This Sunday - December 21st 4th Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 7:10-16 ~ Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 ~ Romans 1:1-7 ~ Matthew 1:18-25 Read online

In Matthew’s remembering of the Annunciation, the angel tells Joseph rather than Mary.  Which is nice, because Joseph really does have a bit part in the whole nativity story.  He doesn’t get a speaking part, but at least he’s center stage for a moment.

But vs. 19 in this story has always bothered me, “Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly.”  So Joseph is going to dump the woman he’s betrothed to in her time of need because he righteous? Ugh.  Perhaps he was thinking of some extenuating circumstances, ok, but still.  Perhaps he plans to be a nice guy about it so that it’s less embarrassing; that’s nice, but still.  Perhaps he’s just following what the law requires; sure, but really? 

What we likely miss in the story, but of which Mary and Joseph would be abundantly aware, is that dismissal by Joseph, no matter how quiet, would have subjected Mary and the child to a lifetime of shame and poverty.  In that time, women couldn’t work, so the only way Mary would have been able to provide for herself and Jesus would be to beg or go into prostitution.  Further, the dismissal would have brought shame on Mary’s family and they would have been unlikely to take her in.  There was no aid programs or assistance to help her.  

Now I don’t want to throw Joseph under the bus and suggest that he’s a lout, but this does feel like one of those times when doing the “right thing” would have turned out to be the wrong thing.  Had the angel not intervened, Joseph might not have end up doing the most righteous thing conceivable of standing by Mary and the baby.  

After reading the scriptures for this day, discuss the following questions with someone else:

1. When you think of the word “righteous” what do you think?  How would you define the word?  How does Joseph fit that definition of righteous?

2. Have you ever been in a situation where what seemed to be the right thing turned out to be the wrong one?