdom would not end. This heir of course is Jesus.

Joseph did as he was commanded and was obedient. Matthew highlights this perfect obedience in that he took Mary into his home and named the child Jesus. Matthew notes that the two did not have relations until Mary bore a son. The Greek conjunction translated until, does not imply she had relations after the birth of Jesus. It references up to the birth of Christ but makes no claim on any activity after his birth. Matthew is trying to underscore Joseph’s lack of involvement in Mary’s pregnancy.

Daily Application

The story of Joseph and Mary is very instructive for us. None of us will be asked to carry the Son of God in her womb or asked to be the foster father of the savior. Yet we are all asked to listen to the will of God, “Thy will be done.” (Matthew 6:10) Joseph and Mary teach us to listen to the will of God. They are second only to Jesus, in obediently carrying out the will of God.

In all of these interactions with the angel, neither Joseph nor Mary expresses any concerns for themselves. We never hear Mary say this is not what I want for my life. Mary says yes. Mary was not a naive fool. She knew what could happen to a young betrothed girl who is found with a child. If she wasn’t stoned to death, her husband would likely divorce her. Single motherhood in the time of Jesus was not easy. How would Mary take care of herself and the child?

Joseph likewise did not express concern for himself or argue with the angel. What kind of dispersions would be thrown his way? People would surely think less of him. Either he was a sinner because he had relations with Mary during the betrothed period in violation of Jewish law or he was a weak man still taking this impure girl as his wife. What would this do to his reputation, and his ability to earn a living as a carpenter? Yet he listened to the angel and trusted completely in God.

Do we do the same? How well do we trust in God? When he asks something of us do we answer with the yes of Mary and Joseph or do we first count the costs and then only if the personal cost isn’t too high do we answer yet?

Recall the story of Abraham and Isaac. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his own son, a son he had hoped for and longed for. Yet Abraham said yes. Consider the act of faith that was on the part of Abraham to trust so fully in God that you would obey such an ask. We are all called to have this kind of faith.

We have gotten to the point, at least as American Catholics, where we expect the faith to be easy. We expect that it won’t cost us anything and when it does get difficult or painful, we pull back. Recall what Jesus told us, “Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) The symbol of our faith is also the symbol of ultimate sacrifice and death, of faith. Jesus trusted fully in the plan of God even at the expense of great pain and ultimately of his life.

This kind of faith is a gift from God. On our own, it is impossible. It is impossible to remain in him in the face of great adversity and persecution. However, with God’s grace, we can have the same kind of faith that Mary and Joseph had.

As we enter the final week of Advent, ask for the grace to increase your faith. As you discern the will of God, resist the temptation to count the cost and think of yourself. Rather, strive only to say yes. Ask for the intercession of our Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph, so that you may fully welcome Jesus into your life, not just on Christmas but each and every day.

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