My "Rights" or My Righteousness

This is how the birth of Jesus came about:

his mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph,

but before they came together, she was found to be with child

through the Holy Spirit.  Because Joseph her husband was a

righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,

"Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived

in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him

the name of Jesus, because he will save his people from their sin."

(Matthew 1:18-21)

I admit it:  I've always felt a bit sorry for Joseph during the Christmas season.  In our schools, churches and communities - on stage after stage as the nativity story is recreated and retold - Joseph seems to fade into the background.  We ooh and aah as the little angels come out with their sparkly halos and wings, the barefoot shepherds carrying stuffed animals.  The Magi look so regal in their robes and jeweled crowns.  And who can resist the young, fresh-faced Mary, cheeks aglow, holding that precious little baby.  Throw in a live animal or two and Joseph quickly becomes part of the scenery.  Even scripture doesn't tell us much about this man.  His last appearance in the written Word occurs when Jesus is just 12 years old.

Rather than speculate on what we don't know about the man, we can focus on what we do know.  The gospel writer Matthew says he was a righteous man, and that tells us a lot about Joseph.  He was engaged to a young girl, Mary, who was pregnant.  He knew this child was not his so he had in mind to divorce her quietly.  An engagement in that time was just as binding as the marriage and to end it required a divorce.  If the betrothed was found to be pregnant by another man, it would be assumed she had been unfaithful.  The punishment was stoning.

Joseph's righteousness and his love for Mary shine through in his decision to divorce her quietly rather than expose her to public disgrace and a possible death sentence.  Put yourself in his shoes for a moment.  Feel the temptation to focus on the sense of betrayal, nurse your wounded pride and exercise your "right" to talk about it with anyone who will listen.  When we feel betrayed by someone we love, it's so easy to become self-centered and put our hurts ahead of protecting the reputation of the other party, isn't it?  No one would have blamed Joseph for telling on Mary.  Wasn't it within his "rights"?

I am reminded of another Joseph in the book of Genesis whose own brothers betrayed him and sold him into slavery.  After years in slavery and prison, Joseph was elevated by Pharaoh and put in charge of all Egypt.  Many years later when Joseph's brothers came to that country because of severe famine in their land, Pharaoh was so pleased to see them that he wanted to give them the best of the land!

Why would Pharaoh be so generous to those who had betrayed someone so close to him?  Could it be that Joseph never told Pharaoh the terrible thing his brothers had done?  He certainly would have been within his "rights" to do so.  But he, like the Joseph of our gospel story, was a righteous man.

There is another righteous man, the One who on the night He was betrayed washed the feet of His betrayer.  He treated Judas in such a manner that the other disciples present did not even realize this was an enemy among them.  This Righteous One was Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary on that first Christmas two thousand years ago.  The Righteous One "...who being in very nature God...made Himself nothing...by taking on the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness."  (Phil. 2:6,7)

This is our Jesus, truly God come down in human likeness, coming as a servant to live a righteous life and then to die for men that through Him we might have eternal life.  This same One calls out to us today:

"Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness..."  (Matt. 6:33)

Prayer:  Lord, as You humbled Yourself and took on the nature of a servant to live righteously among men, teach me also to live - not within my "rights" - but righteously in You.  Amen.