Everything came different then hoped for and planned - possible perspective of Joseph about the birth of Jesus Christ

Everything came different then hoped for and planned

(2011161946-2005,1812161808-1849)

Actually, I was a good carpenter

and a newlywed husband.

My marriage to Mary

was on shaky grounds in the beginning,

when I realized

that she was pregnant already.

But when God’s angel gave me the OK

and explained to me who the father was

I could hardly believe it.

I was given the honor

to be an earthly father to the Messiah.

From then on

I dreamed and planned.

I built a house

and furnished it nicely

as a good carpenter.

Of course, according to my abilities.

I did not own much,

but my adopted son

should have it good and nice with us.

But then everything came differently

than hoped or planned for.

The Roman occupational power

threw all my plans around

tremendously.

My dreams burst

because what followed

by the pending census

was trouble upon trouble

for my family and me:

The burdensome travel

from Nazareth to Bethlehem,

the search for adequate housing

that was in vain,

where we ended up

in a stable,

the sudden birth

with lacking hygiene

and to top it off a threat of murder

that caused us to flee to Egypt.

We were displaced people and refugees

and today we would probably be

referred to as outcasts

and people would have only

gossiped about us.

Oh God,

I had imagined life to be quite different

with you and your son!

Everything was prepared perfectly

- in Nazareth.

Unfortunately, back then

I did not know the prophecy

that your son is to be born in Bethlehem

and suffer persecution from the beginning.

After all I was a carpenter and not a scribe.

Never in my life

would I have imagined

that your path of redeeming humanity

goes through all adversities

from the very beginning.

Theme:   possible perspective of Joseph about the birth of Jesus Christ   

 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans1 of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Micah 5,2

This is what the Lord says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” Jeremiah 31:15

(The above Bible quotations are from the NIV Bible translation)