We may at first feel a twinge of jealousy over the family situation of Joseph and Mary. Mary may have been forced to give birth in a stable, Joseph forced to move his family to Egypt in the middle of the night, but, other than that, we see two first time parents blessed with what no parent has had since: a perfect Child. We are grateful for children who are mostly good and usually obedient in our homes and classrooms; what would we give for a Child who was perfect? Jesus was a Child who always acted toward His parents and teachers with perfect love and respect; who always did as He was told the first time, who never talked back, or even sighed or rolled His eyes; a Child who would never need to be corrected, because He could do nothing wrong; a Child who never needed to be disciplined, because He was the embodiment of holiness; a Child whose actions were always purer, always more righteous than His parents', because He was perfect.

A sinless child in the home would have been a mixed blessing. Jesus may never have presented a discipline problem to His parents, but He would have been a constant reminder to Mary and Joseph of their sinfulness and inadequacy as parents. They must have worried about the safety of their Son, as parents often do, but added to that was the burden of knowing their Son was the Messiah. Joseph and Mary dearly loved their Son, but there must have been many times when they wished this blessing upon others-parents who were wealthier, or smarter, or more patient, or more devout; parents who were better.

But God chose Mary to be Jesus' mother. He chose Joseph to be a father to Jesus. To them, God the Father said, "This is My Son, whom I love, and now He is your Son as well." And it is just as well that Joseph and Mary were not perfect parents, because God did not expect perfection from them. He expected it from the Son, who lived a life of perfection not to shame us, but so that He could give it to us. So that by faith we could claim His perfection as our own and be changed from sinful parents, sinful brothers, sinful sisters, to perfect children of God. So that every Christian family can call themselves a holy family, "born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13).

Alexander Ring is co-pastor of Parkland Lutheran Church in Tacoma, Washington.