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What Does St. Joseph Say in the Bible? St. Joseph's One Word in Scripture -- Did You Know St. Joseph Was Actually Not Silent in the Bible?

    In this post you will learn

St. Joseph never said a word in Scripture … right? 

Would it surprise you to learn that St. Joseph actually did say something in Scripture?

St. Joseph said one word, just one. Do you know what it was?


Have you done the Consecration to St. Joseph by Fr. Donald Calloway? It was so good that I wanted to consecrate my whole family to St. Joseph. 

That's why Fr. Donald Calloway and I wrote the Consecration to St. Joseph for Children and Families:




So St. Joseph can protect all families -- as he protected the Holy Family -- in this last great battle between Heaven and Hell over the family. 

Here's a talk I recently gave about consecrating your families to St. Joseph:


Now, about that one word from St. Joseph. You didn’t think I forgot about that, did you?

St. Joseph never said a single word in the Bible ... or did he?

St. Joseph never says anything in the Gospels, not a single word! Or did he ... ? 

What did St. Joseph say in the Bible?
 
St. Joseph was the foster-father of Jesus. To St. Joseph are accorded all the rights, privileges, and dignities of the earthly fatherhood of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 


One of St. Joseph's legal rights as foster-father is mentioned in the angel’s words to Joseph in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 1: 

[20] Son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife … [20] she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins ... [24] When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, [25] but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.

Did you catch that? It was St. Joseph’s legal responsibility to name Jesus, a name above all names, a name which means “GOD saves.” 

The father had to provide the child’s name. And St. Joseph did. Matthew records St. Joseph "calling" Jesus' name. The Angel said "you shall call his name Jesus" and then St. Joseph "called his name Jesus."  

So what was the one and only word accorded to St. Joseph in the Bible? 

“Jesus.”  

That's right. St. Joseph's one word in the Bible is "Jesus." God saves. If you had just one word to say to sum up your whole life, there could be no better word than "Jesus." 

That's just one of the many reasons St. Joseph is so awesome. 

St. Joseph & the Privilege of Naming Jesus

Isn't that amazing? St. Joseph was given the singular, legal privilege of naming the Savior of the World. A name that means "God saves." Jesus. 

There is a tenderness in St. Joseph's special privilege. It affirms the humanity of Jesus. Jesus had an earthly father who loved and cared for him, that bestowed on Jesus the Name that is above all names.


 St. Joseph's special privilege emphasizes his the importance of family and especially fatherhood. Jesus' Father in Heaven does not completely eclipse Jesus' earthly father. This could have easily happened, especially since St. Joseph is not Jesus' biological father. 

God chose to emphasize the role of a father in a child's life. God gave us in St. Joseph an example of fatherhood for all men to look to, not just Jesus.   

While Heaven provided the name "Jesus," St. Joseph was accorded the special honor of bestowing on Jesus His Holy Name. 

It's like St. Joseph was given the special honor of crowning Jesus with His Holy Name. St. Joseph was, after all, a king in the line and house of King David. 

St. Joseph Fulfills Isaiah's Prophecy at Isaiah 7:14: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him 'Immanuel.'"  

This also fulfills Isaiah’s prophetic sign to King Ahaz at Isaiah 7:14: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him 'Immanuel.'" 

This is actually the next verse in Matthew from what we read above. After Matthew 1:21, we have the following:

[22] All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

[23] “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and his name shall be called Emman′u-el” 

(which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:22-23 RSVCE)

But wait ... why wasn't Jesus named Emmanuel?


Why is Jesus Named Jesus and Not Emmanuel?

Was Isaiah's prophecy wrong? Was Jesus supposed to be named Emmanuel? 

Was Emmanuel actually the proper name that was to be given to Jesus? Or did Emmanuel describe who Jesus was? 

Here's the key. Joseph was told to name the baby Jesus. Isaiah's prophecy states that Jesus would be called Emmanuel, not named Emmanuel. See the difference?

"Emmanuel" is not prophesied to be Jesus' proper name. Instead, "Emmanuel" is a prophecy of Jesus' divine nature. God will be "with us." That is, God will live among us, as the God-man. "Emmanuel" is a prophecy of the Incarnation of God.

Being called "Emmanuel" is another hint from Isaiah that the Messiah will be the Incarnation of God, Himself. Emmanuel means "God with us." Our Savior will be both God and man. 


The Jews didn't know that the Messiah was going to be God. There were several hints. For example, Isaiah also describes the birth of the Messiah at Isaiah 9:6:

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government will be upon his shoulder,
    and his name will be called
“Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

The Messiah will be born as a child and called "Might God." That's a pretty big clue that Jesus is both God and man. But that's our privilege of hindsight and living after Pentecost. The Jews didn't have the clear knowledge of Jesus' divinity that we do.   

Learn More About St. Joseph

Here are links to more articles about the amazing, hidden life of St. Joseph: 
  
 

 




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1 Comments

  1. I looooove St. Joseph… and St. Teresa of Avila! I’ll definitely do the three things you (& St. Teresa) recommend on St. Joseph’s upcoming feast day on May 1st. Thank you!

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