Joseph, a Good Old Boy...

I was reading this past week a old book of my long past grandfather's, called "The Lost Books of the Bible" and in it was an account of the birth and early life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. In it her betrothal to Joseph is covered, and quite honestly, I was fascinated by the account, yet it answered some questions that had plagued me for years, but in a surprising manner.
I've often wondered why we hear so little of Joseph after Jesus' early years. We read the account in the Gospels of Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem, and the whole nativity story. We hear of them moving to Nazareth when Jesus is a young child, and the story of traveling to Jerusalem and leaving Jesus mistakenly behind, then finding him in the Temple at perhaps age twelve. But no real references to Joseph after that. I wondered if perhaps he'd had an accident, or took ill, and subsequently died in Jesus' early years. But then I read this account and a whole new outlook has to be considered.
The text says,
 "For Isaiah saith, there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a flower shall spring out of its root, and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of the Counsel and the Might, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and the Spirit of the fear of the Lord shall fill him. Then, according to this prophecy, he appointed, that all the men of the house and family of David, who were marriage and not married, should bring their rods to the altar. And out of whatever person's rod after it was brought, a flower should bud forth, and the Lord should sit in the appearance of a dove, he should be the man to whom the Virgin should be given and betrothed. Among the rest there was a man named Joseph, of the house and family of David, and a person very far advanced in years, who drew back his rod when every one besides presented his. So that when nothing appeared agreeable to the heavenly voice, the high priest judged it proper to consult God again, who answered that he who the Virgin was to be betrothed was the only person of those who were brought together, who had not brought his rod. Joseph therefore was betrayed. For, when he did bring his rod, and a dove coming from Heaven pitched upon the top of it, everyone plainly saw that the Virgin was to be betrothed to him..."
I always pictured in my mind a young Mary (this text says she was betrothed at age 14) and a young Joseph, two kids in love and starting a life together. But this certainly makes more sense, for not only is it culturally accurate, it explains why Joseph was first willing to divorce Mary quietly when he found her with child, then why he was conspicuously absent in Jesus' later years. I wonder if we need to change all our Nativity scenes for the sake of accuracy...
Food for thought...