Part 1—Relatives of Jesus

WHEN the time came for Jehovah’s anointed Son to walk the earth as His Messiah, Jehovah chose the right human relationships to converge together as a zealous family circle of trusted servants of God to become a wholesome shield and influence to His own Son. As it proved to be, the relatives of Jesus of Nazareth along with him became some of the most dynamic men of faith and champions of Jehovah’s true worship this earth has ever seen. It was their liberal contribution of righteous works as preachers that helped bring theocratic fame to the closing generation of the Jewish systems of things.

JOHN THE BAPTIST

John the Baptist was the last in the long line of the prophets that Jehovah had sent to his covenant people, the Jews. From the great work he accomplished in a public ministry of one year in co-operation with a group of disciples and about two years in prison, John is marked as among the greatest of all the pre-Christian prophets God had sent. (Matt. 11:11) In Jehovah’s maneuverings this great prophet was the second cousin of Jesus and was his senior by only about six months.

Jesus’ mother Mary and John’s mother Elizabeth were first cousins. Not only that, but earlier they had established an endearing friendship based on similar high privileges extended to them by Jehovah. (Luke 1:39-45) It appears that Mary’s mother (who tradition says was named Anna and whom the Catholics call St. Anna)a and Elizabeth’s mother were fleshly sisters, descendants of the tribe of Levi. While Mary’s mother married Heli of the tribe of Judah, thus making Mary’s mother’s children Judeans in fact, Elizabeth’s mother married into the priestly house of Aaron, thus making her children not only Levites but of the highest house of the Levites as children of Aaron. So Elizabeth, a descending daughter of Aaron, married Zechariah, who was also a descendant of the priestly house of Aaron. (Luke 1:5) Their son John the Baptist then was of the Aaronic priestly house by double right, both through his father and through his mother.

How historically dramatic this all turned out to be! The anointing of Solomon of the house of David as king over Israel was performed by the Aaronic priest Zadok. (1 Ki. 1:39) Likewise, the anointings of all future kings of Judah were performed by the Aaronic high priest then living. So when the greatest regal anointing of all time occurred here on earth the picture was followed to an extent. For this high event Jehovah had developed his own faithful Aaronic representative, not needing to rely upon Jerusalem’s wicked Aaronic high priest who later had Jesus executed. On this occasion of being anointed, Jesus of the tribe of Judah and of the kingly house of David presented himself to be baptized by his own second cousin, John the Baptist, of the tribe of Levi and of the Aaronic priestly house. At that time Jesus became legally anointed from heaven with holy spirit as King of spiritual Israel.

JOSEPH

Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, must have been a man after God’s own heart, even as David his illustrious forefather was. In view of the great authority and position of influence exercised by the male parent in the Israelite family, Joseph must have been a most outstanding God-fearing man of trust. Why so? Because the Living God found him worthy to be entrusted with the custody of the dearest treasure in the universe, the life of Jehovah’s only-begotten Son, the possession nearest to God’s own heart. The child Jesus was Jehovah’s own Son. He was not Joseph’s natural son.

Joseph was a member of the leading family of the Jewish nation, for he was of the royal house of David. Joseph had divine legal right to the throne. For this reason it was necessary for him to travel to Bethlehem in accordance with Caesar’s decree in the days of Quirinius as the Roman governor of Syria for the tax registration, inasmuch as the records of the kingly house of David were kept in Bethlehem, the home town of David. (Luke 2:1-3) Years later former tax collector Matthew, who was an expert at genealogical registrations, was able to go to Bethlehem to make record for us of this line that ran back to David and Abraham. (Matt. 1:1-16) At this point Joseph shines forth as a man of great unselfishness, for in spite of his famous legal heritage he again does not hesitate to do God’s will but readily agrees to adopt Jesus as his legal firstborn son and thus pass on to him the legal right to the throne of David. (Luke 4:22) From this day forward Jesus was known as Joseph’s son, the son of the carpenter, with first-born rights of Joseph.—Matt. 13:55.

The finest fitting tribute to Joseph’s and Mary’s successful parenthood in connection with the wise training of Jesus is the brief but apt record in the Bible, which says: “He continued subject to them. . . . And Jesus went on progressing in wisdom and in physical growth and in favor with God and men.” Apparently Joseph did his job well as the early foster instructor of Jesus, having in addition taught him to become an expert carpenter, which trade Jesus pursued until he was about thirty years of age.—Luke 2:51, 52; Mark 6:3.

MARY

David’s outstanding female descendant, Mary, the daughter of Heli of the house of David, would have rejoiced the ancient king’s heart had he lived to see her perform her high privilege of theocratic service. The several references to her in the Scriptures afford a fairly interesting picture to be painted of her. She was a virgin not only physically but also spiritually, being undefiled by the apostasy of her day. Her knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures was great and her devotion to Jehovah as her God was exclusive and complete.

Being strong in faith and knowledge, she displayed concern when interviewed by the mighty angel Gabriel, the same theocratic messenger from the courts of heaven who spoke to priest Zechariah in the temple six months previously. “Good day, highly favored one, Jehovah is with you.” This was the greeting offered by Gabriel to open this dramatic meeting. Mary was greatly disturbed as to the significance of this opening salutation.

Then she was informed that Jehovah desired to use her as a human mother to produce by means of the overshadowing holy spirit of God a male child who would be called the “Son of the Most High, and Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will be king over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of his kingdom.” What an exalted offer of service was this! Readily she agreed to the offer as a remarkable woman of faith.—Luke 1:26-38.

Away from the glittering apostasy of Jerusalem, under the protecting care of loyal Joseph and in the quiet of a mangerplace in Bethlehem, this devoted handmaiden of Jehovah, in a natural way at the close of the normal nine-month period of gestation, delivered herself of the perfect man-child. He was not incarnated as half spirit and half man, but was completely human flesh in every sense. Men of good will, faithful shepherds aroused by an angelic chorus, came to the manger to become faithful witnesses of this universally important birth event. Eight days later he was circumcised, as was the custom, and named Jesus.

Mary’s heart kept treasured up all the many unusual things that happened in connection with this son of Jehovah that she was privileged to bear. Daily she attended to his growing needs and exercised at all times a clean, loving and devoted influence that this her ward might receive the finest of theocratic training and education. Thirty years later, when Jesus entered upon his great public ministry, she followed his career minutely. She, too, became one of his devoted followers. Never during his ministry did Jesus favor her above other devoted women. He never addressed her as “mother” but always as “woman.”—Matt. 12:48; John 2:4.

She had the happy privilege of being one of the 120 at Pentecost who received the gift of the holy spirit to become the first anointed members of Christ’s body organization that they might qualify for life with him in his heavenly kingdom. Thus her hope became heavenly, not to become a queen of heaven, but to become one of the 144,000 members of Christ’s glorious heavenly bride class. Mary was a shining example of faithful theocratic womanhood. Theocratic women today do well to emulate her course of devotion, obedience and faithfulness.

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