Baby Jesus

Joshua played Baby Jesus in a Christmas program today. He was perfect, of course. I got to play his mama, Mary. Chris did not play Joseph...in fact, 2 different guys did. They were both great, but, of course, not being Josh's father, didn't interact with him much. And it got me thinking....

God asked a lot of Mary, didn't he? What he asked of her required a lot of faith, trust, and blind obedience. But maybe he asked more of Joseph. Yes, they both faced ridicule, the shame of a child out of wedlock. They likely faced disbelief from their friends and families when they tried to explain the miracle. Joseph was there through the journey to Bethlehem, and the subsequent birth, influx of visitors, and the flight to Egypt. So what?

Well, think about it this way. As I was sitting with my son today, with him in the manger, pointing out the shepherds and kings who were bringing gifts, "Joseph" wasn't doing much. But then he wouldn't have, would he? Moms did most of the caring with babies...there wasn't much for dads to do, especially back then.

But once the baby was weaned, the mother's job was done. So what was the father's task then? To train his son as apprentice, teach him the Scriptures, and find him a wife...

Jesus spent several years with his mother as a very young child, but he reached a certain age where his earthly father took over the lion's share of his upbringing. What an enormous responsibility laid on Joseph. He had not only carried his family through shame, danger, hardship, and being away from family, he now had to train up the very Son of God.

I find it amazing that God entrusted ordinary humans with this job. If He could trust them to raise His Son, what is He looking to trust us with? Are our minds and hands open to accept his task?