Joseph: Father, Stepfather

As a father and a stepfather I can appreciate the dynamics that come from a blended family. But I can not even begin to fathom the challenge that Joseph faced with raising Jesus and his siblings.
He had the unique position of receiving Jesus just as he would one of his own. But He also had the clear message delivered by an angel that Mary’s pregnancy was intentional and he was to take Mary as his wife and raise Jesus, Gods son.

But how do you raise God?

Jesus was the oldest to his half brothers and therefore in a position above them… but how did they view him? We know that eventually Jude and James if not all of them accepted him for who he was. But what was it like growing up? For sure the gifts of the Magi gave his family a position of financial security and Joseph’s profession was more than likely lucrative, but what of the family dynamics… With the beginning of Jesus’ life and all that surrounded it, I am certain there was a higher expectation from him than from his siblings. And can you imagine the evidence of God in their household? Did Jesus ever carry on two way conversations with God as a child?

I can hear Mary now; “James have you seen Jesus?” Yeah mom’ he’s upstairs in the closet talking to God again!” Or, one of his brothers badgering him; “Sure you got an A on the test… you always get the answers right… you never get anything wrong!” I can imagine if I was one of Jesus’ brothers making an attempt to frame him just so I could see him get into trouble… Or, “darn it Jesus will you quit reading my mind… MOM Jesus is reading my mind again, will you make him to STOP!!!” What would it be like being the parent or brother of Jesus when he could read your every thought or intent?

And what was it like for Joseph being a father to them all? We know that he died at some point before Jesus started his ministry… but he was certainly in Jesus’ life until he was at least twelve and probably into his teenage years. How on earth do you raise the Son of God… the Messiah whom Joseph’s entire race had been waiting for since the days of Abraham. And how do you do life with your neighbors or the people on your street… “Yeah that’s my son Jesus on the Deans list, he graduated Magna-cum-lade… say by the way; did you know that my son is the Messiah?”

And did Mary and Joseph ever know beforehand of Gods intention to sacrifice Jesus in such a brutal way? What a thing to contemplate. Mary would eventually see it take place… what a horrible way to watch your child die. It is bad enough to lose a child… but to see them brutalized (without cause) in the most barbaric form of punishment ever devised, I shudder to think of how I would accept watching one of my own die in such a fashion.

And do you ever wonder if Jesus visited Mary during his time on earth after his death?

There is so much of Jesus’ early life that is shrouded in mystery. We are left to conjecture and speculation and none of it really matters… He met the letter of the law as it relates to fulfilling prophecy and that’s what counts. But one thing is for sure… He did have a childhood and it was probably interesting to say the least. And it sure is fun to think about what it would have been like to be his best friend or a classmate or a next door neighbor and contemplate the ‘what if’s’ that come to mind when thinking about what it was like to grow up with Jesus.