Faith of our Fathers - 16 June 2019

16 June 2019 – Father’s Day

Hebrews 11:8-12; Matthew 1:18-25, 2:13-15; 19-23

The connection shared by Judaism, Islam, and Christianity is Abraham who is regarded as the father of our common faith.  Imperfect though he was (at least by human standards), Abraham was the one chosen by The Lord to begin the incredible journey to redemption.  As The Lord spoke to Abraham: “I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you” (Genesis 17:7).

The father of “many” nations (Genesis 17:4) is the one through whom a perpetual covenant was established; and because of Abraham’s faithfulness, his sons received abundant blessings though only Isaac would carry the “everlasting covenant” to his own offspring (Genesis 17:19). 

According to the lineage recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, there are forty-two generations from Abraham to Jesus.  Throughout these forty-two generations are stories that make it hard to believe what The Lord was apparently willing to tolerate for the sake of the Holy Covenant, and there are many in this genealogy who would not make it to a list of ideal fathers – again, by our standards.  Yet there is one who has always stood out … not by his recorded words (there are none) but by his unwavering faithfulness: Joseph, the husband of the Blessed Virgin.

Apart from the genealogy, not much is known about Joseph.  There are plenty of assumptions and there are stories in extrabiblical literature, but the Bible itself does not give us much.  Yet for one who spoke so little, he accomplished much.  His faithfulness and his diligence to see after Mary and the Baby allow this much for us to witness: obeying the Holy Father and trusting in His guidance is the Way for fathers throughout the ages.

In Catholicism, St. Joseph is regarded as the patron saint of the Church universal, unborn children, workers, travelers, immigrants … and fathers.  By “patron saint”, some traditions see an advocate; for all traditions, we see inspiration.  In this inspiration, we come to know Joseph as a man of honor.  When Mary was pregnant, Joseph would have been well within his rights to have her dismissed in public shame to be stoned to death (the consequence of adultery).  Instead, he would choose to let her go quietly to spare her that fate.  

Before he was aware of The Lord’s Hand in this drama, he would still choose honor and respect.  So in spite of what we do not know about Joseph, we know enough not only to celebrate and honor this man; we also know how he was regarded in the eyes of The Lord: he was “a righteous man” (Matthew 1:19) – because of what he chose to do when he didn’t have to.

What else do we need to know?  When he died?  How big a role he played in Jesus’ childhood?  What sort of husband he was?  In the grand scheme, what we are told about Joseph is that one attribute we fathers and grandfathers must strive to emulate and perpetuate: he was wholly devoted to The Lord.  He obeyed without question.  When he didn’t have to, when the culture demanded something else, he treated Mary with the utmost respect and care.  He put everything at risk not only to protect the pregnant Mary but also to protect his young family.

We contemporary fathers have no problem with being protectors – especially if that protection involves guns.  It is a very he-manly role to play in being armed and prepared to take on any who would threaten the well-being of our families.  While the crazy and often dangerous world we live in may seem to make that level of preparedness necessary, however, the ideal conveyed by Joseph suggests there is one thing we fathers must learn to do first: submit to The Lord and trust fully in His guidance and protection.

I have often wondered why it was that Joseph was only spoken to in his dreams.  Some have suggested it is in a state of sleep when we are most vulnerable, but I’ve had some really strange dreams that would lead me straight to a mental health facility if I were to follow through!  Could it be that Joseph was a manly man who trusted his own instincts more than he concerned himself with what The Lord may ask of him?

There is reasonable suspicion of a pregnant wife whom he had not yet “known” so intimately, but notice the tension between what the human culture would expect of Joseph and what The Lord would require of him.  This suggests we fathers may be inclined to be more aware of a socially constructed role we must fit into rather than be led into a truly godly role that, in the end, would make us all better husbands and fathers – men worthy of the love of a godly woman and the admiration of children. 

It is an ideal this world can have no concept of not only because of the “enmity” (opposition) which exists between this world and the kingdom (James 4:4) but also because of what Jesus Himself taught: “The world cannot receive [The Spirit] because it isn’t looking for [The Spirit] and does not recognize Him” (John 14:17).

It makes me wonder: if the very Spirit of The Living God came up and physically grabbed us by the collar to get our attention, what would be our response?  A culturally conditioned and violent response?  Or a spiritually conditioned and humble one? 

That may sound a little silly to us now, but think of Joseph and his predicament.  Though he is described in the Scripture as a “righteous man”, we may also do well for ourselves to think of him as a manly man, a working man, a no-nonsense man.  Yet he was also a man more clearly aware of the Presence of God and more clearly willing to heed The Lord’s Voice over and above his own misbegotten pride.  Like his ancestor, King David, a man after The Lord’s own heart.

There is a secret to being the kind of husband and father The Lord means for us to be, but that secret is revealed only “in secret” as Jesus taught us to pray “in secret”; fervently seeking The Lord’s will not only for our lives but for the well-being of the families entrusted to our care.  And our first order of business as fathers is to lead our families, our children to our Holy Father.  Only there can be found Everlasting Life and Everlasting Love.  It is the greatest gift we can give our children.  Amen.