I wrote a little book, And God Chose Joseph, in which I tried to depict what the role of Joseph was in raising The Son of God. This is a short excerpt:
“You can imagine he was quite taken aback by the next event which occurred several months later. Magi arrived, on camels, bringing gifts Joseph had only heard existed! They brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
It was quite a sight to see kings in the house, bending their knees, bowing their crowned heads. Truly the Lord could reach the hearts of even the mighty through this tiny Child.
The Magi wished Joseph well, and drawing him aside, out of Mary’s hearing, suggested ominous things might be happening on the horizon. They were frankly concerned for the welfare of the Child, that Herod might think the Infant Jesus might usurp his power.
Joseph thanked them for their warning, and almost surprised he would say such a thing, said, ‘You know, I’m no longer amazed at what the Lord can do. He’s protected us so far, and I am convinced we are under His special care.’
Joseph was, there, not totally surprised when in a dream he was told to immediately flee to Egypt to escape the Roman’s killing of the innocents, children born within the last two years around Bethlehem where Jesus was born.
The Lord’s protection was part of the plan for this little one.
We’re not told much about Jesus’ youth, but Joseph must have patiently taught the boy the beauties of the world, the responsibilities of belonging to the lineage of David, and the wonders of God.
For it is evident in Christ’s ministry that Jesus had learned the art of making the profound seem simple by telling parables and using commonplace humble illustrations to make evident eternal truth.
I’d like to think Joseph had something to do with this.”
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