Joseph's Monologue - A Christmas Play Series

No sooner had he said this, when an older lady, a prophetess of the temple named Anna, approached us and also gave praise to God for this child that would be the salvation of Israel. She then spoke with everyone she met about our child.

We returned to Bethlehem and I set up shop to apply my trade as a carpenter.

For two years we lived there until - one day - strangers came to our home. They were visitors from a far off country who said they had seen a star in the East that their religion told them spoke of a great king being born. So they had followed the star for many months until they had come to our home. When they saw Jesus, they came and bowed in worship of him. And they gave us gifts of gold, frankincense and Myrrh.

If we had any doubts, by now they were completely removed.

I picked up the carpenter’s tool again.

(Walk away from the front of the stage towards the back, and then turn suddenly and walk excitedly back to the front as you say the first sentence in the next paragraph)

Now, the Gospels don’t tell you what a unique experience it was to be the step-father - if you will - of the Son of God. After Jesus was born, I fully took Mary to be my wife - for up until that time we had not slept together as husband and wife - and eventually she bore us 4 more sons and two daughters. But none of that could have prepared me for the responsibility of raising Jesus as our son.

For example, when he was 12, we took him with us to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.

And we lost Him! Can you imagine that??!!

We searched for hours until, at last, we found him sitting in the temple, speaking with the rabbis and teachers of the Law… and He spoke as one who was intimately familiar with the Scriptures!

As He grew older, I taught Jesus my craft… but it seemed He rarely had time to work. People would enter our shop and ask questions of Him that they would never ask of the Rabbis and the scribes.

And when He did work, He often used the money He received to give to the poor.

It seemed like Jesus was always giving things away.

Even during His ministry, He gave things to people

There was a man who had been crippled since his birth – and Jesus gave him new legs.

He met another man who was blind – and gave him new eyes.

A young man who had been tormented by the powers of darkness and was dangerous to be around… and Jesus gave him a new mind.

A terrible disease had taken the life of a young girl – and He gave her new life.

Jesus gave to everyone.

As the scriptures tell us: He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!

(speaking in a somber voice)

That was the reason He came – to give His life for ours.

As the prophecy had said: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him and by His wounds we were healed.