Stepped Aside

Today we celebrate step-fathers.

Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor. - Luke 2:41-52

I imagine Joseph felt a little bit hurt to hear his son say he was in his true father's house.

Joseph had been searching anxiously for Jesus, who he probably had come to consider his own.  The boy was now twelve.  That's a lot of history, a lot of loving time together.

At first, according to Luke, the parents didn't understand.  Should they have?

They were both told by the angels that this child was from God.  Surely they didn't forget that.  

But Joseph grew into the role of father, and came to love Jesus as his own.

So it may have been like a slap in the face for him.  Perhaps he felt rejected, as if his role was done.

He had gotten Jesus to manhood, and after this, we don't hear anything about Joseph again.

He served his purpose and his work was done.

Does each of us have a purpose like Joseph?  Are we to do our duty and then just step aside?

It sounds harsh, but if we believe we all have a mission, a purpose in this world, it kind of makes sense that when the job is done, so are we.

Maybe that is why many never seek out their purpose.  They may just want to live without one.

More to come...