REV. ROHAN Opinions differ on marriage

God selected Joseph at the age of 80 to take the most holy virgin from the temple into his home, to protect her, to provide for her and to be known as her husband so that she, a virgin, would not suffer reproach when she was found to be with child. Matthew records in his gospel that God did this because Joseph was a just man (Matthew 1:19).
Marriage: There is a difference of opinion among ancient Christian writers as to whether or not St. Joseph was married in his youth. Saints Cyril of Alexandria and Epiphanius of Cyprus agree that he was, and that he fathered the children referred to as the "brethren" of the Lord in Scriptures. St. John Chrysostom held that the "brothers" of Christ were not Joseph's by a previous marriage, but the children of Cleopas, Joseph's younger brother whose family lived in accordance with ancient patriarchal custom in the home of his eldest brother under his care. St. Jerome and other religious writers claim that it is "more pious to believe that the Virgin Son was born to a union of virgins."
Joseph's lineage: Again, as recorded in the Gospel of St. Matthew (Matthew 1:16) the holy and righteous Joseph was of the royal lineage of King David. And, although of royal lineage, Joseph was a simple carpenter who lived in the town of Nazareth. It was the lot of this just man, of loyal lineage, yet very lowly station in life, to be chosen by God to become the protector of the virginity of the all-holy Virgin Mary and the foster father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As was so for many other descendants of David, Joseph's lot in life was that of an ordinary laborer -- earning a living by the sweat of their brow and living honorably by the labor of their hands. Common labor, we know, is not a deterrent to living a spiritually oriented life as did Joseph. A deeply religious person, he was exceptionally well acquainted with Old Testament scriptures and lived in accordance therewith. His knowledge of scripture is evident when an angel appears to Joseph in a dream announcing that the Virgin's pregnancy was caused by the Holy Spirit and the will and power of God. The angel, informing Joseph of the Lord's birth, speaks of this unheard of event as if it were something not at all foreign to Joseph's thoughts and, indeed, Joseph himself understood the angel without doubting. Joseph reacted so because he was aware of the prophesy of Isaiah who wrote: "Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel which means God is with us." (Isaiah 7:14) It was because of his love and knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures and his righteous living that the church fathers credit God's selection of Joseph for his role and his readiness for this selection.
Joseph, as earlier indicated, became the protector of the Virginity of the all-holy Virgin Mary and the foster father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the latter capacity, he named the infant Jesus as instructed by the angel (Matthew 1:21), fled with the new born child and his all-pure mother into Egypt when danger threatened them, and chose their place of residence when that danger had passed.
Settling down: The holy family settled in Nazareth, as the Gospel says of Christ's formative years, the Lord "was subject unto them", i.e. to Joseph and the Virgin Mary. While not much is recorded in the Scriptures about Jesus' early years it can be assumed that his parents who were devout Jews would have taught him all that the Old Testament required which would include the stories, history and poetry, as well as the Mosaic law belonging to their Jewish heritage.
Together with his parents, Jesus went to the synagogue on the Sabbath. At these services a lesson was read from the law, followed by a lesson from the prophets. Luke (4:14-30) tells us that Jesus preached at one of such services. Those in attendance marveled at the gracious words spoken by him. He told them that the time of the messiah had arrived, yet they could not believe that Jesus, a fellow villager, could be the messiah. To them, he was the son of Joseph.
Joseph, at times would take Jesus to the marketplace. While Joseph made purchases for the family, the young Jesus watched the vendors at stands as they sold their wares. Jesus often thought about the marketplace. He remembered the generous way the merchants made sales to their customers. Always, they gave a little more than they were supposed to give. The merchants, he noticed, would press down the golden wheat as they measured it when making a sale.
When Jesus grew up and began preaching, he alluded to the marketplace when he said: "Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over ... For with same measure that you use, it shall be measured back to you. (Luke 6:38) It was a lesson to be learned showing generosity to others, a human virtue espoused by Jesus.
Carpenter: When Joseph lived in Nazareth he earned his living as a carpenter. Church tradition tells us that Christ, too worked as a carpenter, a trade which he learned from his foster father. Joseph is quoted as saying: "Each man must teach his son a trade for it is a high honor among our people to do manual work. What ever trade a man follows, he must do it well. Labor is no disgrace. Labor is a blessing."
According to church tradition St. Joseph fell asleep in the Lord before the beginning of Christ's public ministry at the age of 110. The hymn for his feast day which the Orthodox Church observes on the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ contains these words: "Proclaim the miracle to David, the ancestor of God, O Joseph. You have seen a Virgin give birth, with shepherds did offer glory and with the magi did worship, having received the news from the angel. Beseech Christ God to save our souls."
XThe Rev. Daniel Rohan is pastor of St. Mark Orthodox Church in Liberty.