MORNING MANNA 12-21-21
A RIGHTEOUS MAN
“Joseph her husband was a righteous man.” – Matthew 1:19
The first scene of a famous movie depicting the life of Christ begins in silence. A woman looks straight ahead, then drops her eyes. A man stands frowning, shocked. The camera moves back, revealing her rounded, pregnant belly. He goes slowly out of the house; subdued, the woman watches him go. In town, everything seems normal—people go about their business, a group of children plays—but his world has been irrevocably changed. Overcome, he sinks to the ground, puts his head down, and closes his eyes. Then, more than three minutes into the scene, the first words are spoken by an angel.
The Christmas story is not just a series of exalted moments staffed by saints with haloes, but a gritty and down-to-earth drama in which real people faced difficult decisions about matters beyond their understanding. In today’s reading, Joseph faced one such decision. From his vantage point, there were at least two problems. The first was that his fiancé Mary was pregnant. No virgin had ever carried a child before, so Joseph could be excused if he doubted her sexual purity. Although a betrothal was not quite a marriage, and they had not yet had sexual relations, they were called “husband” and “wife” and a relationship with another man would have been regarded as marital unfaithfulness. No matter how much Joseph wanted to believe Mary, she was pregnant. Humanly speaking, he knew of only one way for that to happen.
The second problem was Mary’s explanation. She’d conceived by the Holy Spirit? Had she lost her mind? Why would she give such an unbelievable excuse? She must know how it sounded.
Joseph decided to “divorce her quietly” (Mt 1:19). This decision demonstrates the seriousness of the betrothal relationship and the issue of sexual purity. By Law, Mary could have been stoned to death (Deut. 22:20-24), but Joseph chose not to accuse her. Despite the perceived wrong she had done, he still cared for her feelings, honor, and well-being. Joseph was a righteous and merciful man.- Copied
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
www.lakewaybaptist.org
