Church tradition over the centuries has sanitised the Nativity story, leaving it a far cry from the earthy reality and scandal of the actual events surrounding Mary and Joseph. Paintings and images of the Christmas story are often idealised and domesticated, reducing the gripping drama of the Nativity to something rather tame.
Joseph is a key figure in the actual story, and the French painter James Tissot sought to express something of the intense pressure Joseph was under as he was unwittingly catapaulted into what would become the fulcrum of world history.
The scene is Joseph’s workshop in Nazareth; the carpenter is depicted as an older man, following church tradition (but probably incorrect historically). He is unable to concentrate on his work, although he has clearly been industrious that day, judging by the piles of wood shavings all about.
Some women are filing past on their way back from fetching water, and they have caught Joseph’s attention. Perhaps he is hoping for a glimpse of his betrothed… or is he wishing he had set his heart on one of the other suitable maidens in the village instead?
Either way, his mind constantly went back to Mary’s gut-wrenching announcement, which had landed him in an impossible dilemma. Either he must denounce her publicly as an adulteress – which he had every right to do – with the possibility that the elders would condemn her to death by stoning. Or he could break all ties with Mary by divorcing her quietly, which would bring much humiliation to her family.
The third alternative was unthinkable: to marry her quickly, knowing full well that he was not the father of her child, and in spite of the shame and disgrace which a shotgun wedding would bring to both families. Deep in Joseph’s heart, beneath the seething emotions of anger and foolishness and betrayal, he couldn’t quite dismiss the thought that this might be the right thing to do.
The women who were chatting gaily as they passed in front of his door had no idea whatsoever how much hinged on the decision that the anxious carpenter had to make. That night he had the most extraordinary dream, after which he his heart was firmly set on the third option.
Joseph is described as a righteous man, meaning that in all his relationships he sought the way of justice, mercy and truth. Faced with this excruciating dilemma that was not of his choosing, he wrestled on until he found the way which was right in God’s eyes, and then resolutely stuck to it and all its implications.
For a while Joseph experienced shame and embarrassment in the 1st century world of Nazareth; yet because of his decision to protect and love and provide for Mary and her son, he has been earning the applause of men and women in every nation and generation since.
May your heart be stirred and inspired as you reflect on the tapestry of relationships at the centre of the Christmas story.
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