Eucharistic meditation, Second Advent

Matthew 1:24-2:1: And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife, and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called his name Jesus. Now . . . Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king.

By his very name, Joseph the adoptive father of Jesus brings to mind the Joseph of Genesis, and, as we have seen, there are many similarities between them. Both receive dreams and act on them. Both go to Egypt in order to protect their families. Both are righteous men, threatened by their own countrymen, by brothers.

Within Genesis, Joseph ben Jacob fulfills the promises to Abraham. Yahweh told Abraham that through his seed, all the families of the earth will be blessed. Though this promise is fulfilled completely in Jesus, it is also fulfilled within the book of Genesis itself. Joseph is the seed of Abraham who blesses the nations by providing food for a famine-stricken world.

Joseph the father of Jesus too fulfills the promises to Abraham, and in much the same manner. He goes to Egypt in order to ensure that the promises to Abraham will be fulfilled. He follows the Lord’s instructions to ensure that there is food for a hungry world. Jesus is the true bread that has come down from heaven, and Joseph acts repeatedly to ensure that this bread is preserved for the nations to eat.

Joseph son of Jacob became a great ruler, the second ruler of Egypt. Joseph the father of Jesus does not rule Egypt, and he does not even rule in Israel, but he is still a king. He is called “son of David” (Matthew 1:20); he administers the law with mercy; he receives revelation by dreams, as Solomon, Nebuchadnezzar, and others kings did.

And as a king, Joseph ensures that the people have bread. Joseph the father of Jesus is obedient to the vision so that the bread of life born at Bethlehem, which is the house of bread, can be preserved as bread for the Gentiles.