43 JOSEPH
He Shouldered the Load
IT TAKES courage to be a good father. However, Joseph, a carpenter of Nazareth, had his courage tested even before he became a father. He learned that Mary, the girl he was soon to wed, was pregnant. But the child was not his. Mary told him the whole story about this pregnancy. Yet, this was a very difficult thing for Joseph to understand and to believe. What would he do?
The Bible says that “Joseph was righteous.” A just, upright man who obeyed Jehovah’s laws, he was also kind and merciful. He “thought these things over.” To protect Mary and not humiliate her, he intended to divorce her secretly. (In those days, an engagement was viewed as binding as a marriage.) However, Jehovah intervened. He sent an angel to speak to Joseph in a dream. The angel told Joseph: “Do not be afraid to take your wife Mary home.” The angel assured Joseph that Mary was telling him the truth. The child was indeed God’s, and he would be the Messiah!
Joseph needed to take on an immense responsibility—raising the Son of God
Joseph “did as the angel of Jehovah had directed him.” He bravely shouldered the load that Jehovah assigned him to carry: He was to care for his own dear wife as well as the most important child ever to be born. Joseph would need all the courage he could find.
Before long, Caesar Augustus decreed that a census be taken, requiring Joseph to travel to Bethlehem in order to register. Whether the law required Mary to go or not, Joseph likely felt that he could better protect her if they stayed together. So they made the long journey—even though she “was soon to give birth.” There, in Bethlehem, Mary went into labor and gave birth to Jesus in a stable.
Joseph worked hard to care for his new family, but he was not well-off. When he and Mary presented their child at the temple in Jerusalem, they offered the sacrifice allowed for the poor. Sometime later, while living in a house in Bethlehem, they were visited by astrologers, likely from Babylon, who had been led there by a mysterious “star.” They gave the family valuable gifts for the child. Soon afterward, Jehovah’s angel warned Joseph that wicked King Herod wanted to kill little Jesus! The angel told Joseph to flee with his family to Egypt.
Joseph summoned the courage to hurry his wife and little one out of Bethlehem in the dark of night and to travel to a foreign land. How would he care for them in Egypt? He was surely grateful for the treasures that they had received from those visitors from afar. Later, Jehovah directed Joseph to bring his family back to their homeland. However, Bethlehem was under the rule of a dangerous leader, so Joseph heeded a divine warning and took his family to Nazareth.
There, Joseph worked hard as a carpenter to provide for Mary, Jesus, and at least six other children who were born to them. More important, Joseph provided for his family spiritually. They made it a custom of going to the synagogue regularly to learn about Jehovah, and they attended sacred festivals in Jerusalem. The Bible’s last direct mention of Joseph involves the time when at one such festival, he feared that they had lost the 12-year-old Jesus. That good father was frantic! But Jesus was safe, and he “continued subject” to his parents.
The Bible does not say when Joseph died, but before he did, he must have given his adopted son further training. Jesus became known not only as “the carpenter’s son” but also as “the carpenter.” So his father had taught him his trade. Joseph set an example that shows what Jehovah wants all fathers to be—brave protectors, loyal providers, and kind teachers who faithfully fulfill their God-given assignment.
Read the Bible account:
For discussion:
In what ways did Joseph show courage?
Dig Deeper
1. Since Mary was Heli’s daughter, why does Luke 3:23 state that Joseph was the “son of Heli”? (w17.08 32 ¶4)
2. What might be the reason why Joseph did not have sexual intercourse with Mary before Jesus’ birth? (w03 12/15 5 ¶5)
3. What indicates that Joseph was a hard worker? (ia 166-167 ¶15-18) A
Picture A
4. Why can we conclude that Joseph likely died when Jesus was a relatively young man? (w17.07 13 ¶8, ftn.)
Reflect on the Lessons
What can family heads learn from Joseph about obeying Jehovah’s direction, even if that means sacrifice? (Matt. 1:20, 24; 2:13-15, 19-21)
What does Joseph teach us about putting Jehovah first in our family life? (Luke 2:41) B
Picture B
In what other ways might you imitate the courage of Joseph?
Meditate on the Bigger Picture
What does this account teach me about Jehovah?
How does the account tie in with Jehovah’s purposes?
In the resurrection, what would I like to ask Joseph?
Learn More
In this dramatization, see Joseph obediently submit to Jehovah’s will.
How can we imitate Joseph and Mary when the government enacts a law that seems inconvenient or unfair?