Certain historical figures in Christianity have been named as Saints by the church. These men and women who have achieved sainthood are heroes of the Christian faith and left behind legacies of faith and dedication to God. Their commitment to the cause of Christ provides us a beautiful example. It’s important to note that we do not worship these heroes of the faith. As Christians, we recognize that the only focus of our worship is God Himself. However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the idea of looking to other believers who have left behind a legacy and honoring them for their commitment. In fact, the Bible says that we should give honor to those who deserve honor (Romans 13:7).
One of those saints that we choose to honor every year is St. Joseph. While there is little information about Joseph in the Bible, we do know that he was the husband of Mary and the stepfather of Jesus. Between the things we know about him from the Bible and the information that history has provided about Joseph, we can look to him as a great example of faith and commitment to God.
Who is St. Joseph?
Most obviously, St. Joseph is the husband of Mary and the stepfather of Jesus Christ. There isn’t a ton of information about him presented in the Gospels, but what we do know about him provides a solid look at his character. While we read about Joseph in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:16), it’s simply a passing mention of his name. We get a more in-depth look at the kind of man that Joseph was just a couple verses later.
Matthew 1:18-21 (TPT)
This was how Jesus, God’s Anointed One, was born. His mother, Mary, had promised Joseph to be his wife, but while she was still a virgin she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Her fiancé, Joseph, was a righteous man full of integrity and he didn’t want to disgrace her, but when he learned of her pregnancy he secretly planned to break the engagement. While he was still debating with himself about what to do, he fell asleep and ha a supernatural dream. An angel from the Lord appeared to him in clear light and said, “Joseph, descendent of David, don’t hesitate to take Mary into your home as your wife, because the power of the Holy Spirit has conceived a child in her womb. She will give birth to a son and you are to name him ‘Savior,’ for he is destined to give his life to save his people from their sins.
Just a couple verses later we get a look at Joseph’s reaction to the dream:
Matthew 1:24-25 (TPT)
When Joseph awoke from his dream, he did all that the angel of the Lord instructed him to do. He took Mary to be his wife, but they refrained from having sex until she gave birth to her son, whom they named “Jesus.”
Based on this handful of verses, we get a pretty good look at the kind of man that Joseph was and the examples of his character that we should strive for in our own lives.
First of all, the Bible says that Joseph was a “righteous man full of integrity” (Matthew 1:19). Think about those words. Righteousness is defined as “the quality of being morally right or justifiable,” while integrity means “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.” Based on only one sentence, we find that Joseph was a moral man who was honest and had strong moral principles. Those traits are certainly some that we should all strive for. It’s not uncommon for people to talk about how God handpicked Mary to be the mother of His only Son, and that’s certainly true. However, God also picked Joseph to be the most important male influence in His Son’s earthly life. God knew that Joseph was set to marry Mary when He sent the Holy Spirit to put His Son in her womb. Mary was a righteous woman who was favored by God and chosen to carry Christ. However, Joseph was equally as chosen as the person who would be the earthly father to Jesus. Why? Because he was righteous and full of integrity.
We also find that Joseph wanted to handle the situation surrounding Mary’s pregnancy in a way that wouldn’t bring shame to her or her family. If we’re being honest, it would be hard for us to believe the story that Mary told Joseph. At some point, Mary had sat down with Joseph and explained how she was pregnant while assuring him that she was still a virgin. Undoubtedly, Joseph had some doubts. Wouldn’t you? Joseph could’ve been angry and made a public announcement about how Mary had clearly been unfaithful to him, but even before he believed that she was carrying the Son of God, Joseph was looking for a way to break the engagement quietly so he wouldn’t put Mary to shame. Joseph was clearly not a man who sought revenge or responded out of anger. Isn’t that another trait that we should pursue in our own lives? How much better would our relationships with other people be if we took the time to think about our reactions? It’s easy to react in haste to a situation, but that often creates a whole other set of issues. If Joseph had responded in haste, he would have deprived himself of the honor of being the stepfather of God’s only Son! Don’t miss out on the blessing because you get caught up in a kneejerk reaction.
Thirdly, we read that Joseph was a man of faith. Mary had already received the news about her supernatural pregnancy. Joseph didn’t get confirmation about it until after he was looking for a way to quietly slip out of the situation. However, when Joseph received confirmation from God that Mary’s story was true, He didn’t hesitate and committed himself to his role in God’s plan. Once Joseph woke up from his dream, he made the decision to pursue the marriage, remained sexually pure and he played his part in raising Jesus. Even in the face of less than perfect circumstances, Joseph was committed to his faith. That’s another lesson that we can learn from the life of Joseph.
What is St. Joseph’s Day?
St. Joseph’s Day falls on March 19 every year. In the earliest days of the New Testament church, it was generally believed that Joseph died on March 19, so a day was set aside to remember him. While we don’t know for sure that March 19 is the anniversary of his death, the fact remains that St. Joseph was a man who had character traits that are worth honoring.
Every year on March 19, thousands of Christians around the world celebrate the life of Joseph. They look the scriptural accounts of his life, his dedication to God’s plan for him and his commitment to raising Christ in the temple (Luke 2:41-52). Taking the time to look at great men and women of the faith allows us the opportunity to find practical applications of their faith in our own lives. Wouldn’t we all be better served if we practiced more righteousness and integrity like Joseph had? Wouldn’t our relationships with other people improve if we were more prayerful in our reactions to those around us? Finally, how much better would our lives be if we simply took what God told us, believed us and committed ourselves to playing our role in His divine plan for humanity? This year on St. Joseph’s Day, ask God to help you apply those principles to your own life.
A Closing Prayer:
God, thank you for providing lessons in the Bible from men and women who were just like me. I know that you used ordinary people to serve an extraordinary purpose, and I’m thankful that there is space for me in Your divine plan. Help me to apply the traits that are so evident in Joseph’s life to my own. Help me to be more focused on integrity and righteousness. Help me to change the way that I respond to those around me. Most of all, give me the courage to walk in faith while I play my part in Your plan for me. In Christ’s Name, Amen!