A Righteous Man
December 21, Third Saturday of Advent
Light first (Hope) and second (Peace) purple candles, then pink (Joy) candle
Every family has secrets, those broken relationships or bad decisions that most people know of but no one ever talks about. Maybe it was an aunt or cousin with an unplanned pregnancy, or an uncle’s alcoholism. There are rumors and hushed whispers in the grocery store check-out line, but no one ever comes right out and says, “Your daddy’s in jail!” Perhaps an adulterous affair threatened to break up your strong family unit, or at least, it appeared to be strong. Or maybe you were the baby born out of wedlock and raised by another family member because your birth parents couldn’t. Perhaps long into adulthood you discovered that the woman you thought was your older sister isn’t even related to you. The innocent ones suffer through the knowing glances, the judgmental stares, impacted greatly by another’s choices and sin.
(Today we will read about Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father. Very little is known about Joseph from scripture, so I’m using what my friend Buck Black describes as my “sanctified imagination.” Join me, won’t you?)
Mary was pregnant, but shouldn’t have been. She had been faithful to her fiancé, Joseph, but how would he ever believe her? When she finally returned from her 3-month visit with Elizabeth and Zechariah, Mary had just started showing, but something was very different about her. Joseph couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Was she glowing? She seemed so joyful, so confident, so free.
And then Joseph caught wind of the awful family secret. What should he do? How should he feel? Who should he go to for advice?
Read Matthew 1:18-25
“Oh Mary! What have you done?” Joseph must have been beside himself with grief and humiliation. This didn’t seem to be consistent with Mary’s character, but her swollen belly indicated something had gone terribly wrong. Engaged partners at that time in Jewish culture were referred to as husband and wife even though they were not yet married. Mary’s parents would have brokered a match between Joseph and Mary from the time she was a little girl, having promised her to Joseph. Sexual unfaithfulness during engagement was considered adultery, and under the Mosaic law carried the penalty of death by stoning.
He couldn’t have Mary stoned for her obvious adultery; he wouldn’t. But he couldn’t move ahead with this marriage either. He thought about the options for days and finally came to a decision. Joseph would divorce Mary privately, so as not to compound her shame before the entire village and would move on with his life. But Nazareth was such a small town; everyone knew everyone’s business. What were the chances of him securing another wife at his age? What if other families associated him with Mary’s decision and shunned him from the community as well?
Joseph was prepared to make the right and compassionate decision to quietly divorce Mary and suffer whatever consequences came his way but decided to sleep on it. As he slept, an angel of the Lord came to him with a message from God:
“Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matt 1:20-21
The angel went on to explain that this amazing miracle would fulfill the prophecy through Isaiah that a virgin would become pregnant and bear a son named Immanuel, meaning “God is with us.” Joseph woke up and realized that God was calling him, a simple carpenter living a simple life in Nazareth of Galilee to something He had planned since time began. Joseph would be a part of God’s rescue plan!
Joseph jumped up, got dressed and ran to Mary’s house to tell her the good news. Mary’s parents may or may not have believed her story of how she became pregnant. I like to imagine that they did believe her, that they had raised her to look forward to the fulfillment of this specific prophecy and trusted in Mary’s moral character. Regardless of her parents’ position, can you imagine how relieved and overjoyed Mary was to see Joseph running up the path to their home, a huge smile stretching across his face? She wouldn't have to do this alone! Her Joseph, her good, righteous man would do it with her!
“And he named him Jesus…” Matt 1:25
Reflect on how God invited Mary and Joseph into His promised plan of redemption. Joseph was slow to process the information about Mary’s pregnancy, not reacting in anger, allowing him to hear from the angel of the Lord and respond in joyful obedience. Are there situations in your family or community where you would do well to follow Joseph’s example? Rather than reacting in fear or anger, prayerfully ask the Lord for compassion, wisdom and the faith to obey Him.
Sing all four verses of Joy to the World:
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n, and heav’n, and nature sing.
Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love
Pray for the Lord to give you a righteous faith like Joseph’s, who refused to wound Mary, even when all evidence seemed to point to her betrayal.
Blessings,
Gay B Brown