Matthew 1:18-25 It is very easy to ignore Joseph and treat him as kind of just there and of no real importance. It is certainly true that in the biological sense of the word, Joseph was not Jesus' father. But, that does not minimize him as a person, nor does it make him less important. Joseph has something in common with many people in the Christian world today. He was in the position to help raise a child that was not his own. Seen from that perspective, he is a man with some rather admirable character traits that we could profit from examining them. Matthew 1:19 says that he was a righteous man who obviously cared a great deal for Mary, it seemed to be more than just an arranged marriage. It appears that he was a God-fearing man - he took seriously what the angel said and proceeded with the marriage. The fact that he was willing to postpone his wedding night until after this special child was born says a great deal for his character. It will be noticed that God took seriously Joseph's role as "father'. The angel didn't tell Mary that they should escape to Egypt because of Herod's massacre - he told Joseph. Joseph was also the one who was told when it was safe to return. The Scripture doesn't say anything about Joseph after Jesus' 12th birthday. lt is likely that he passed away between this time and the time that Jesus started his ministry. Either he was considerably older than Mary or he died at a young age. The scripture simply doesn't say.

What Can We Learn from Joseph?