Getting the Story Right, Part 2
Joseph’s Righteousness
“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.” (Matthew 1:19)
Mary’s pregnancy was proof of her immorality as a single woman. The Old Testament Law prescribed death for such women, a sentence that was still occasionally meted out in Joseph’s day. So, according to the requirements of the Law, Joseph would have been considered a “righteous” man for exposing her to the disgrace of a public divorce (and possible execution by stoning). But this isn’t what Joseph did. The Bible tells us that the reason why he DID NOT expose Mary publicly, which would have made her the object of ridicule and judgment, was BECAUSE he was righteous. This suggests that his righteousness was not defined or limited by the Law.
Joseph’s “righteousness” is best explained by the Apostle Paul, who spoke of living by the Spirit of the Old Testament Law, rather than by every “letter” of the same Law (2 Corinthians 3:6). This is precisely how Abraham could be considered righteous prior to the giving of the Law through Moses (Genesis 15:6; Galatians 3:6), and how Joseph could be considered righteous when not abiding by the strictest application of the same legal code. They lived by a faith in God apart from the Law, a faith that compelled them toward goodness—that quality of character that can be described only by others as “righteous” (Galatians 3:11—12). Joseph, Jesus, and Paul accepted the Law as a guide pointing us in the direction of holiness, but they also understood that the Law, by itself, does not fully define, and thus limit, holiness. As a static legal code, “the letter kills” (2 Corinthians 3:6). But when we have apprehended God’s purpose for the Law, to protect us and provide for us, and have embraced what inspires the Law, the Holy Spirit of God, then we discover the life of the Spirit that is not limited by the Law.
Mary’s Righteousness
“But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.’” (Luke 1:30)
True holiness requires not only knowing God’s righteous commands; it requires knowing the heart of God and being moved by the Spirit of God. This is why Joseph did not expose Mary to public disgrace. He wasn’t fearful of his reputation being marred by his association with a “sinful” woman; he was known to be a good and righteous man. People in Nazareth would have trusted his report of her infidelity, and this is likely what concerned him. They would have quickly reacted according to their incomplete understanding of the Law, following it’s “letter”, and judged her unmercifully.
But Joseph knew Mary to be a good woman, not licentious, one whom God would favor (Luke 1:28). Her Godly character, like his own, is what had drawn him to her in the beginning. So he acted according to the Spirit of the Law—breaking the engagement privately—until God revealed to him in a dream the piece of this puzzle that had him perplexed (Matthew 1:20): How could a woman of faith, a Godly woman, debase herself by having sex with a man outside marriage? The Angel in Joseph’s dream revealed to him that Mary’s pregnancy was not inconsistent with her pure-hearted devotion to God; it was because of it. The baby growing inside her womb had been conceived by the Holy Spirit. Joseph wasn’t the father (Luke 3:23; John 1:45, 6:41) and neither was any other man. Mary was a virgin; the father was God.
