The Jesse Tree: Day 23

Have you ever had to do something so difficult that it cut against every instinct in your gut? Something that would make you look foolish, scandalous, or downright naïve to everyone around you? That’s the kind of situation that the carpenter Joseph found himself in. I imagine him wrestling with how to decide what to do as he works with a saw in his hands.

The saw is a simple, ordinary tool. Yet it’s powerful. It splits wood, shapes it, and makes something useful out of raw material, but only if used with skill, patience, and precision. Joseph’s obedience to God is like a saw: simple in concept, yet radical and cutting-edge in execution. It would shape the future, but the act itself was risky, dangerous, and counterintuitive.

Joseph is engaged to Mary, and in his culture, betrothal was as binding as marriage itself. Suddenly, he discovers that she is pregnant, but not by him. The gossip alone would ruin reputations, and the law was harsh. Joseph could have quietly ended the engagement, saving face, preserving honor, and avoiding scandal. Everyone would have understood. Even his own heart might have leaned that way.

But in a dream, he hears God’s command through an angel: “Do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

This is the saw moment. Joseph’s obedience cuts through fear, shame, and societal expectation. He chooses faith over logic, trust over public opinion, God’s plan over his comfort. He doesn’t ask for full clarity. He doesn’t demand proof. He simply obeys. And with that obedience, he shapes history.

Think about it. Joseph could have rationalized: “Maybe it was just a weird dream. Maybe I misunderstood. Maybe it’s not my problem. Maybe it was indigestion.” Instead, he picks up the handsaw of obedience, aligns it with God’s instruction, and cuts through the chaos to do what is right. His obedience is silent, humble, and utterly countercultural.

And in the cutting, the shaping, the obedience, God’s plan is revealed. A child is born who will save His people. A family is formed that will carry the Messiah. All because one man trusted the voice of God more than the voice of society, more than his own reasonable doubts, more than fear of shame.

The saw is a reminder that obedience is rarely convenient. It often requires hard work, precision, and courage. It is the tool God gives to those willing to trust Him in the impossible.