The heartbroken Joseph (the carpenter) discovered that the woman he was engaged to was "with child." There can be little question that he would have felt overwhelmed, confused, and even betrayed. Because he was a good man, a righteous and kind man, Joseph had no desire to embarrass Mary. So, he decided that he would break off their engagement privately-and then just move on with his life. But then, the unexpected happened. The "angel of the Lord" appeared to him and told him that the child in Mary's womb was of God, and he should marry her as originally planned.

Joseph is commanded by God (through His angelic messenger) to name the soon-to-be-born baby "Jesus," which means "Jehovah is salvation." The angel clarifies that this is not just a "nice name." Rather, the boy should be called "Jehovah is salvation" because Jesus will "save His people from their sins." Could the message about who this child was be any clearer?

While our verse for today testifies of Jesus' greatness and mission, it says a great deal about Joseph as well. In the fourth century, Saint John Chrysostom explained: "It was as if the angel were saying to Joseph, 'Do not imagine that, because He is conceived of the Holy Spirit, you have no part in the ministry of this new dispensation. In the conception you had no part. You never touched the virgin. Nevertheless, I am giving you what pertains to a father. I give the honor of giving a name to the One who is to be born. For you, Joseph, shall name him. For though the offspring is not your own, yet you are called to exhibit a father's care toward him. So, on this occasion, at this moment of giving him a name, you stand in significant relation with the one who is born.'"

Just as Mary was surely predestined to be the mother of the Son of God, Joseph (the carpenter) seems no less foreordained or predestined to be the stepfather of God's Only Begotten Son: a sacred assignment, indeed. But what does any of this have to do with us? Well, aside from the most important fact (that Jesus saves all of us from our sins), there may be a subtle message in this verse about what we do as parents. Like Joseph, who was not Jesus' "real" father, but simply a steward of the Son of God, commissioned to rear Him in love and gentleness; you and I receive children into our homes and lives, but they are God's-not actually ours. They are "the offspring of God" (Acts 17:29), His sons and daughters. God loans them to us for a time and expects us-on His behalf-to rear them in love and gentleness. However, just as Joseph was accountable to God for how he raised Jesus, surely we will be accountable to God for how we raise our own children who, in reality, will be His for eternity (though we have them for a short time during this mortal life).