[Joseph] went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
Luke 2:5
Although I’m sticking with Luke as we walk closer to Christmas, I am very grateful for the other gospel accounts that tell us a little bit about Joseph. But no matter what account you read, you still get the idea that Joseph is not the main character. What a rip off!
Just imagine what it must have been like. I mean, Luke says it so plainly and we’ve heard it so many times that we can think “no big deal” when we are actually reading that Joseph took his pregnant fiancé, Mary, to his hometown. And remember, that’s not his biological son in there. As a guy, I simply cannot imagine what that must have been like for a stand-up guy like Joseph to wrestle with all the feelings he’d naturally have, not to mention all the looks and judgmental comments that were probably made towards him. No wonder Matthew tells us that Joseph considered divorcing Mary once he found out she was pregnant, but God told him not to.
God had Joseph play a background role. We don’t know much about him. He’s present here in the story of Jesus in a real small way and then he fades into history without making any more of a stir. In the church we (and I am definitely included in this) often talk about God using us to change the world. We mostly think that means that people will know who we are. We’re striving to let God use us in huge ways that will make a big impact that lots of people will notice. “God, I want to change my school.” “God, I want to change my community.” “God, I want to change the world.” “God, I want to be someone You can use to change some of the big things in the world that desperately need changed.”
Ok, so what if God says “ok” to your request, but it’s going to mean that you play a background role? What if following God actually means less people will know your name when they hear it and will recognize you as someone special? What if someone else close to you will get all the attention and you’ll end up being their big support? What if God calls you to obscurity? And why is it that we believe you have to be widely known to be more influential?
Sure, some of the most influential people that have lived we know about and talk about in history class or in church. But Joseph step-fathered the Son of God and we barely know about him. I have known great people of prayer who have moved mountains, so to speak, with their cries to God and yet no one will write a book about their life or talk about them just decades from now. Yet the world and God’s kingdom would not be the same without these people. We need the spotlight people, but so much more we need the background people. The soloist is special, but the choir is essential.
Are you ok with following God even if it means people won’t notice? Are you willing to live for the applause and approval of the One even if the masses never notice?