Not much is said about the Father Joseph in the meditations upon Christmas, yet it could not have happened without him. Who was this man who appears briefly and then disappears completely from the Scriptural record? We know nothing about when he was born, nor how old he was when Jesus was born. No record survives of when he died. All we know for certain is that he, like Mary, was a descendant of King David (Matthew 1:16; Luke 2:23). He protected his family, cared for them in Egypt and helped them settle back in Nazareth (Matthew 2:23; Luke 2:39). He was still around twelve years later when the family went to Jerusalem (Luke 2:51).
Joseph was a τεκτων, a Greek word that has usually been translated as carpenter (Matthew 13:55a), but often had a far wider meaning in common Greek. It could refer to any artisan working with wood and metal. It could even refer to a poet.
The Wikipedia article on Joseph lists a modern book discussing Joseph's historical fatherhood and the principles we modern fathers can draw from it: Fatherhood Principles of Joseph the Carpenter: Examples of Godly Fatherhood by Akili Kumas.
In any event Joseph remains as a model of a loving husband and father, providing loving care and protection and teaching godly character. With humility and thanks I remember my own father in the same way. He too was a τεκτων, for that is what a farmer had to be in those days. But he was also a godly man who in love cared for his family.
On this day I join everyone who so remembers his/her father. A blessed Christmas to all.
