The nineteenth of March is St Joseph’s Day, which in some countries is referred to as Father’s Day, but who was St Joseph and what can we learn about him? This is the story …
Joseph
Joseph, was the husband of Mary and the earthly foster father of Jesus. Though he just isn’t as distinguished within the biblical texts as his wife Mary, his role within the lifetime of Jesus is critical. We have no idea much about him. He is just mentioned within the Gospels in accordance with Matthew and Luke, and has only one temporary mention in John. However, from these we are able to put together some details of his life.
Betrothed to Mary
Joseph was a Jewish man who was living in Nazareth (Luke 2:4), although his family got here from Bethlehem. Joseph was betrothed to marry a Jewish girl called Mary (Matthew 1:8 and Luke 1:27). At first, he was confused and shocked to find that Mary was pregnant – an accusation of adultery could have led to stoning (see John 8:4-5). Joseph initially planned to quietly divorce Mary to avoid public disgrace (Matthew 1:19). However, he had a divine dream that persuaded him to remain along with her (Matthew 1:20-21). They then travelled together all the way down to Bethlehem for the census. It is there in Bethlehem that Jesus was born (Matthew 1:25 and Luke 2:6-7).
Royal blood
If we assume that the genealogy in Matthew 1:1-16 is Joseph’s then he’s described as being from the royal line of King David. In this genealogy Joseph is listed as a descendant of King David through his son Solomon and down through the kings of Judah. If that is what it suggests, then it makes Joseph the heir or pretender to the theoretical throne of David.
This fulfils Old Testament prophecies in regards to the Messiah’s descent from David, which meant in effect that Joseph was the titular king of the Jews from the traditional dynasty of King David, but not of the ruling Herodian line, nor previous Hasmonean line of the Maccabees. This is akin to many European countries today, where the country is a republic, but descendants of a former ruling royal family still live, and have loyalty and respect, and should be considered ‘king’ or ‘crown prince’.
Jewish Customs
Joseph and Mary were traditional Jews and fulfilled the necessities of the Mosaic law and attended the festivals. The Jewish law required that the firstborn male was to be dedicated to God (Luke 2:23), so Joseph and Mary went with Jesus from Bethlehem to the Temple at Jerusalem (Luke 2:22). Here we get a sign that Joseph was poor since the text say that they offered a sacrifice of two young birds, and the law in Leviticus 12:6 states that the sacrifice was meant to be a lamb, but when “the lady cannot afford a lamb, she shall bring two doves or two pigeons” (Leviticus 12:9 GNB).
This also implies that this happened before the Magi got here and gave them gold, otherwise they may have afforded a lamb. At the Temple, Joseph and Mary met Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:25-38), who recognised the kid because the Messiah.
Exile to Egypt
Later the Magi came visiting them and asked “Where is the infant born to be the king of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2 GNB). King Herod feared threats and potential threats and was ruthless in killing rivals, meaning that the lives of each Joseph and Jesus were at risk. An angel warned Joseph in a dream, and he took his wife and son to Egypt until Herod died. It could also be that the gold which the Magi brought was in a position to help them afford the journey. Yet even after Herod died, Joseph still feared his son Archelaus (Matthew 2:22) they usually moved back to Nazareth in Galilee.
Family
After Jesus was born Joseph and Mary had several children together. The New Testament text mentions 4 brothers called James, Joseph (Joses), Simon and Judas (Jude) and “daughters”. We don’t know the way many sisters there have been, however it is plural so there have been no less than two, and perhaps more. Some of those children can have been born in Egypt and others in Nazareth.
When the family returned to Nazareth in Galilee, they became a part of the local synagogue community (see Matthew 13:54). Some people prefer to think that these were Joseph’s children by a previous marriage, and he was a widower when he married Mary. The text does not likely rule this out, but an issue with this line of logic is that if that were the case it might be James who would have been the heir of the Davidic line, and never Jesus, which undermines the concept that Jesus was ‘King of the Jews’.Joseph appears within the story of Jesus’s childhood. Luke 2:41 says, “Now his parents went to Jerusalem every yr on the feast of the Passover,” and took Jesus with them. On one occasion when he was 12 years old Joseph and Mary were frantic with worry on the lookout for him (Luke 2:41-51).
Role as Protector and Provider
Throughout his life, Joseph is seen as a protector of Mary and Jesus. His decision to face by Mary, his look after the family during their exile in Egypt, and his role as a father figure to Jesus reflect his deep faith and trust in God’s plan. He is generally considered a humble and hardworking man. He known as a righteous or simply man (Matthew 1:19). He seems to have brought Jesus up in the identical trade he was in, because in Mark 6:3 we read that Jesus himself known as a “carpenter”.
Joseph seems to have been around in the beginning of Jesus’s ministry. When Jesus returned to his hometown of Nazareth and taught within the synagogue, the people ask about Jesus, “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And should not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And should not all his sisters with us?” (Matthew 13:54-56). The only reference to Joseph in John’s Gospel is when Jesus was in Capernaum, after we read that the local Jews said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we all know?” (John 6:41 NIV). So, it reads like Joseph continues to be about at the moment.
Death
After that Joseph drops out of the story, and it’s assumed that he had died. According to tradition Joseph died within the presence of Mary and Jesus, and while that’s definitely possible, it’s unrecorded. Mary is recorded on the crucifixion, but not Joseph, and Jesus asks John to take care of his mother Mary (John 19:26-27), which can be odd if Joseph were around.
That Joseph has died is implied, because after his death, Jesus would have inherited his position because the rightful titular king of the Jews. Hence Jesus was called “King of the Jews” by Pilate (Mathew 27:11), which was the label attached on his cross on the crucifixion (Matthew 27:29), as had been recognised by the Magi (Matthew 2:2).By the time of Pentecost, the Bible says that Jesus’s family were in Jerusalem. It reads, “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, along with the ladies and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers” (Acts 1:14 ESV), and Joseph just isn’t mentioned in any respect in Acts.
Places to Visit
There isn’t any known grave for St Joseph, and no shrine in his honour, however it is assumed that he died in Nazareth. Nazareth today is in modern-day Israel, and it has a big Christian community. There is a big Catholic Basilica dedicated to St Joseph, which is built over what’s reputedly Joseph’s carpentry workshop. Also in Nazareth is a synagogue church which is claimed to be the previous synagogue of Nazareth where the holy family worshipped.
Patron Saint
St Joseph is considered the patron saint of many things reminiscent of carpenters, employees and immigrants. Traditionally he died on nineteenth March, although no-one is bound of the yr. This was formally confirmed as St Joseph’s Day by Pope Sixtus IV in 1479, even though it seems to have been observed long before then. The Jesuits were founded on St Joseph’s Day 1539, and he is taken into account their patron. St Joseph has been adopted because the important or sole patron saint for a lot of places including Belgium since 1679 and Croatia since 1687, and St Joseph is extremely revered in Sicily where he known as San Giuseppe.
Father’s Day
St Joseph can be the patron saint of fathers. The Franciscans promoted St Joseph’s Day as an excellent day to have a good time fatherhood. As a result, St Joseph’s Day was the unique Father’s Day, and it stays as Father’s Day in some Catholic countries reminiscent of Portugal and Mozambique, where it known as Dia do Pai; and in Italy, where it known as Festa del Papà; and in Spain and Bolivia where it known as Día del Padre.
Customs
A standard collect prayer for St Joseph’s Day is: “God our Father, who from the family of your servant David raised up Joseph the carpenter to be the guardian of your incarnate Son and husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary: give us grace to follow him in faithful obedience to your commands; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who’s alive and reigns with you, within the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.”
