December 29th, 2022
by Will Pareja
by Will Pareja
Dear Joseph,
Recently, I wrote a letter to your wife, Mary. I hope you’re okay with that since you’re both in Glory now, unmarried like the rest and awaiting that great marriage supper of the Lamb.
I imagine that calling Nazareth of Galilee home must not have helped you in popularity contests. What was it like to be a part of the long and destitute lineage of kings, a great, great, great… grandson of David? Did you know that some people in my era advertise that their “boss is a Jewish carpenter”? Seems cute, I know, but they weren’t talking about you. What was it like to apprentice young Yeshua as a carpenter who is both your Lord and mine?
Our Holy Book speaks of you as a “just man” (Matthew 1:19). Seems to me that was made possible because of your Stepson (we call him Jesus). You must have taken the God of the Covenant seriously and trusted his promises. In so many ways, I want to be a righteous man like you, Joseph, and most like your Lord and mine.
How did you feel when Mary first told you about the pregnancy? Did you run away in anger? Levi tells us in his Gospel that you decided to annul your betrothal “quietly” (Matthew 1:19). You took the noble road when you could have legally shamed her or demanded her stoning. Admirable! Sleep must have been hard not knowing the truth—until, of course, the angel came and cleared it up. What must it have been like to endure the stigma of engagement to a pregnant woman?
How manly did you feel in not finding a respectable place for Mary to birth Jesus? Were you scared knowing the local king was coming to destroy baby Yeshua (Matthew 2:13)? How did you provide for mother and child as refugees in Egypt?
I think you and Mary would identify with one of our Christmas movies about a kid getting left at home accidentally. One difference is that the child of your story is real and worthy of worship as your Lord and mine. Shalom.
Recently, I wrote a letter to your wife, Mary. I hope you’re okay with that since you’re both in Glory now, unmarried like the rest and awaiting that great marriage supper of the Lamb.
I imagine that calling Nazareth of Galilee home must not have helped you in popularity contests. What was it like to be a part of the long and destitute lineage of kings, a great, great, great… grandson of David? Did you know that some people in my era advertise that their “boss is a Jewish carpenter”? Seems cute, I know, but they weren’t talking about you. What was it like to apprentice young Yeshua as a carpenter who is both your Lord and mine?
Our Holy Book speaks of you as a “just man” (Matthew 1:19). Seems to me that was made possible because of your Stepson (we call him Jesus). You must have taken the God of the Covenant seriously and trusted his promises. In so many ways, I want to be a righteous man like you, Joseph, and most like your Lord and mine.
How did you feel when Mary first told you about the pregnancy? Did you run away in anger? Levi tells us in his Gospel that you decided to annul your betrothal “quietly” (Matthew 1:19). You took the noble road when you could have legally shamed her or demanded her stoning. Admirable! Sleep must have been hard not knowing the truth—until, of course, the angel came and cleared it up. What must it have been like to endure the stigma of engagement to a pregnant woman?
How manly did you feel in not finding a respectable place for Mary to birth Jesus? Were you scared knowing the local king was coming to destroy baby Yeshua (Matthew 2:13)? How did you provide for mother and child as refugees in Egypt?
I think you and Mary would identify with one of our Christmas movies about a kid getting left at home accidentally. One difference is that the child of your story is real and worthy of worship as your Lord and mine. Shalom.
Recent
Book Review | Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope
November 15th, 2023
The Invisible Man of African American Theology
February 1st, 2023
Book Review | The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
January 23rd, 2023
Don't Trash Your Translation
January 2nd, 2023
Google Isn't God
December 31st, 2022
Archive
2023
2022
September
December
3-Point EvangelismA Letter to Mary"Churches Are Only Interested in Your Money!"Deathbed CalisthenicsThe Test of a Christian's AssuranceThe Faults in Our StarsTwo Ears Walk Into a Church...It's a Strange New WorldViewing Our Money ChristianlyA Letter to JosephWhen Your Apologies StinkGod Is Greater Than Our HeartsWhat Faithful Preaching Should BeIf Jesus Needed to Pray, So Do WeSome Thoughts on Sexual AbuseGoogle Isn't God
No Comments