Joseph never slept with Mary.
Not before Jesus.
Not after Jesus.
Not ever.
And the reason why?
It’s not what you think.
Let’s talk about the forgotten Jewish custom that flips this whole story upside down.
Imagine this:
A man marries a woman and chooses never to touch her.
Not because he’s weak.
Not because he’s cold.
But because he knows who she is.
Joseph didn’t “hold back.”
He bowed before the Ark of God.
Yes. I said it.
Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant.
Just like the Ark in 2 Samuel 6, her body carried the Divine Presence.
And just like the old Ark, her body was untouchable – not out of legalism, but out of awe.
In Luke 1:34, Mary tells the angel,
“How can this be since I do not know man?”
She’s already betrothed.
Why say that?
Because she had already made a vow of virginity.
A Jewish custom not many know existed.
Yes, consecrated virginity within marriage.
Joseph was a devout Jew.
A “just man” (Matthew 1:19).
That doesn’t mean confused. It means reverent.
He didn’t reject Mary out of suspicion.
He stepped back because he knew:
“This woman belongs to God.”
This wasn’t repression.
This was radical holiness.
Joseph wasn’t less of a man.
He was more.
He understood something most of us miss:
You don’t claim what God has consecrated.
You protect it.
And let me make this blunt:
Mary’s womb wasn’t just a vessel.
It was the Holy of Holies.
Joseph was no ordinary husband.
He was the guardian of the untouchable, the silent protector of God’s dwelling place.
You might think that’s weird.
But weird to us doesn’t mean wrong.
Joseph and Mary’s marriage wasn’t a loophole in the law.
It was a sign of heaven itself.
A love that gives, not takes.
Modern minds are scandalized by virginity.
Ancient minds were scandalized by touching the sacred.
Joseph’s silence speaks louder than our discomfort.
He teaches us this:
Some things are too holy to claim.
Sources:
- Text by Totus Catholica. Graphics added by CtH.
- https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource/55036/perpetual-virginity-catechism-of-the-catholic-church
- https://bible.art/devotional/2-samuel-6:6
- https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/how-to-explain-the-perpetual-virginity-of-mary
- https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/perpetual-virginity-of-mary-1159
- https://maryourhelp.org/e-books/mariology/The-Perpetual-Virginity-of-Mary.pdf
- https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3007.htm
- https://catholicbridge.com/catholic/martin-luther-on-mary.php
- https://www.ncregister.com/blog/biblical-evidence-for-the-perpetual-virginity-of-mary
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