Essay on "Joseph the Life, Teachings and Values"

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Joseph the Life, Teachings and Values

The Life of Joseph:

In many ways, the role fulfilled by Joseph may appear as strictly nominal. As the husband of Mary, Mother of Jesus, most of what is known or understand about Joseph proceeds from the upbringing that Jesus appears to have had. More specifically, though Joseph was considered the father of Jesus during his life, the more widely accepted Christian belief would emerge in the centuries hence indicating that Jesus was the Son of God. As a preeminent belief guiding the Christian and Catholic doctrines, this offers a unique role to Joseph, who is commonly regarded today as the foster-father of the Son of God.

Naturally, his life before the birth of Jesus was modest and pious. Based on the birth of Jesus as a child of Nazareth, it is recognized the Joseph was from Nazareth. Quite in fact, one of the more prominently known facts about Joseph was that he was of a less affluent background, a feature which caused some to cast doubt on the divinity of the son under his care. So is this denoted by the Catholic Church, which recognizes that "we know he was a carpenter, a working man, for the skeptical Nazarenes ask about Jesus, 'Is this not the carpenter's son?' (Matthew 13:55). He wasn't rich for when he took Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised and Mary to be purified he offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb (Luke 2:24)." (CO, 1)

And yet, we may deduce that Joseph was meant to toil in spite of a bloodline that predicted his faculty to raise the Son of God. Namely, though there has been some dispute betwixt the Gospels, particularly those of Luke and Mark, with respect to Joseph's hereditary line, many believe that Joseph was actually descended from a royal lineage leading to King David. The Catholic Church indicates that "the angel who first tells Joseph about Jesus greets him as 'son of David,' a royal title used also for Jesus." (CO, 1) This may help us to deduce something concerning the importance of Joseph's suitability as a foster parent for the Son of God. One with a royal bloodline who yet knew the value of hard work and developing a trade would provide a suitable figure of admiration for one who would grow to take on empathy for all the low-born and toiling peoples of the world.

Godly and Faithful Attitude:

Without question, Joseph was a man of faith. His character was driven by this, even before he had become aware of the special role that he would play. As a Jewish man, he obeyed both the laws of society and the principles of his own value system. Such was the case when he was first confronted with the situation of Mary's pregnancy. Joseph knew the child not to be his, and solemnly accepted the condition that he would be forced to divorce Mary. Therefore, he did so in acknowledgement of the law. However, he feared for the social ignominy and possibly even the execution of his wife, so he did so in secret. This would be a demonstration of his compassion.

And just as compassionately as he addressed this matter, so too would he dutifully accept his role when he was made aware of it. We are told that "Joseph was man of faith, obedient to whatever God asked of him without knowing the outcome. When the angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him the truth about the child Mary was carrying,… READ MORE

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