-----1) Because Joseph was committed to doing the right thing.
Mt. 1:19a
-----2) Because Joseph was committed to doing loving thing
Mt. 1:19b
righteousness + love = holiness
right in deed + wrong in spirit is wrong
rules w/o relationship = rebellion
-----3) Because Joseph was committed to doing God’s thing
Mt.1:24 2:14 3:21
Mary should not have been worried when Jesus turned up missing. God had chosen a godly step-father for him and becasue of that the young boy was raised right.
Mary should not have worried because Joseph was commited to doing the right thing. The Bible says he was a righteous man. In the Jewish context it would have meant that he was a man of the law. He follow God’s laws and did the right thing. We need fathers who will teach their sons to stand up and do the right thing no matter what everyone else is doing. Holiness is doing the right thing plus doing it in a loving way. It’s not just being loving or being right. It’s a combination of the two.
It’s not enough to do the right thing. that right thing must be done with the right spirit. It must be done in a loving way. I can be right but be wrong in the way I do it. That’s wrong. I can be proud of my rightness and that is wrong. People come first and doing the right thing must never be at the expense of people. If its not done with a loving spirit then it is not pleasing to God. Joseph was going to put here away put he was going to do it privately. He wasn’t going to make a show of his rightness.
Joseph was also going to do God’s thing. Three times in this story he follows God’s prompting when he does not know what to do. God’s work done God’s way will be successful. He does not rust in hsi own understanding but leans on God’s way.
