What Happened to Joseph? The Message In the Mystery

Most of the time when December rolls around, people tend to focus on telling the story of Mary and of Jesus's birth. I do, too... but this year, there has been a strange sort of question lurking in the back of my mind that has come to the forefront with the holiday season: what happened to Joseph?

Usually whenever Joseph is discussed in any length, it's only during this month: we acknowledge his sacrifice of honor and dignity in accepting a child that wasn't his own, and then we move on. But beyond that, he's hardly ever mentioned. The only other cameo he makes is in the story where Jesus remains in the temple as a little boy about to come of age. Even then, Joseph doesn't say anything. And he never returns to the stories after that. In fact, whenever the family of Jesus is present in Matthew 12:46 and Mark 6:3, they're referred to as his "mother and brothers." Joseph is only mentioned in passing, as if he isn't there (Luke 4:22). So had he died? Had he stayed home?

Perhaps he wasn't mentioned because he was already part of the crowd following Jesus... or perhaps he refused to come because he didn't approve of what Jesus was doing.

Perhaps he was a good father, and was just working at his trade to keep food on the table for his remaining family.

Or perhaps he finally got fed up with the social abuse from his community because of his scandalous marriage, and he left his family entirely.

Perhaps he died at the hands of Roman soldiers while trying to protect his wife and children in a misunderstanding.

Perhaps he drank himself to death.


Perhaps he got sick and faded away.

Perhaps he was abusive and treated his bastard son with less favor because of the dishonor it brought on their family.

Perhaps he was a workaholic:  just "too busy" to ever come out and see his son.

Perhaps he had a heavy workload that week and was under orders to make yet more crosses for the Roman soldiers.

Perhaps he was frustrated with Jesus for not taking up carpentry.

Perhaps he died just as Jesus turned thirteen.

Perhaps he died right before Jesus began his ministry as an adult.

Perhaps he out-lived his surrogate son, just as Mary did.


There are plenty of possibilities, with some generally accepted more than others. But perhaps there's a reason God doesn't give us a clear-cut answer. Because however it happened, whenever it happened, sometimes the details don't matter  in a situation like that. The only thing that does matter is that Jesus very well might have been fatherless... but at least he wasn't Fatherless.