The Parents Perspective - The Family of Joseph
Matthew 1:16; Luke 3:23
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy
Faith Fellowship Church
December 18-19, 2021
 
 
The families of Mary and Joseph.
• The lineage of both Joseph and Mary went back to David.

• Jesus was qualified to be the Messiah – the son of David on both sides of His family.

Joseph, the husband of Mary.
• Earthly father or step-father of Jesus.

• Lived in Nazareth (Luke 2:4)

• Was betrothed to Mary (Matthew 1:18)

• Was visited by an angel twice (Matthew 1:20-21; 2:13)

• Traveled to Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-5)

• Protected Mary and Jesus (Matthew 2:13-15)

“Who’s your Daddy?”
 

Matthew 1:16 [ESV] - and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

Luke 3:23 [ESV] - Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli.

How can a person have two fathers?
• Are Jacob and Heli the same person?

• They each have different genealogies.

• Something else must be going on.

Jacob and Heli were half-brothers by the same mother, Estha.
• Heli married, but he died without fathering a child.

• According to Deuteronomy 25:5, his brother was required to marry the widow and father a child to carry Heli’s name.

• Jacob married the widow of Heli and fathered Joseph.

• Joseph was the biological son of Jacob but the legal son of Heli.

• We know the name of Joseph’s grandmother.

We do not know the name of Joseph’s mother.
• An 18th-century visionary claimed that his mother was named Rachel.

• Probably a link to the story of Jacob and Rachel in Genesis 35.

Joseph was raised by Jacob.
• The family was from Bethlehem but had resettled in Nazareth.

• The family trade was carpentry or stone-cutting.

• Jesus was called a “carpenter’s son” in Matthew 13:53-55.

• Trades were passed from father to son.

• Joseph was a carpenter, and almost certainly so was Jacob.

• There were huge construction projects near Nazareth.

• This is most likely why Jacob and his family had resettled in Nazareth.

Jacob was Joseph’s primary father figure, and the one who raised him up to be a “just man.”
• The only real legacy of Jacob was in his son, Joseph.

• Jacob raised his son to work hard.

• He raised his son to do things the right way – you get betrothed and then wait until marriage.

• Jacob, Joseph’s father, would have been involved in that betrothal.

• A betrothal was arranged between the fathers.

• Jacob would have met with Mary’s father to set a bride price and dowry.

• Some assume Joseph was older because Mary seemed to be widowed later.

We don’t know anything about the reaction of the parents of Mary and Joseph.
• The Bible is silent.

• We don’t even know that Jacob was still around.

• We often see dramatizations of what may have happened.

What do you do, and what do you say, when your son tells you that his bride-to-be is now pregnant?
• Anger because Joseph has dishonored the family?

• Joseph makes it clear that the baby is not from him.

• Now there is anger at the family of Mary – a demand for repayment of the bride price.

• Possibly a demand that Mary be stoned because of this dishonor.

• Of course, she has a crazy explanation.

A son will often go to his Dad and ask – “What am I supposed to do?”
• All we know from scripture are the actions of Joseph.

• Joseph, being a just man, was unwilling to put her to shame. (Matthew 1:19)

• He resolved to divorce her quietly.

• There would be no public humiliation, and certainly no stoning.

Of course, then the angel comes back.
• This time to Joseph, but in a dream.

• Matthew 1:20-21 - But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

• Matthew 1:24-25 - When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, [25] but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Joseph was raised by Jacob to be…
• A hard-working man who would pass on a trade.

• A compassionate and just man.

• A protective man.

• A man who listens to the Lord.

What is my family legacy?
• We can’t control our lineage or genealogy.

• We can’t change the confusing parts of our family.

• We can only look forward and build a legacy that follows God and His plan.

DISCUSSION
1. Was there something new that you learned in this study?

2. Would you describe your family history as simple, complicated, or maybe ridiculous?

3. Sometimes we think that God will only use the “perfect” family background. What does the story of Jesus teach us about that?

4. While we cannot always see a positive legacy from generation to generation, what would you say we can learn about Jacob from the life of Joseph?

5. We sometimes talk about breaking generational curses and shaping the legacy of the future by allowing God’s grace to make a change in our family. What might that look like?

6. How can your group pray for you?