Dear Readers,

This is one of those occasional in-between Thursdays when I like to think further with you about an aspect of our Mary/Zebina story.

One reader asked if the Bible has any reference to Joseph’s death. As far as I know, no specific time is given, but—

1. The last we hear of Joseph is the trip to Jerusalem when twelve-year-old Jesus lags behind at the Temple, causing Mary and Joseph to go back and retrieve him.

2. At another time, Mary and the sons go seeking to have a word with Jesus during his ministry. (Matthew 12:46-50, Mark 3:31, Luke 8:19-21) Note that Joseph is not mentioned.

3. One of the last words of Jesus on the cross is when Jesus asks John to take care of His mother. We assume Joseph is gone by then. So, sometime between Jesus at twelve and Jesus on the cross gives a wide time frame.

We know nothing of the cause of his death. Perhaps you wondered why I portrayed Joseph’s death involving a stone. Wasn’t he a carpenter? We think of carpenters working with wood. As a workman, Joseph likely used wood in making yokes for oxen or staffs for shepherds, etc., but keep in mind there is very little wood in Israel.

Do you remember when Solomon built the first temple, he had to have wood brought in on boats from Lebanon. When my husband and I visited Israel a few years ago, we noticed all houses and buildings of any kind were made of rock or stone. Why? Israel has very little usable wood. Olive trees are abundant, but the olive oil is needed more than the wood. Same thing with fig trees.

On the other hand, rock is most plentiful!  Joseph and his sons likely worked more as stone masons with rock than carpenters with wood.

Last week, I was in the middle of singing in a men’s chorale/women’s chorale program. While the men’s group sang a song, I began thinking of Jesus helping his father using rock. The next song the men sang was a wonderful arrangement of “Rock of Ages.”

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee;

Let the water and the blood, from Thy wounded side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure, cleanse me from its guilt and pow’r.

I looked in my folder to see the congregational song we would sing next—

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.

On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.

The men’s song had a dramatic section that built to the end. With tears in my eyes, I thought, He who worked with rock was Himself our solid rock.

~ Joyce ~