OBJECTIVE
The students will recognize that just as Joseph was obedient to God’s directions, we, too, must obey as we learn His will for our lives.
REFERENCE INFORMATION
The word espoused refers to a marriage agreement similar to engagement, but it was as binding under Jewish law as marriage. Thus the virgin Mary’s pregnancy would appear as a breach or violation of her espousal to Joseph, when in reality she was with Child of the Holy Ghost.
Being a carpenter, Joseph undoubtedly taught Jesus the trade. In Mark 6:3 Jesus is referred to as “the carpenter.” Matthew 13:55 refers to Jesus as “the carpenter’s son,” and lists his brothers as “James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas.” Verse 56 includes “his sisters.” So we know that Joseph and Mary parented a rather large family.
At one point, John tells us that Jesus’ brothers did not believe in Him (John 7:5). However, James later became the distinguished leader of the Jerusalem church, and is believed to be the author of the Epistle which goes by his name. Judas (or Juda) was probably the author of the Epistle of Jude. Little is known of Joses and Simon.
Joseph was mentioned briefly during Christ’s public life, while Mary and Jesus’ brethren appear frequently. Christ, on the cross, deemed it necessary to commend her to the care of one of the disciples, which seems to indicate that Joseph was not living at that time.
QUESTIONS
Obeying a stop sign may save your physical life. Reading and obeying God’s Word will save your spiritual life. No doubt one of the reasons Joseph was selected out of a world of men to become Jesus’ earthly father was that he could recognize and then obey God’s command.
CLASS ACTIVITIES
Tell the class that if they are asked by their parents not to touch a hot stove and they disobey, it may leave a scar on them. Liken this to the sins of the world and how they can leave scars on their lives. How much better it is to obey in the first place.
Disobedience doesn’t always mean something terrible will happen. Many times though, it does mean we will miss out on a blessing. In Joseph’s case, God could have found another man to become the earthly father of His Son but Joseph would have lost that blessing. What about the servants at the Marriage at Cana? Or any of the other happenings we read of in the Bible? Ask your students to remember times they disobeyed. What might have happened if they had obeyed?
Have a question and answer period with your students. You write out situations that pertain to obedience on different colors of paper, fold them in half, and put them in a wide-mouthed jar or another clear container of your choice. Have your students draw the situations from the jar and tell you the correct response to the situation and what the results might be if they choose wrong.
Simple examples:
Red light — cross anyway — accident
Told to be home early — decide not to obey — miss surprise party.
Cinquain (sin-cane) is a type of poetry. It is written in this form:
1st line — one word — topic
2nd line — two words — description of topic
3rd line — three words — action by topic
4th line — four words — feeling or statement of topic
5th line — synonym for topic
Have your students write or help you write a Cinquain about obedience. It can be on the subject itself or about an obedient person. Below is an example of Joseph:
Joseph
Mary’s husband
Obeyed the Lord
Reared God’s only son
Nazarene
Give a sandbox object lesson on Matthew 7:24, illustrating that the obedient one stands in testing times because he hears and obeys.
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