Joseph's Secret

Has anyone in history ever kept a secret better than Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus? We often talk about Mary’s part in the Savior’s birth and the great sacrifice she made when she said to the angel Gabriel, “Be it done unto me according to your word.” Mary’s choice was made in advance—Joseph’s came after the fact.

While reading the first chapter of Matthew this week, I was struck by a subtle yet profound detail in the genealogy of Jesus. From verse one onward, every man listed is identified as the father of another, continuing that pattern for sixteen verses. But when we reach Joseph, the son of Jacob, something changes. Speaking of the next generation, Joseph is not called the father of Jesus but rather the husband of Mary.

The drama that unfolds beginning in verse eighteen is heart-wrenching. Joseph’s fiancée, Mary, is pregnant—before their wedding. Being an honorable man, Joseph knows this child is not his. Though his heart must have been broken at the thought that Mary had been unfaithful, his love for her is so deep that he resolves to break off the engagement quietly. We can only imagine the anguish of soul that Joseph must have felt.

Amid his turmoil, Joseph has a dream. In that dream, an angel of the Lord explains that Mary has not been unfaithful but that she has conceived by the Holy Spirit. Imagine waking from that dream and trying to process it! Yet Joseph believes and obeys. He follows the angel’s instructions, takes Mary as his wife—baby and all—and, as far as Scripture tells us, never discloses the secret of her miraculous pregnancy.

In 2006, a movie titled The Nativity premiered at Christmastime. I love this film because it portrays the unspoken tensions surrounding Mary’s pregnancy before her wedding day. The movie captures the whisperings of the men and women of Nazareth whenever Joseph or Mary walk by. Neither is ever shown trying to defend themselves or explain the situation. They simply endure, trusting that God knows the truth—that neither of them had been immoral in any way, shape, or form.

Joseph took Mary, pregnancy and all, and raised the child Jesus as his own flesh and blood. Only the Gospels of Matthew and Luke mention Joseph, and even the fact that he was a carpenter is known only through the reference to Jesus as “the carpenter’s son” (Matthew 13:55). As far as we know, Joseph took his secret to the grave. He quietly and faithfully fulfilled the role God gave him—to raise and nurture God’s only begotten Son.

Scripture records that Mary found favor with God (Luke 1:30) and was chosen to bear His Son. I believe no less could be said of Joseph. He too was chosen—to protect, train, and prepare the boy Jesus for the responsibilities of manhood. It is assumed that Jesus apprenticed under Joseph in the trade of carpentry. Matthew identifies Him as “the carpenter’s son” (Matthew 13:55), and Mark refers to Jesus Himself as “the carpenter” (Mark 6:3).

Imagine God choosing a young couple from Nazareth to bring His Son into the world—to shape and mold His character so that He would one day embrace His destiny as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. In it all, let us not forget Joseph—and his secret.