.
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From THE URANTIA BOOK
Part IV, 122, 4
.
Joseph did not become reconciled to the idea
that Mary was to become the mother of an
extraordinary child until after he had experienced a
very impressive dream. In this dream a brilliant
celestial messenger appeared to him and, among
other things, said: "Joseph, I appear by command of
Him who now reigns on high, and I am directed to
instruct you concerning the son whom Mary shall bear,
and who shall become a great light in the world.
In him will be life, and his life shall become
the light of mankind.
He shall first come to his own people, but they
will hardly receive him; but to as many as shall
receive him to them will he reveal that they
are the children of God."
After this experience Joseph never again wholly
doubted Mary's story of Gabriel's visit and of the
promise that the unborn child was to become
a divine messenger to the world.
.
.
In all these visitations nothing was said about
the house of David. Nothing was ever intimated about
Jesus' becoming a "deliverer of the Jews,"
not even that he was to be the long-expected Messiah.
Jesus was not such a Messiah as the Jews had
anticipated, but he was the world's deliverer.
His mission was to all races and peoples,
not to any one group.
Joseph was not of the line of King David.
Mary had more of the Davidic ancestry than Joseph.
True, Joseph did go to the City of David, Bethlehem,
to be registered for the Roman census, but that
was because, six generations previously, Joseph's
paternal ancestor of that generation, being an orphan,
was adopted by one Zadoc, who was a direct descendant
of David; hence was Joseph also accounted as of
the "house of David."
.
.
Most of the so-called Messianic prophecies of
the Old Testament were made to apply to Jesus
long after his life had been lived on earth.
For centuries the Hebrew prophets had proclaimed
the coming of a deliverer, and these promises had been
construed by successive generations as a referring to a
new Jewish ruler who would sit upon the throne of David and,
by the reputed miraculous methods of Moses, proceed
to establish the Jews in Palestine as a powerful nation,
free from all foreign domination. Again, many figurative
passages found throughout the Hebrew scriptures
were subsequently misapplied to the life mission of Jesus.
Many Old Testament sayings were so distorted as to
appear to fit some episode of the Master's earth life.
Jesus himself onetime publicly denied any
connection with the royal house of David.
Even the passage, "a maiden shall bear a son,"
was made to read, "a virgin shall bear a son."
This was also true of the many genealogies of both
Joseph and Mary which were constructed subsequent
to Michael's [Christ's] career on earth.
Many of these lineages contain much of the
Master's ancestry, but on the whole they are not genuine
and may not be depended upon as factual. The early
followers of Jesus all too often succumbed to the
temptation to make all the olden prophetic utterances
appear to find fulfillment in the life of
their Lord and Master.
.
.
.
.
.
The Death of Joseph
.
All did go well until that fateful day of Tuesday, September 25, when a runner from Sepphoris brought to this Nazareth home the tragic news that Joseph had been severely injured by the falling of a derrick while at work on the governor’s residence. The messenger from Sepphoris had stopped at the shop on the way to Joseph’s home, informing Jesus of his father’s accident, and they went together to the house to break the sad news to Mary. Jesus desired to go immediately to his father, but Mary would hear to nothing but that she must hasten to her husband’s side. She directed that James, then ten years of age, should accompany her to Sepphoris while Jesus remained home with the younger children until she should return, as she did not know how seriously Joseph had been injured. But Joseph died of his injuries before Mary arrived. They brought him to Nazareth, and on the following day he was laid to rest with his fathers.
.
Just at the time when prospects were good and the future looked bright, an apparently cruel hand struck down the head of this Nazareth household, the affairs of this home were disrupted, and every plan for Jesus and his future education was demolished. This carpenter lad, now just past fourteen years of age, awakened to the realization that he had not only to fulfill the commission of his heavenly Father to reveal the divine nature on earth and in the flesh, but that his young human nature must also shoulder the responsibility of caring for his widowed mother and seven brothers and sisters — and another yet to be born. This lad of Nazareth now became the sole support and comfort of this so suddenly bereaved family. Thus were permitted those occurrences of the natural order of events on Urantia which would force this young man of destiny so early to assume these heavy but highly educational and disciplinary responsibilities attendant upon becoming the head of a human family, of becoming father to his own brothers and sisters, of supporting and protecting his mother, of functioning as guardian of his father’s home, the only home he was to know while on this world.
.
Jesus cheerfully accepted the responsibilities so suddenly thrust upon him, and he carried them faithfully to the end. At least one great problem and anticipated difficulty in his life had been tragically solved — he would not now be expected to go to Jerusalem to study under the rabbis. It remained always true that Jesus “sat at no man’s feet.” He was ever willing to learn from even the humblest of little children, but he never derived authority to teach truth from human sources.
.
Still he knew nothing of the Gabriel visit to his mother before his birth; he only learned of this from John on the day of his baptism, at the beginning of his public ministry.
.
As the years passed, this young carpenter of Nazareth increasingly measured every institution of society and every usage of religion by the unvarying test: What does it do for the human soul? does it bring God to man? does it bring man to God? While this youth did not wholly neglect the recreational and social aspects of life, more and more he devoted his time and energies to just two purposes: the care of his family and the preparation to do his Father’s heavenly will on earth.
.
This year it became the custom for the neighbors to drop in during the winter evenings to hear Jesus play upon the harp, to listen to his stories (for the lad was a master storyteller), and to hear him read from the Greek scriptures.
.
The economic affairs of the family continued to run fairly smoothly as there was quite a sum of money on hand at the time of Joseph’s death. Jesus early demonstrated the possession of keen business judgment and financial sagacity. He was liberal but frugal; he was saving but generous. He proved to be a wise and efficient administrator of his father’s estate.
.
But in spite of all that Jesus and the Nazareth neighbors could do to bring cheer into the home, Mary, and even the children, were overcast with sadness. Joseph was gone. Joseph was an unusual husband and father, and they all missed him. And it seemed all the more tragic to think that he died ere they could speak to him or hear his farewell blessing.
.
Part IV, 122, 4
.
Joseph did not become reconciled to the idea
that Mary was to become the mother of an
extraordinary child until after he had experienced a
very impressive dream. In this dream a brilliant
celestial messenger appeared to him and, among
other things, said: "Joseph, I appear by command of
Him who now reigns on high, and I am directed to
instruct you concerning the son whom Mary shall bear,
and who shall become a great light in the world.
In him will be life, and his life shall become
the light of mankind.
He shall first come to his own people, but they
will hardly receive him; but to as many as shall
receive him to them will he reveal that they
are the children of God."
After this experience Joseph never again wholly
doubted Mary's story of Gabriel's visit and of the
promise that the unborn child was to become
a divine messenger to the world.
.
In all these visitations nothing was said about
the house of David. Nothing was ever intimated about
Jesus' becoming a "deliverer of the Jews,"
not even that he was to be the long-expected Messiah.
Jesus was not such a Messiah as the Jews had
anticipated, but he was the world's deliverer.
His mission was to all races and peoples,
not to any one group.
Joseph was not of the line of King David.
Mary had more of the Davidic ancestry than Joseph.
True, Joseph did go to the City of David, Bethlehem,
to be registered for the Roman census, but that
was because, six generations previously, Joseph's
paternal ancestor of that generation, being an orphan,
was adopted by one Zadoc, who was a direct descendant
of David; hence was Joseph also accounted as of
the "house of David."
.
Most of the so-called Messianic prophecies of
the Old Testament were made to apply to Jesus
long after his life had been lived on earth.
For centuries the Hebrew prophets had proclaimed
the coming of a deliverer, and these promises had been
construed by successive generations as a referring to a
new Jewish ruler who would sit upon the throne of David and,
by the reputed miraculous methods of Moses, proceed
to establish the Jews in Palestine as a powerful nation,
free from all foreign domination. Again, many figurative
passages found throughout the Hebrew scriptures
were subsequently misapplied to the life mission of Jesus.
Many Old Testament sayings were so distorted as to
appear to fit some episode of the Master's earth life.
Jesus himself onetime publicly denied any
connection with the royal house of David.
Even the passage, "a maiden shall bear a son,"
was made to read, "a virgin shall bear a son."
This was also true of the many genealogies of both
Joseph and Mary which were constructed subsequent
to Michael's [Christ's] career on earth.
Many of these lineages contain much of the
Master's ancestry, but on the whole they are not genuine
and may not be depended upon as factual. The early
followers of Jesus all too often succumbed to the
temptation to make all the olden prophetic utterances
appear to find fulfillment in the life of
their Lord and Master.
.
.
The Death of Joseph
.
All did go well until that fateful day of Tuesday, September 25, when a runner from Sepphoris brought to this Nazareth home the tragic news that Joseph had been severely injured by the falling of a derrick while at work on the governor’s residence. The messenger from Sepphoris had stopped at the shop on the way to Joseph’s home, informing Jesus of his father’s accident, and they went together to the house to break the sad news to Mary. Jesus desired to go immediately to his father, but Mary would hear to nothing but that she must hasten to her husband’s side. She directed that James, then ten years of age, should accompany her to Sepphoris while Jesus remained home with the younger children until she should return, as she did not know how seriously Joseph had been injured. But Joseph died of his injuries before Mary arrived. They brought him to Nazareth, and on the following day he was laid to rest with his fathers.
.
Just at the time when prospects were good and the future looked bright, an apparently cruel hand struck down the head of this Nazareth household, the affairs of this home were disrupted, and every plan for Jesus and his future education was demolished. This carpenter lad, now just past fourteen years of age, awakened to the realization that he had not only to fulfill the commission of his heavenly Father to reveal the divine nature on earth and in the flesh, but that his young human nature must also shoulder the responsibility of caring for his widowed mother and seven brothers and sisters — and another yet to be born. This lad of Nazareth now became the sole support and comfort of this so suddenly bereaved family. Thus were permitted those occurrences of the natural order of events on Urantia which would force this young man of destiny so early to assume these heavy but highly educational and disciplinary responsibilities attendant upon becoming the head of a human family, of becoming father to his own brothers and sisters, of supporting and protecting his mother, of functioning as guardian of his father’s home, the only home he was to know while on this world.
.
Jesus cheerfully accepted the responsibilities so suddenly thrust upon him, and he carried them faithfully to the end. At least one great problem and anticipated difficulty in his life had been tragically solved — he would not now be expected to go to Jerusalem to study under the rabbis. It remained always true that Jesus “sat at no man’s feet.” He was ever willing to learn from even the humblest of little children, but he never derived authority to teach truth from human sources.
.
Still he knew nothing of the Gabriel visit to his mother before his birth; he only learned of this from John on the day of his baptism, at the beginning of his public ministry.
.
As the years passed, this young carpenter of Nazareth increasingly measured every institution of society and every usage of religion by the unvarying test: What does it do for the human soul? does it bring God to man? does it bring man to God? While this youth did not wholly neglect the recreational and social aspects of life, more and more he devoted his time and energies to just two purposes: the care of his family and the preparation to do his Father’s heavenly will on earth.
.
This year it became the custom for the neighbors to drop in during the winter evenings to hear Jesus play upon the harp, to listen to his stories (for the lad was a master storyteller), and to hear him read from the Greek scriptures.
.
The economic affairs of the family continued to run fairly smoothly as there was quite a sum of money on hand at the time of Joseph’s death. Jesus early demonstrated the possession of keen business judgment and financial sagacity. He was liberal but frugal; he was saving but generous. He proved to be a wise and efficient administrator of his father’s estate.
.
But in spite of all that Jesus and the Nazareth neighbors could do to bring cheer into the home, Mary, and even the children, were overcast with sadness. Joseph was gone. Joseph was an unusual husband and father, and they all missed him. And it seemed all the more tragic to think that he died ere they could speak to him or hear his farewell blessing.
.
.
.
.
.
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