When you hear the name Joseph you might think of Saint Joseph, the humble carpenter from Nazareth, the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and foster father of the child Jesus, the Son of God.
Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and reject not your mother’s teaching; Proverbs 1:8
Saint Joseph is Patron of the Universal Church. Saint Joseph is also known as the “Terror of Demons.” During these trying times for a suffering Church, we need Saint Joseph’s intercession now more than ever. Second only to the Blessed Mother, one could say no saint in heaven is closer to the heart of Jesus than Saint Joseph.
All for Jesus, all for Mary, all to imitate you, O patriarch St. Joseph. This shall be my motto for life and eternity. – St. Pope Pius X
According to my analysis, Saint Joseph’s name is mentioned fifteen (15) times in the New Testament, all fifteen instances are from the Gospels:
- 8 times in Matthew, (Mt 1:16, 18, 19, 20, 24, 2:13, 14, 19)
- 0 times in Mark
- 5 times in Luke (Lk 1:27, 2:4, 16, 3:23, 4:22)
- 2 times in John (Jn 1:45, 6:42)
Did you know there are no recorded words of Saint Joseph in the Bible?
I was astounded when I first found that out. Saint Joseph is a household name when it comes to saints in the Bible, yet he never spoke a word in the scriptures. I think it gives testimony to Joseph’s fear of the LORD (Prov 1:7) and his humility.
Did you know Saint Joseph is not the only Joseph mentioned in the New Testament?
There are three (3) Josephs from the Old Testament that are mentioned, two of them are ancient Hebrew men that are mentioned in the Genealogy of Jesus.
the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, Luke 3:24
the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, Luke 3:30
The other Joseph mentioned from the Old Testament is Joseph the Patriarch from the book of Genesis. Joseph the Patriarch is mentioned:
- 1 time in John’s Gospel (Jn 4:5)
- 4 times in the Book of Acts (Acts 7:9, 13, 14, 18)
- 2 times in the Book of Hebrews (Heb 11:21,22)
- 1 time in the Book of Revelation (Rev 7:8)
Here is where I think it gets interesting. The last Joseph mentioned in the New Testament is Joseph of Arimathea.
Joseph of Arimathea is mentioned in all four Gospels. That’s kind of a big deal.
- 2 times in Matthew (Mt 27:57, 59)
- 2 times in Mark (Mk 15:43, 45)
- 1 time in Luke (Lk 23:50)
- 1 time in John (Jn 19:38)
To help emphasize what a rarity that is for Joseph’s name to be mentioned in all four Gospels, consider this: out of all the miracles Jesus performed before his resurrection, there is only one (1) miracle recorded in all four Gospels, the Feeding of the 5,000.
Not even Saint Joseph’s name is mentioned in all four Gospels. So the question we have to ask ourselves is…who was Joseph of Arimathea?
As it turns out, Joseph of Arimathea was a pivotal player in salvation history.
- Joseph was first and foremost a disciple of Jesus Christ (Mt 27:57).
- Joseph was a secret disciple who feared the Jewish authorities who strongly opposed Jesus (Jn 19:38).
- Joseph was from Arimathea, a Jewish town probably northwest of Jerusalem (Lk 23:51).
- Joseph was a distinguished member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling class (the Supreme Court) of Israel (Mk 15:43).
- Joseph was a rich man (Mt 27:57).
- Joseph was a devout Jew who was not corrupted by his wealth (Lk 23:50).
- Joseph was a virtuous and righteous man (Lk 23:50).
- Joseph, like Simeon was awaiting the fulfillment of God’s plan (Lk 23:51).
- Joseph kept the Sabbath holy (Lk 23:56).
- Joseph did not take part in the Sanhedrin’s resolution to condemn Jesus to death (Lk 23:51).
- Joseph risked his reputation as a member of the Sanhedrin to arrange the burial of Jesus (Mk 15:43).
- Joseph had the courage to stand before Pontius Pilate and ask for the body of Jesus (Lk 23:52).
- Joseph was able to stand before Pilate because he was a distinguished leader of Israel (Mk 15:43).
- Joseph took down the body of Jesus from the cross (Lk 23:53).
- Joseph wrapped the body of Jesus in a linen shroud (a fabric for the wealthy) he had bought (Mk 15:46).
- Joseph was courageously accompanied by a fellow secret disciple Nicodemus (a wealthy Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin) in administering a customary and reverent Jewish burial of Jesus (Jn 19:40).
- Joseph assisted Nicodemus in administering the spices (Ps 45:9) in the burial of Jesus (Jn 19:40).
- Joseph was accompanied by women from Galilee during the customary Jewish burial of Jesus (Lk 23:55).
- Joseph owned an expensive new tomb (Mt 27:60). The Messiah was buried in a rock-hewn tomb with royal dignity befitting for a king (Lk 23:53).
- Joseph placed the body of Jesus in a tomb that was in a garden (Jn 19:41).
- Joseph rolled a huge stone across the tomb’s entrance (Mt 27:60).
With flashbacks of the Garden Eden, it was no coincidence that Jesus’ tomb was located in a garden nearby the place where he died. There are no coincidences in the Bible as there is no Hebrew word for “coincidence.” The new tomb looks ahead to the new creation in Christ through the miracle of his resurrection from the dead.
See, I am creating new heavens
and a new earth;
The former things shall not be remembered
nor come to mind. Isaiah 65:17
Consider this, during the Genesis of Israel, Joseph was there. When Jesus was born, Joseph was there. When Jesus was buried, Joseph was there. And just as sure as the Church passes through the rough seas of this world, if we Christians look up at the ship’s helm in faith, Joseph is there directing us to stay on board and help.
In her voyage across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship but to keep her on her course. – St. Boniface