Jesus Was Adopted
Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus himself was adopted? This struck me for the first time as I watched The Nativity Story last year. There is a beautiful scene in which a woman looks at Mary and Joseph and noticing that Mary is expecting says to Joseph, “There is no other joy than seeing yourself in your child.” Joseph and Mary look at each other knowing that this baby would not look like Joseph.
Though Jesus is not his biological son, Joseph of Nazereth, is clearly identified as Jesus’ father (Luke 2:41, 48). This is also seen in the fact that Luke and Matthew identify Jesus’ relationship with Abraham and David through the lineage of Joseph’s. Just as my adopted son inherited my lineage and is ingrafted into my family tree, so too was Jesus into Joseph’s.
A number of things strike me about this but one in particular is Joseph’s experience as an adoptive father. Dr. Russell Moore points out in his excellent commentary -
With full legal rights to abandon Mary and her unborn child — perhaps to a fate worse than death — Joseph obeyed the Father in becoming a father. When Herod — the Roman Empire’s precursor to “Planned Parenthood” — sought the destruction of the infants, Joseph shielded this child from the murderous rage of infanticide (Matthew 2:13-18). In his obedience, Joseph demonstrated what his other son would later call “pure and undefiled” religion, the kind that cares for the fatherless and the abandoned (James 1:27).
It is here that Joseph is perhaps a model for a new generation of Christians. In a culture captivated by the spirit of Herod, could it be that God is calling our churches to follow the example of Joseph?
The implications of Jesus’ adoption by Joseph were history-altering and life-transforming for all mankind. Imagine what would have happened had Joseph not claimed Jesus as his own and provided the protection and care that he did?
I pray for the many men this year who will follow the example of Joseph and obey God’s call on their lives to care for the fatherless. Joseph’s obediences literally changed history. We have an opportunity to change history (to a lesser degree but still significantly) by changing the future destiny of the fatherless and unborn of our world.
Jesus wasn’t adopted, he stayed with his natural mother. He didn’t have a fake birth certificate saying someone who had never been pregnant gave birth to him. He didn’t grow up wondering why his mother didn’t keep him. He grew up with his mother who looked and moved and sounded like him. He didn’t wonder what happened to her all of his life, wondering who his mother was.
Mary didn’t get badgered by a social worker telling her she should do the right thing and give up her baby. A social worker wasn’t there saying it was wrong to keep him and that she would be taking the easy way out if she kept him. No, there were three Kings with gifts, an angel hovering over the top of the barn, a celebratory star announcing his birth. Jesus was not adopted, his mother didn’t spend the rest of her life beating herself up about why on earth she let people talk her into giving her baby away.
THANK GOD JESUS WASN’T ADOPTED.
Kim,
Thanks for your comment! I agree with you regarding the fact that Jesus was not adopted by Mary and thus experience what you describe in your comment. In my post I was trying to capture a little bit of Joseph’s experience and the fact that he took Jesus as his own child. Jesus birth and “adoption” is really unlike anything. You bring up the unfortunate experience of some birth moms. It is those kinds of adoptions and experiences that no one really wants to see happen. Thanks again for your comment.
Grace and peace,
Jason
Joseph might be a role model for step fathers? Or partners who step in and help raise a child when the natural father is absent. This might be true.
But really Jesus wasn’t adopted.
Answer these questions because you want to say that Jesus can relate to adoptees:
1. Did Jesus have his name changed?
2. Did Jesus have two birth certificates, one that was locked away and denied to him and the other that said a woman who hadn’t given birth to him gave birth to him.
3. Did Jesus wonder why his mother hadn’t been able to keep him?
4. Did Jesus wonder who he got his talents from?
5. If Jesus had gone to a doctor and had been asked about his medical information would he have had to say he didn’t know because he was adopted?
Those unfortunate experiences happen to all mothers who relinquish, not some. Mary fortunately did not have that happen to her although her baby was born in a barn and she claimed that an Angel had announced she was pregnant and the father was not human, can you imagine how that would work out it a woman made those claims today?
It really bothers me when people want to say that Jesus was adopted, it makes me think you are trying to justify and encourage adoptions. Jesus wasn’t adopted.
Joseph may have been a step father but that is a totally different experience to adoption.
I want to make the point about Joseph did adopt Jesus just like a step-father can adopt their step-child.