Mary had a job, right? A HUGE job! The angel told the virgin she would bear the Messiah. She raised Jesus. It strikes me as an exaggeration when people call her “the Mother of God,” but she certainly belongs in the Mom’s HALL OF FAME.
Joseph played a smaller role. He obeyed and wed Mary in spite of the scandal that would haunt this family of good people including priests (see Zechariah). Suddenly—
“an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Get up! Take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you’” Matthew 2:13-14.
The angel told Joseph what to do. Couldn’t the angel have told MARY to head to Egypt? Why is God leading HIM? Then—
“After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph, saying, ‘Get up, Take the child and His mother and return to the land of Israel,’” vv.19-20.
So Joseph took his family home. But now Herod’s son is a threat to Joseph’s family:
“And being warned in a [THIRD] dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee” v.22.
Again, the angel could have led Mary as he did when she learned of the coming baby. Why does God keep speaking to Joseph?
Sometimes God speaks to one parent, sometimes to the other. God spoke to Mary about her mission, but to Joseph about the future and security of his family. Leading a family is not achieving great things in your own strength. It is obedience—and that is challenge enough. The parent’s job is not to earn points for leadership, but to obey. Joseph is a good husband and father because he obeyed, and did the hard work of moving his family wherever God led him.
Leading a family well is not about your talent. It’s about giving up your achievements and obeying God and serving in a selfless, sacrificial way. No one does that better than Joseph. I’m confident he was a great dad.
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Household Words: 