Joseph
There was a rap at the door, breaking the silence, and
Joseph began to move from the place he had settled to greet the newcomer. Sarah
waved him off since she was much closer to the door, but that did no good. Joseph
knew it would be completely inappropriate for his mistress to wash the feet of
a guest to her home, especially if it was a man. His persistence was of value
because Jesus’ brother, James, was at the door. James came in, shed his outer
robe, handing it to Sarah, and unlaced his sandals so Joseph could accomplish
his foot washing task.
Sarah marveled at how different James was than Jesus. “I
guess that makes sense,” she thought, in light of what Mary had just said about
Jesus’ actual “father.” James was a rugged man, having followed after his
father, Joseph, in the craftsman trade. He had given that up in this last year
to become more involved with the large group of Jesus’ followers who regularly
met in Jerusalem and seemed to have fallen into leadership among them. Jesus
had been slighter in build and, since he had gone into rabbinic school at the
age of 12 (after that impressive showing at the temple), didn’t have the same
physically demanding life of his younger brothers. Jesus had not been weak,
though, by any estimation. The suffering he endured would have ended a weaker
man’s life long before the cross. She had to turn toward an empty corner of the
kitchen as tears once again escaped her eyes. Those images were still too
vivid, even a year later. James, a common visitor to the house to check on his
mother, was tossing Izzy into the air and her laughter was infectious. Sarah
smiled at her youngest blessing and wiped her eyes.
James was quickly caught up to the stopping place of his
mother’s story. Mary nodded to him, wanting him to carry on with it, as now her
oldest son. “Dad took little time for story-telling” he began. “For those of
you who never had the chance to know him, he was a quiet, strong and honest man
who was quite calculated in all he did, as you might expect of a life-long
craftsman. There was one time where he related his part of this story to me,
though, as we worked together in the shop. I should say he was working; I was
sweeping and listening. It was Jesus’ thirteenth birthday and he not at home,
the first birthday he missed being at rabbinic school and dad was sad and
allowed himself to reminisce.”
“’You can’t blame me for struggling to believe her, can
you?’ dad asked me not really expecting an answer. She was promised to him but
discovers she is pregnant, telling him that just two weeks before she had a
visit from an angel with a message from Jehovah. Mom was young, but he had
always known her to be honest. It was one of the things that attracted him to
the idea of a life together. ‘But there is only one way to be pregnant’ he said
looking directly at me, ‘and that is to have been with a man…and that man
wasn’t me! I reacted poorly…humanly’ he confessed to me. Disgrace was a
certainty, for both of them; maybe worse for mom. She had gone through the
normal routine for women during their “unclean” time, though she was not
bleeding, and was planning a trip to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who she claimed
was six months pregnant. He felt this was possibly the way out. Mary could
leave before anyone was aware of her condition and never return. There would be
questions, initially, but she would be safe and he would not be implicated.”
James paused to take hold of Mary’s hand as she had begun to weep quietly.
Sarah could not, for the life of her, grasp what that must
have been like. An angel visits and you get pregnant without being with a man
and then your future husband doesn’t believe you and wants to break off the
engagement. That had to be a new definition for “alone.” James began again and Sarah
forced her mind back to the story.
“Dad couldn’t get to sleep that night, though he had worked
especially hard during the day to try to erase the situation from his mind.
Sometime in the last watch he must have dozed off, he said, because he began dreaming…mostly
wild, nonsensical dreams; but suddenly, all the images were washed out in white
and when his mind seemed to adjust a young man was standing before him. Mom’s
description came to his mind, instantly. This was the same being. Dad had
stopped everything at this point and was clearly reliving that moment in time.
I’m not sure he even remembered I was there,” James added but then continued,
“He was afraid, and added to that, embarrassed that he had not believed Mary,
but the angel smiled at him and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Joseph. Mary has told
you the truth. Jehovah is the one who caused her to be pregnant and she will
have a son. Take her as your wife and when the son is born name him Yeshua,
because he will save his people from the penalty of their sin.’”
“Dad stopped talking and just sat for a moment, still lost
in thought. Then, as if he was waking up from that same dream he said, ‘I awoke
refreshed and at peace, left my workshop just as it was and went to find Mary.
We were married within the week and immediately after the days of celebration,
she left to visit Elizabeth. I wondered if people would do the math and start
rumors about Mary being pregnant before our marriage but the angel had said not
to be afraid. That was the plan.’”
Mary was smiling again as James came to the end of his
account. It was time to eat and Sarah was ready. Her servants made quick work
of assuring that all had enough to eat and drink. It was a night of
celebration, after all. It was Jesus’ birthday. Sarah couldn’t help wondering,
though, what was keeping John. He had said he had an errand to run, but she was
sure he wouldn’t want to miss this night. It was his idea!
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