A Few Good Men
Google Images Very little is said about Joseph, the earthy father of Jesus, in the Scriptures. In fact, very little is said about Mary either. But here in Matthew 1 we discover a little about the character of the man whose God-given responsibility was caring for the child, Jesus. Mary was “ pledged ” to Joseph (Matthew 1:18) which was as good as being married. So when it was discovered that she was pregnant, and not with Joseph’s child, the man had options to consider. The law said that Mary could be publicly stoned to death for her betrayal of the man to whom she was promised. Many men, to defend their honour (or satisfy their jealous and/or vindictive nature), would have been happy to throw the first stone. But not Joseph. “ Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public shame, he had in mind to divorce her quietly ” (1:19). A legalistic man would have had Mary stoned. A righteous man viewed her with compassion and wished to do her as litt...