The 19th of March is St Joseph’s Day, which in some countries is known as Father’s Day, but who was St Joseph and what do we know about him? This is the story …
Joseph
Joseph, was the husband of Mary and the earthly foster father of Jesus. Though he is not as prominent in the biblical texts as his wife Mary, his role in the life of Jesus is significant. We do not know much about him. He is only mentioned in the Gospels according to Matthew and Luke, and has just one brief mention in John. However, from these we can put together some details of his life.
Betrothed to Mary
Joseph was a Jewish man who was living in Nazareth (Luke 2:4), although his family came from Bethlehem. Joseph was betrothed to marry a Jewish girl called Mary (Matthew 1:8 and Luke 1:27). At first, he was confused and shocked to discover that Mary was pregnant - an accusation of adultery could have led to stoning (see John 8:4-5). Joseph initially planned to quietly divorce Mary to avoid public disgrace (Matthew 1:19). However, he had a divine dream that persuaded him to stay with her (Matthew 1:20-21). They then travelled together down to Bethlehem for the census. It is there in Bethlehem that Jesus was born (Matthew 1:25 and Luke 2:6-7).
Royal blood
If we assume that the genealogy in Matthew 1:1-16 is Joseph’s then he is described as being from the royal line of King David. In this genealogy Joseph is listed as a descendant of King David through his son Solomon and down through the kings of Judah. If this is what it suggests, then it makes Joseph the heir or pretender to the theoretical throne of David.
This fulfils Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah's descent from David, which meant in effect that Joseph was the titular king of the Jews from the ancient dynasty of King David, but not of the ruling Herodian line, nor previous Hasmonean line of the Maccabees. This is akin to many European countries today, where the country is a republic, but descendants of a former ruling royal family still live, and have loyalty and respect, and may still be considered ‘king’ or ‘crown prince’.
Jewish Customs
Joseph and Mary were traditional Jews and fulfilled the requirements of the Mosaic law and attended the festivals. The Jewish law required that the firstborn male was to be dedicated to God (Luke 2:23), so Joseph and Mary went with Jesus from Bethlehem to the Temple at Jerusalem (Luke 2:22). Here we get an indication that Joseph was poor because the text say that they offered a sacrifice of two young birds, and the law in Leviticus 12:6 states that the sacrifice was meant to be a lamb, but if “the woman cannot afford a lamb, she shall bring two doves or two pigeons” (Leviticus 12:9 GNB).
This also means that this happened before the Magi came and gave them gold, otherwise they could have afforded a lamb. At the Temple, Joseph and Mary met Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:25-38), who recognised the child as the Messiah.
Exile to Egypt
Later the Magi came to visit them and asked “Where is the baby born to be the king of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2 GNB). King Herod feared threats and potential threats and was ruthless in killing rivals, meaning that the lives of both Joseph and Jesus were in danger. An angel warned Joseph in a dream, and he took his wife and son to Egypt until Herod died. It may be that the gold which the Magi brought was able to help them afford the journey. Yet even after Herod died, Joseph still feared his son Archelaus (Matthew 2:22) and they moved back to Nazareth in Galilee.
Family
After Jesus was born Joseph and Mary had several children together. The New Testament text mentions four brothers called James, Joseph (Joses), Simon and Judas (Jude) and “daughters”. We do not know how many sisters there were, but it is plural so there were at least two, and maybe more. Some of these children may have been born in Egypt and others in Nazareth.
When the family returned to Nazareth in Galilee, they became part of the local synagogue community (see Matthew 13:54). Some people prefer to think that these were Joseph’s children by a previous marriage, and he was a widower when he married Mary. The text does not really rule this out, but a problem with this line of logic is that if that were the case it would be James who would have been the heir of the Davidic line, and not Jesus, which undermines the idea that Jesus was ‘King of the Jews’.Joseph appears in the story of Jesus's childhood. Luke 2:41 says, “Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover,” and took Jesus with them. On one occasion when he was 12 years old Joseph and Mary were frantic with worry looking for him (Luke 2:41-51).
Role as Protector and Provider
Throughout his life, Joseph is seen as a protector of Mary and Jesus. His decision to stand by Mary, his care for the family during their exile in Egypt, and his role as a father figure to Jesus reflect his deep faith and trust in God's plan. He is usually regarded as a humble and hardworking man. He is called a righteous or just man (Matthew 1:19). He seems to have brought Jesus up in the same trade he was in, because in Mark 6:3 we read that Jesus himself is called a “carpenter”.
Joseph seems to have been around at the start of Jesus’s ministry. When Jesus returned to his hometown of Nazareth and taught in the synagogue, the people ask about Jesus, “Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us?” (Matthew 13:54-56). The only reference to Joseph in John’s Gospel is when Jesus was in Capernaum, when we read that the local Jews said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?” (John 6:41 NIV). So, it reads like Joseph is still about at this time.
Death
After that Joseph drops out of the story, and it is assumed that he had died. According to tradition Joseph died in the presence of Mary and Jesus, and while that is certainly possible, it is unrecorded. Mary is recorded at the crucifixion, but not Joseph, and Jesus asks John to look after his mother Mary (John 19:26-27), which would be odd if Joseph were around.
That Joseph has died is implied, because after his death, Jesus would have inherited his position as the rightful titular king of the Jews. Hence Jesus was called “King of the Jews” by Pilate (Mathew 27:11), which was the label attached on his cross at the crucifixion (Matthew 27:29), as had been recognised by the Magi (Matthew 2:2).By the time of Pentecost, the Bible says that Jesus’s family were in Jerusalem. It reads, “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers” (Acts 1:14 ESV), and Joseph is not mentioned at all in Acts.
Places to Visit
There is no known grave for St Joseph, and no shrine in his honour, but it is assumed that he died in Nazareth. Nazareth today is in modern-day Israel, and it has a large Christian community. There is a large Catholic Basilica dedicated to St Joseph, which is built over what is reputedly Joseph’s carpentry workshop. Also in Nazareth is a synagogue church which is said to be the former synagogue of Nazareth where the holy family worshipped.
Patron Saint
St Joseph is regarded as the patron saint of many things such as carpenters, workers and immigrants. Traditionally he died on 19th March, although no-one is sure of the year. This was formally confirmed as St Joseph’s Day by Pope Sixtus IV in 1479, although it seems to have been observed long before then. The Jesuits were founded on St Joseph’s Day 1539, and he is considered their patron. St Joseph has been adopted as the main or sole patron saint for many places including Belgium since 1679 and Croatia since 1687, and St Joseph is highly revered in Sicily where he is called San Giuseppe.
Father’s Day
St Joseph is also the patron saint of fathers. The Franciscans promoted St Joseph’s Day as a good day to celebrate fatherhood. As a result, St Joseph’s Day was the original Father's Day, and it remains as Father’s Day in some Catholic countries such as Portugal and Mozambique, where it is called Dia do Pai; and in Italy, where it is called Festa del Papà; and in Spain and Bolivia where it is called Día del Padre.
Customs
A traditional collect prayer for St Joseph’s Day is: “God our Father, who from the family of your servant David raised up Joseph the carpenter to be the guardian of your incarnate Son and husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary: give us grace to follow him in faithful obedience to your commands; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.”
