Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet^[a] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly – Matthew 1:19

For Meditation

If there was anybody whose birth was scandalous, it was that of Jesus. Mary got pregnant when she was not married yet to Joseph. That was a disgrace in a religious community like Israel. Not only was the conception shameful. The supposed father of the baby also never knew the mother in that way. Joseph had engaged Mary, but they were not married yet. Joseph preserved Mary’s dignity by keeping the relationship pure. Mary also was a virgin, or so Joseph thought. So, who was responsible for the conception? The situation was a highly charged topic for gossip. Joseph could feel the insulting remarks from people already. How does a man handle such a situation?

Joseph could have brought Mary before the religious authorities for censorship. That would have cleared his name and kept his honor. Is that not the option most of us would take? But what about Mary? Did it matter at that point since she brought this upon herself?

Now consider her story. “This is God’s doing, Joseph. The Holy Spirit came upon me, and the power of the Most-High God overshadowed me. And Voila! I woke up pregnant. So, Joseph, I am pregnant with a baby boy, and we will call him Jesus, the Son of God. That is what the angel Gabriel instructed us to do.”

Step into Joseph’s shoes this morning with me. What word would you have blurted out? “Ridiculous! Take your story somewhere else, Mary. I will see you before the high priest, and the world will know how wicked and deceptive you are.”

Thank God Joseph was a different man. His righteousness counseled him to preserve the dignity of the young woman he adored and wanted for a wife. So, he planned a quiet divorce to allow Mary to deal with the matter in her way (Matt. 1:19). That was when God stepped in. He confirmed Mary’s story and instructed Joseph on what to do (20-23).

Do you want to hear God speak to you on the hurtful and complicated matter before you? Let your heart be pure before Him. Let your righteousness rise above your interest. Consider the right to dignity of the person you are dealing with and not only your own (Phil. 2:3-4). Leave the matter in God’s hands. And when He speaks, do what Joseph did, no matter how difficult it may be to you. May the Spirit of God strengthen you.