Jesus in the Old Testament

Scripture does not reveal to us if Joseph knew the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14; “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from old, from ancient days.”

We can be sure he knew the account of the exodus from Egypt and was familiar with God’s command to consecrate the first born male to the Lord.

Exodus 13:12
“You must present all the firstborn sons to the Lord, for they belong to him.”

So Joseph brings Mary and the baby to the Temple and it is there that God brings them face to face with Simeon, who declares the prophecy of Isaiah.
Luke 2:30-32

Christmas Application: The Scripture is constantly pointing to Jesus - Isaiah, Exodus, Micah and more. Invest some time in the Old Testament to see how all of Scripture points to Jesus.

First Time Obedience

The first time the Angel spoke to Joseph, it was to confirm what Mary had already shared with him. But not the next two times...

Matthew 2:13-14:
“Now when they (the wise men) had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So Joseph got up and took them while it was still night and left for Egypt.”

Then later in Matthew 2:19-21:
“After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to Israel.”

In both of these cases...
- the Angel says ‘Get up’ so Joseph immediately ‘got up’

Timing often matters. This is the man God uses, a man who hears from God and does what He says immediately.

Christmas Application: As I spend time with God and He speaks to me through His Spirit and His Word, I must be prepared to “get up” and obey Him immediately. Just like Joseph, other’s lives depend on my obedience.

Dad Engagement

The writer, Luke, does a fast forward twelve years to an account where Joseph and extended family and friends went to Jerusalem for the annual Feast of Passover:

Luke 2:42-43
“And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to the custom. And when the feast had ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know about it.”

Interesting that all reliable translations reference Jesus in this particular verse as a ‘boy’ at the of age 12. Both then and now, at the age of 13, a Jewish boy becomes accountable for his actions.

Dad amd mom went back to the city to look and then find Jesus'

Luke 2:48
“When His parents saw Him, they were astonished, and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You.””

Two things noteworthy here

1. Jesus’ behavior was clearly out of the ordinary.

2. Mary, not Joseph, is very emotional and is the one recorded as speaking up. Luke 2:49-50

It must have been a unique privilege to be Jesus’ dad. We don’t know how much longer Joseph lived as there is no mention of him when Jesus launched from being a village carpenter into full time vocational ministry at the age of 30. What we do know is that he was present and faithful to God and engaged with his son during his formative years.

Christmas Application: What can I do better to help Christian men be present and be faithful to God and be engaged as a dad during their child’s formative years?

Brian Doyle is the Founder and President of Iron Sharpens Iron.