It seems that all those people mentioned in the Christmas story as presented in Luke’s and Matthew’s Gospels have something to say. Mary speaks—as does Elizabeth, Zechariah, the angels, the shepherds, the Wise Men, Simeon and Ana the Prophetess. They all have something to tell us about the wonders of the Christ Child. And yet, other than Baby Jesus Himself, there is one central figure who remains silent. Do you know who that person is? His name is Joseph—the adoptive earthly father of Jesus. And yet, we are not left without sufficient information about Joseph. When we review this information, we can see that he was a loving parent who obviously set good examples for Jesus as He was growing up. This isn’t at all unusual, for as New Testament scholar, Philip Comfort, once remarked: “When my wife taught first grade, she could tell which children belonged to which parents within the first minute of meeting them. The children were the image of their parents.”[1] Yes, children naturally pick up things from their parents. That’s why it is so important today for parents to set a positive, rather than a negative, example for their children. Little eyes are always watching.
So, what could we say about Joseph? What would he have passed on, in the way he lived, that would have been a positive influence? First, before continuing, let me make it clear that Jesus didn’t need to observe good examples and copy them. Rather, JESUS IS THE GOOD EXAMPLE—THE BEST EXAMPLE EVER as a matter of fact! Nevertheless, Joseph wasn’t His adoptive earthly father by accident. God chose Joseph because he had something to offer by way of examples—and he is certainly an example for us. We can see this by observing Joseph’s character traits. In fact, some of those traits are reflected in Jesus—who (I repeat) is the greatest example for any of us to imitate.
First of all, the Bible tells us that Joseph was a “righteous” man.[2] It is noteworthy that this is the same description given of Noah[3] and later of Abraham[4]—they also were “righteous” men. What does it mean—to be “righteous”? Well, the Greek word used to describe Joseph in Matthew’s Gospel is δίκαιος. It has a variety of meanings. It can mean to be just, upright, good, honorable, “a man of principle,” or “a man who always did what was right.” It is an adjective describing that which is in accordance with what God requires of His people.[5] We can get a feel of what righteousness is by considering Joseph, Noah or Abraham. But, we’ll only truly live it when Jesus is allowed access to our hearts.
Joseph had another noteworthy characteristic that we’d all do well to imitate. You see, Joseph was also a merciful man. When he learned that Mary was pregnant, Joseph knew that he wasn’t the father. Before the angel visited him to explain the divine circumstances of her pregnancy, Joseph thought Mary had been unfaithful to him. Under Jewish law, the penalty for an unfaithful bride-to-be having relations with another man was clear: The woman, along with her lover, would have been dragged to the gates of that town and stoned to death.[6] Joseph could have demanded that had he wanted to. He could have gathered a group of pious Pharisees and demanded that Mary be hauled out to the town gate and be done away with. But, he didn’t do that. No, the Scriptures are very clear for they say: “Because Joseph, her husband, was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” Matthew 1:19 (NIV) You see, a “righteous” person first looks to mercy instead of vengeance. Joseph sensed something in his heart that Jesus would one day later teach when He said: 1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1-2 (NIV) Yes, Joseph was a righteous man. His mercy sprang from his righteousness, and his righteousness was rooted in His relationship with a loving and merciful God.
The world too often associates such righteousness and mercy with those who are timid and weak. But, that was certainly not the case with Joseph. Joseph was a courageous man. We can see this when considering the fact that he wasn’t afraid to head out on dangerous journeys. When Caesar issued a decree requiring all able-bodied men in Israel to report to their hometown and register during a census, Joseph didn’t hesitate. He headed out on that long 90 mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem leading a donkey ridden by Mary and the unborn child she was carrying. Robbers, thieves, inclement weather, rough roads—Joseph wasn’t afraid of these perils and difficulties. Why? Well, quite simply, Joseph believed. He believed the words of God as told to him by the angel who said: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid!”[7] I am sure that his family members thought he was crazy to make such a long trip with a fully pregnant wife in tow. But, if they had asked Joseph how he could embark on such a journey, he may well have broken his silence and told them: “Why should I be afraid, the child traveling with us is filled with the Holy Spirit—and so, if God is with us who could be against us!”[8]
That’s the same attitude Joseph carried on other dangerous journeys. For example, while Jesus was still quite young, Joseph escorted his family from Bethlehem to Egypt to escape the swords of Herod’s soldiers. And later on, he embarked upon that even longer journey from Egypt back to Nazareth. Joseph knew that life is a dangerous journey. However, for those who trust in God, it need not be a journey taken in fear. The problem is we often get off course. Joseph teaches us to have faith that God will be with us on the entire journey if we will just follow His road signs.
And finally, there is something else about Joseph that was not a mere accident. It was his occupation. You see, Joseph was a carpenter—which was the perfect occupation to introduce Jesus to.[9] Well, actually, Jesus already knew everything you could possibly know about building things. After all, long before He lay in the manger in Bethlehem, Jesus constructed the entire universe.[10] But, Jesus’ time with Joseph there in the carpentry shop clearly made an impression on Him. Later, during His earthly ministry Jesus used building references to make His points regarding important spiritual matters. For instance, when Jesus taught about faith, He did so with reference to building a house. He taught that if your faith rests on worldly sand, then it will never survive the storms of life. So, build your faith like you’d construct a strong house. Build it on the rock-solid foundation of Jesus Christ![11]
You see, Jesus is the One Carpenter who builds mansions beyond this life. He is the only One who can construct for you an eternal dwelling place that is beautiful beyond your wildest dreams.[12] And Jesus can complete some miraculous building projects in no time at all. In fact, when Jesus’ opponents challenged His authority as the Master Builder, the Scripture tell us: 19 “Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ 20 Then the Jews said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?’” Then John’s Gospel goes on to explain: 21 “But He was speaking of the Temple of His body. 22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.” John 2:19-22 (NKJV) It was then that His disciples realized that Jesus had used nails and wood in a way that was impossible for any other carpenter, but Him. That’s exactly what Jesus did on the Cross—it wasn’t so much that the Romans nailed Him to the Cross. It would be more accurate to say that Jesus ALLOWED them to nail Him to the Cross. The Master Carpenter, Jesus, was in charge of the situation all along. In fact, when they arrested Jesus shortly before He was crucified, He made a statement that showed He was still in complete control. When Peter tried to resist those who came against Jesus, our Lord told him to put his sword away and stated: “Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and He would send them instantly?” Matthew 26:53 (NLT2) Yes!—a host of angels could have rescued Him and flattened the entire Roman Empire if Jesus had commanded it. But, instead, Jesus willingly went to the Cross to die for all of us. And, on the third day after Jesus’ death, God raised Him from the tomb. It was then that the “Greatest Construction Project” in human history was completed. Perhaps, it would be more accurate to call it the “Greatest Restoration Project”—because it was then that Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross was acknowledged by God as sufficient to pay for the sins of all those who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And so, the Carpenter died for the sole purpose of restoring our relationship with God the Father.
His work on the Cross made possible His work in your heart. As you place your faith in Christ, your heart will undergo a massive restoration. And because of His restoration work, you will begin to experience the wonder of His love. No longer will it be a shabby, dark, run-down, slum of a heart. The Apostle Paul tells us that: “When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!” 2nd Corinthians 5:17 (TLB) Paul tells us the process works like this: 17 “Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.” Paul goes on to say: 18 “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is.” Ephesians 3:17-18 (NLT2) Yes, that’s exactly how Jesus repairs broken hearts!
When we think about Joseph’s role as Jesus’ adoptive parent, we begin to realize something that, at first, may seem strange. You see, for Joseph, it was the reverse of the typical parent-child relationship. Normally, the child reflects the traits of the parent. But, Joseph reflected the goodness of the Christ-child. That is the way it is with Christians as well. We are to reflect the image of our spiritual ancestry. In other words, we are called to show Christ to others through the words we say and the things we do. C.S. Lewis expressed this well in his classic book, Mere Christianity. Lewis wrote: “If we let [Christ], . . He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a . . . dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we now cannot imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long. . . but that is what we are in for. Nothing less.”[13]
Are you willing to submit to that process? Joseph was a carpenter. . . Jesus is a carpenter. Christmas is a great time for you to be a “carpenter” as well—not in Santa’s workshop, but in God’s workshop of this world. Jesus calls us to be “carpenters” in two ways. First, we are to be builders of His Kingdom here on earth. Secondly, we must build people up instead of tearing them down. We cannot be judgmental—but are called to offer encouragement instead. And so, we are called to imitate Christ by sharing His love. Is the love of Christ in you on this Christmas eve? What would the world look like if people imitated us? Would it be a better world? Or, would it be just as bad (or worse) than the one in which we live? That can be a hard and painful question to answer for Christians who refuse to be Christ’s carpenters. As we conclude this Christmas Eve Service, consider the words of this simple poem entitled, “He was a Carpenter”:
Joseph was carpenter; / Mary was his wife.
The Son of God—his adoptive son / came to give us Life.
Jesus was born in a Bethlehem manger, / To pain and suffering, He was no stranger.
He too was a Carpenter; He worked with wood. / His work was flawless. His work was good.
“Come to Me,” He said, “and I’ll give you rest / for my yoke is easy and My way is best.”
He spoke of Heaven and He spoke of hell. / Great words of wisdom He spoke so well.
He reached out to all and cured the blind. / Opening their eyes and freeing their mind.
“What manner of man is this,” the people cried. / “He’s the Son of God,” the prophets replied.
But they took the Carpenter to Calvary / and went and nailed Him to a tree.
For this Carpenter, this Man divine, / this Friend of sinners, this Friend of mine,
placed so much value upon my soul / that He laid down His life to make me whole.[14]
Yes—Joseph was a carpenter, / a man of faith was he.
God’s Son was a Carpenter too; / He died for you and me.
We don’t know a lot about Joseph, but we do know that he was a carpenter who lived a faithful life. It seems like Joseph was Jesus’ apprentice—and not the other way around. And you know?—when it comes to Joseph, . . . maybe that’s all we really need to know.
Let us pray.
Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor
Forest Hill Baptist Church
December 24, 2023
©2023 All Rights Reserved as follows:
Anyone is at liberty to use this sermon or any portions thereof for educational or religious purposes, with or without credit. The pastor believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia.
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[1] Osborne, Grant, Philip W. Comfort. 2007. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol 13: John and 1, 2, and 3 John. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] Matthew 1:19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. (NASB)
[3] Genesis 6:9b “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.” (NASB)
[4] Genesis 15:6 And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith. (NLT2)
[5] Abernathy, David. Exegetical Summary of Matthew 1-16, An. Dallas, TX: SIL International, 2013. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
[6] Deuteronomy 22:23-24 23 “Suppose a man meets a young woman, a virgin who is engaged to be married, and he has sexual intercourse with her. If this happens within a town, 24 you must take both of them to the gates of that town and stone them to death. The woman is guilty because she did not scream for help. The man must die because he violated another man’s wife. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you. (NLT2)
[7] Matthew 1:20 “As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “DO NOT BE AFRAID to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.” (NLT2)
[8] Romans 8:31 “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (NLT2)
[9] [Regarding Joseph:] Matthew 13:55 “Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?” (NIV) [Regarding Jesus:] Mark 6:3 “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?" And they took offense at Him.” (NASB)
[10] John 1:3 “God created everything through [Jesus], and nothing was created except through Him.” (NLT2)
[11] Matthew 7:24-27 24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” (NLT2)
[12] John 14:2 “In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” (NKJV)
[13] Quoted in Christianity Today—Timothy Keller: A Special Commemorative Issue: Tim Keller, “Everything Bad is Going to Become Untrue,” (Fall 2023) p. 49.
[14] Poetry.com, STANDS4 LLC, 2023. “He was a carpenter. He worked with wood,” by Royston. Accessed December 22, 2023. https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/107005/he-was-a-carpenter.-he-worked-with-wood—(Italicized verses added by the pastor).
