The King's Father

Joseph, far removed from any of his ancestors who had been king, had become very thoroughly a carpenter. He worked with his hands, built things, built for himself a life, and had a reputation. He was the carpenter. 

And then... 

And then, the angel of the Lord comes to him and tells him that he's going to be a father. He's going to have a son. That son is going to be the redemption of Israel, of all of God's people. Indeed, of the world. 

His son is going to be the King of Kings. 

Can you think for a second about what that had to awaken in Joseph? About what deep longings in his heart that had to arouse? 

My son is going to be King. My ancestors were kings. My ancestor was the best king, the man after God's own heart. The wisdom that we know as the Scriptures tells the story of my ancestors, and today, God has told me that we're about to write a new chapter of this. My son is going to be next. 

There might have been a little sting in his heart. Missed it by one, by one generation. If the timing had been just a little different, Joseph might have been the promised King....wouldn't he? Maybe he sat around and thought about this for awhile, about how it could have been him. Maybe he looked down at his well-worn hands, calloused and scarred with the pricks of a thousand little splinters, a lifetime of labor, and thought...it could have been me. I was born to be a king. 

Maybe he looked around at the things he had built, and he imagined one more thing - a throne room. Did he start planning one, like any good father would start planning a nursery? Was he drawing up designs in his head for how he was going to restore not just the title, but the place? Was he thinking about rebuilding the throne while he was looking at his pregnant wife? 

Was he thinking about adding on a parents' quarters, just for good measure? Just to get himself back into the presence of the greatness he should have had for himself? 

Maybe he was just doting on his son. Was he content to be a carpenter, having accepted his life and learned to love it? 

Maybe he was resigned to being a carpenter and had long since given up on ever being anything more. 

Maybe it never struck him at all that he could have or should have or might have been king, but he was just genuinely happy to be part of restoring his family's name, even if it was coming through his son. 

His son, by the way, who wasn't even his, but was everything he needed the young boy to be. 

Can you imagine what it's like for the man who should be king to find out he's raising one? 

Joseph could have been, but was never going to be king. 

But he was going to be the king's father. 

And that's exactly as messy as it sounds.