Tip of My Iceberg

Many people know men named Joe. It’s one of those names that brings to mind someone with a lot of personality, a solid character. Good ole’ Joe.

I’ve had many Joes in my life through the years. When I was in fifth grade, Joey sat next to me and let me use his glasses because I couldn’t see the blackboard and refused to tell anyone. I had a crush one year on a guy named Joe.

As an adult, we’ve had several friends named Joe, though some preferred the more formal Joseph. One in particular is the son of a dear friend, a young man who is an old soul with strong convictions who refuses to compromise. He’s got a kind heart; he loves his family dearly, will stand firm on what he believes in, especially his faith, and is loyal and dependable in a way that I don’t often see. He’s tough and tender and loves others well. He and his two brothers are as much a part of our family as our own.

There have been many Joes through the ages. One in particular has always intrigued me. Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus, was a man of great faith, humility, and integrity. A craftsman from the town of Nazareth, of the family of King David, he became betrothed to Mary, the promise of marriage, a binding contract between two families, often dignified with the exchange of gifts. The betrothal was a period of about a year before the actual marriage happened, and the couple lived separately and were not intimate with one another.

Imagine how Joseph felt when he found out his betrothed was pregnant. He had trusted her to save herself for him, and appearances seemed to indicate that she’d been unfaithful. Because adultery was against the law, Joseph had the right to demand Mary’s death by stoning, the required punishment for those caught in infidelity.

Joseph, being tenderhearted, didn’t want Mary to die nor did he want to disgrace her publicly, but the shame was too much for him, so he thought he’d quietly divorce her.

“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. And she will have a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’” Matthew 1:20-21.

Joseph chose to believe God; he took the angel’s words to heart and stayed betrothed to Mary, no matter what the neighbors said. When they were required to return to their ancestral homes for a government census, he took Mary, close to the end of her pregnancy, and went to Bethlehem, where she gave birth to Jesus.

Joseph isn’t mentioned a lot in that scene. He’s the quiet strength that enabled Mary to give birth far from home and away from her mother and other helpful midwives. He was the protector when Herod decided to kill every male baby in Bethlehem under two years of age in order to rid himself of a royal competitor. He was the one who stood with Mary as his adopted Son was circumcised and named.

My friend Joe has many of the same strong qualities as this ancient Joseph. What makes both of them outstanding is their faith and faithfulness.

Joseph never sought the limelight but faithfully stood by the woman he would marry despite what other’s said. His character was a shining example of God’s love and goodness.

Isn’t that what Christmas is about? Not what we get, what we give, what we have, but who we are. We’re all part of a magnificent story, no matter how small our part seems to be. Nobody is a minor character; we all matter.

We’re all a bunch of good ole’ Joes.

Jesus makes us each better.