jJoseph is known as the silent saint. Although his role in Christ’s story is not small (his is the royal lineage that Jesus claims, his is the profession that Jesus adopts), he does not say a single word in any of the gospels. This is a theme in the stories surrounding the birth of Jesus: Zechariah was silent in the temple and Joseph silently considered how to proceed, while Mary and Elizabeth burst into prophetic utterances, first proclamations of the gospel.
But the fact that Joseph does not speak should not lead us to think that he is passive. In fact, Joseph is presented to us as a man of decisive action who emerges from a rich inner life. We are told that upon learning that her future wife is pregnant, he does not immediately break off her engagement, subjecting her to public shame and possibly much worse. Despite what any fiancé wounded in the new pain of apparent infidelity might be tempted to do, Joseph instead devises a merciful and wise plan.
The only character description we are given of Joseph is that he is “faithful to the law” (v. 19). So, without making Mary’s situation public to anyone (from what we are told), he decides on a plan that is both faithful to the law and merciful to Mary. He comes to all this privately, and we can only painfully take it in, and all his pain and his generosity remain beneath the surface. The silent saint has a virtue that boils beneath the surface, where his self-restraint in the face of being wronged restrains him and allows him to not only tolerate but also protect Mary, the source of his pain.
And as with many people who have made difficult decisions deep inside, something emerges for Joseph from deep beneath the surface: a dream, and with it, an angel. This dream must have come as a comfort, a security, and with a lot of confusion. All this is not recorded. Only Joseph, who was faithful to the law, the Word of the Lord, was faithful to this word of the angel. Within himself, he once again decides to act, without spilling prophetic words. He let people think that he, a thoughtful and self-controlled man, had gotten her pregnant in a moment of lack of self-control. He took upon himself Mary’s shame, perhaps foreshadowing what Jesus would do for all humanity. And he did all this without saying a word.
Ours is a world that is drowning in words. In Joseph, the silent saint, I see a different way of being, a way of silence and action, where sometimes the most important words are the ones we do not pronounce.
Joy Clarkson is a writer, editor, and doctoral candidate in theology. She is Plow’s Books and Culture Editor.
This article is part of The Eternal King arrives, a 4-week devotional to help individuals, small groups, and families navigate the 2023 Advent season . Find out more about this special issue that can be used in Advent or any time of year at http://orderct.com/adviento.
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