JOSEPH’S DILEMNA

Matt. 1:18-19 Now this is how Jesus the Messiah was born.  His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph.  But while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph, being a just man, decided to break the engagement quietly, so as not to disgrace her publicly.

     In the Jewish culture being pregnant out of wedlock was a very grave matter, worthy of being stoned to death.  There was no mercy shown to those who would commit such moral sin.  It was written in God’s law that such people would be unfit to live since they had blatantly disobeyed God’s law and shamed their parents.

     Mary was a young teen-ager around thirteen or fourteen years old.  Joseph was probably a young man in his twenties.  It was normal for girls to get engaged young at that time.  An engagement was a legally binding agreement to marry; it was deemed to be a lifetime commitment to one’s finance’.  An engagement, though legal, did not allow the couple to consummate their relationship until after their wedding ceremony.  The only way to break an engagement was through a divorce, or in the worst-case scenario, a stoning due to immoral behavior.

     Joseph was a man of integrity.  He loved Mary and did not want to see her stoned to death.  He was just and could have demanded it, but his love would not let him.  He did not know at this time how she could have done such a thing to him, but he wanted to treat her with love and grace.  He could not continue on with the engagement so he sought a way to divorce her without having her stoned to death. 

       We can learn a lot from Joseph.  He was quick to offer grace instead of judgment.  He loved Mary and wanted to spare her life and even public disgrace if he could.  How often do we think before we act?  How often do we ponder how to act graciously towards those who wrong us?  How often do we try not to publicly shame those who do us wrong?  Think about it, shouldn’t we all be more like Joseph?  Shouldn’t we all be quick to offer grace instead of condemnation?  How can we claim to love the Lord and act like we don’t? 

     Let us strive to a people of integrity and be gracious to those who may wrong us.  Our acts of kindness may very well make the difference between them embracing our Lord or turning away from Him.