What misunderstandings or incorrect assumptions do we make about Joseph during the Christmas story?
I began to heavily consider Joseph and how much we don’t know as I prepared for the advent season 2023. What do we know about Joesph? More importantly, what do we not know and make up because we assume it’s like a kid’s nativity scene that we watch for the 20th time?
So, with this article, I want to share with you four assumptions we make about Joseph every Christmas season. And unfortunately, I may leave you with a few more questions than you started with concerning the nativity.
Assumption #1 – Mary and Joseph Never had an Argument
What do you think happened when Joseph discovered Mary was pregnant before the Angel showed up and told him what was happening? Look at the story in the book of Matthew. Scripture is silent on the event, and our verses are close together. We never allow Joseph to be human enough to have an argument with Mary. Have you ever met a married couple that never argued? We instantly think that these events happened immediately following. What if Joseph had to wait days or weeks before the Angel told him that Mary was carrying Jesus? Allow him to sit in the moment of Mary, returning from visiting Elizabeth, and it is noticeable that she’s pregnant.
Do you think Joseph would’ve been OK if it had only been moments? Why do we not allow him to be human? If you found out your fiancé was pregnant and you knew it was not yours, what would your reaction be?
Assumption #2 – Joseph was Financially Well Off
One of the unique aspects of the Christmas story is that we have the image in our mind that Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem on a donkey. The only reason we have this image is because of Christian folklore. What does scripture say? If you go and look, it says nothing about a donkey. For Joseph to take a donkey for that many days, he would’ve had to be financially better off than we could ever guess. The journey would’ve taken about four days. He would’ve needed money to purchase the donkey (which is not valuable for a carpenter), feed and water that donkey every day, and pay to maintain that donkey while he was in Bethlehem. None of which is included in scripture. Besides, they would’ve traveled by camel and afforded a room if he had been financially well off.
Assumption #3 – Time
I mentioned time briefly in point one. However, there are a few questions that we do not like to ask regarding time and the nativity narrative that we seem to assume every Christmas.
- How long from the Angel telling Joseph until the decree for him to go to Bethlehem?
- Do we consider how long he had to listen to people talk about Mary or his decision to stay with her?
- How many days were they in Bethlehem before Jesus was born? (Notice scripture does not tell us it was the same night they arrived.)
- What did Joseph do to provide for Mary and Jesus while staying in Bethlehem?
- How long after the birth of Jesus do you think Joseph had to deal with whispers in the community surrounding him or discussing how Mary’s baby was not Joseph’s child?
- Or how long did you have to wait for his family, or Mary’s, to quit bringing up the subject?
We are only told a few verses, and our nature is to make the pain as easy or quick as possible. What if Joseph had to sit there and deal with these problems for years, not moments, days, or weeks?
A neat caveat about this assumption appears when we look into the ministry of Jesus, roughly thirty years forward from the nativity. Jesus is called a Carpenter’s son (Matthew 13:55).
Assumption #4 – He understood Jesus
The relationship between Joseph and Jesus is biblically unique as we are told nothing. This idea is opposite to the patriarchal stories in Genesis. He understood that Jesus was the Immanuel (God with us). However, I often wonder if when Joseph died, he saw enough to know what Jesus was about to do or the actions He would take. In the Bible, the narratives that include Joseph are limited to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, traveling to Egypt and back to Nazareth, and Jesus being 12 years old at the temple. The following scriptural moment with the family is the wedding, where Jesus turns water into wine. Joseph is not mentioned anymore in the narrative, and it is the theological assumption that Joseph has died. So I often consider if he understood that his death meant that Jesus could start?
Pastor Mark’s Takeaway:
I think the story of Joseph has become more important to me, not only as a father but as I continue to study the nativity narrative every year. We know Mary and Joseph were picked by God. We may also understand some aspects that made them very special. However, I also allow them to be human, just like every person written about in the Bible. Joseph’s story is unique because we have so few verses, so let us think, consider, or ask what we know about the birth of Jesus rather than what we assume.
This Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of Christ, let us get excited about reading scripture and look forward to what God will teach us this year.
Mark Rogers
Pastor Mark is the primary author and content creator of pastormarkrogers.com. Additionally, he serves as Pastor of Lighthouse Sylva. You can find out more by clicking the About Page.
