Joseph finds himself with a pregnant fiancé who, by all outward appearances, appears to have been unfaithful. Would your first response be to sit down and passively reflect on the situation? Mine wouldn’t. Yet that is what I picture Joseph doing. He seems untouchably pious - more of a caricature than a real person. But when I consider his humanity, his response feels weak and passionless to me. Was Joseph a wimp?
But after he had considered this, …
The word translated as pondered, or considered, is not incorrect. But it can also be translated as becoming angry or disturbed. This word has another appearance in the Christmas story – when Herod became enraged that the Wise Men failed to expose the child. Joseph becoming upset seems a more normal response – and his subsequent response to Mary all the more remarkable. It was only later that a visiting angel clues him in on the true situation.
The account of Joseph and Mary is so familiar that I can overlook their humanity. Joseph was a man who no doubt experienced confusion, doubt, betrayal and pain. But he gives us an example of self-control and ability to exhibit restraint in spite of his feelings. Joseph’s righteous character was well honed and he was able to rise above the seeming chaos and choose not just mercy, but grace. It is not surprising that God chose a man like this to raise His Son.
It is easy to justify my actions based on how I feel at the moment. But this godly man is a reminder that things are not always as they seem. Feelings are not the best barometer of truth. Despite any situation I find myself in, He calls me to follow Him regardless of what I feel. As I learn obedience in duress, I become more useful for His kingdom. I want to be that vessel – grace under pressure. I have a long way to go – but that is my prayer.
… 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. Matthew 1:20
