According to the gospel of Matthew, Jesus comes from a long line of failed fathers and dysfunctional families. But as the prophets predicted, God has a plan to rebuild the human family, beginning with a wild bet on one man. In the Christmas narratives, we learn that God stakes his entire plan to save the world on Joseph's willingness to lay down his his pride, his prerogatives, and his privilege to protect an (apparently) illegitimate child and unfaithful fiancé. In rising to the occasion, Joseph forever redefines what it means to be a man, and forever changes the course of human history.