[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Matthew tells us Joseph was \u201crighteous.\u201d Which means, being a good Jew, that he was righteous before not only God, but the Law.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This is significant, because Joseph, in the story Matthew goes on to tell, doesn\u2019t follow the letter of the Law. In fact, he subverts it, \u201cunwilling,\u201d Matthew writes, \u201cto expose her to shame.\u201d You see, if Joseph exposed her, suggesting she may have committed adultery, she could have been killed. Such was the Law. But Joseph keeps quiet. He doesn\u2019t put her life at risk. Further, he subverts social pressure and convention\u2014somewhat!<\/em>\u2014by trying to divorce her quietly. He\u2019s not all that afraid of what people will think of him. Instead, his concern is to do the right thing: not to put Mary in harm\u2019s way and simply cut his losses with a simple divorce.<\/p>\n

But then comes the angel and the divine message. Mary will bear the Christ, and you, Joseph, are to serve as his father. Proven a good man, that\u2019s what he hears. Joseph, the righteous man, is now recruited as an agent of divine redemption. Because that\u2019s the sort of man God was looking for\u2014righteous in a Joseph sort of way.<\/p>\n

And so, the lesson is simple: be like Joseph. Be righteous in the ways of God, but don\u2019t twist God\u2019s law in such a way that you cause harm. And also, don\u2019t give in to social pressure! Do right and fear no one. But then, also be open to the divine and the words of angels. Be open to God. Because that\u2019s how you\u2019ll know what God wants you to do, how you\u2019ll know how to be useful in God\u2019s redeeming of the world.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Matthew tells us Joseph was \u201crighteous.\u201d Which means, being a good Jew, that he was righteous before not only God, but the Law.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[33,116,176],"yoast_head":"\n