“And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.” -Matthew 1:19
What a sympathetic character we find in Joseph. Joseph found himself in the middle of a situation in his life that he could never had anticipated. His beautiful bride-to-be was with child. Joseph’s betrothal to Mary must have been the joy of his life, simply because of what we know about her. Think of how happy Joseph must have been to have found a wife with such a beautiful heart and humble spirit.
And now, everything had changed.
Joseph’s character is summed up in the verses above in one word: just. It would not have been fitting with Joseph’s character to publicly shame Mary, even if he did not understand what was happening. His desire to love and protect her despite how the situation appeared is a beautiful picture of a man whose life was marked by a humble and just character.
The Bible doesn’t make clear whether Mary told Joseph the whole story of who Jesus was and how she had found herself to be pregnant. But it does appear as though he did not fully understand God’s plan at this point because Joseph’s response was to quietly divorce Mary.
Joseph’s character reflected a desire to love his new wife the best way he knew how. Whether this was the right decision for Joseph or not, God still chose Joseph as the man who would ultimately play a very important part in the life of His Son. He was a just man, one who honored both God and his new wife in his compassion and tenderness toward her even in such an impossible situation.
God has never chosen perfect people, nor does He today.
God chose Joseph, even though he was not perfect, knowing that his heart was just, humble, and teachable. We will look more closely at how God reached out to Joseph in the coming days, but be encouraged today knowing that though we may not always understand the seasons or situations in which we find ourselves, God has a plan. Let’s ask God’s Spirit to help us to grow in humility and compassion as Joseph did, knowing how very greatly He loves us.
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