revised from Christmas 2009 - Quietly....

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 (NIV)

A new twist for marriages, Christian marriages that is, lies most delicately within the cleft of this truth. Imagine your marriage was plagued with the trappings of today: adultery, selfishness, denial, envy, strife…you get the idea. Now, in light of these problematic circumstances you realize you just cannot hold up under the pressure and decide to divorce.

Sad but true is this reality within our churches today. Our stats according to nearly every statistician reveal that the church is hanging in there not in perseverance instead with the world. Our rate of adultery, divorce, alcoholism, drug addiction, and downright pride and selfish ambition are unbelievable. Now, please know that I am not pointing fingers I have done my share of sinning and putting on my plastic face but I am truly astonished on how people who once loved one another are now lining the pews with all that is bad within them. Even in divorce the members of a church can be seen as vindictive and offensive as the lost. We seek justice in any form we can get and bring down the gavel at every moment possble. When looking into situation this way I see justification for our hurt not justice for the wrong doing.

I am not writing this to condemn anyone or reveal anything you do not already know but to shine the light on how this verse spoke to me….Because Joseph was a righteous man…he had in mind to divorce her quietly. This absolutely blew my mind! He knew the ramifications of her presumed “actions” and that it would end in her death by stoning. Most of us know by now that they, Mary and Joseph, were betrothed (engaged) and it would require a divorce to sever the relationship. We know that even at this point it was allowable to divorce in the event of adultery or sexual immorality; furthermore, if what Joseph initially assumed was true then he could divorce her legally. The problem with that is that there are few divorces that are quietly executed. I have not seen one in my lifetime; someone usually goes down in flames but both lose, all involved lose - when it is not done quietly.

But because Joseph was a righteous man he set out to divorce her quietly. Because Joseph was righteous he acted with intent. Now I don’t know about you but most divorces are not executed with the righteousness of the “other” person in mind. Most actions in a divorce are driven in response to what another person did or did not do; therefore, I can conclude that it is reasonable to respond to the actions of the other party. But is this really what Jesus intends for us to do?

I found the answer to that question nestled in Matthew 1:19. This is the truth behind an acronym for a delicious dessert the Lord gave me in the summer of 2003, FUDGE. Forgiveness Under Divine Guidance Everyday. Wow!! The delicate truth that was found in the cleft of this rock is very telling of what our “nature” as a believer, a righteous child of God should be. Living holy because HE is holy is best exposed when one is at their most vulnerable moment. We all have selfish moments, thoughts, and actions but when the rubber truly hits the proverbial road your character is unveiled. (sweet or bitter and sometimes with nuts!)

Jesus tells us to love our enemies because being kind to those who are kind to us is even done by unbelievers. What about being the most loving to those who hurt us or let us down? We place people on pedestals and are shocked when they fall or fail. Then our shock is what truthfully drives our response not the action of the person. I do not say that to relieve responsibility on the part of an offender but it is up to us how we respond to others. Joseph was in shock no doubt. He could have lashed out very easily. He could have run to her father and revealed her indiscretion but instead he measured HIS OWN righteousness and responded from that foundation.

If we have ever wondered what we could learn from Joseph or why he was specifically chosen to rear Jesus, then we now know. His faith was lived. His heart was exposed at one of the most vulnerable moments in history, yet he was discreet and humble even in his disappointment. Many men have been weighed, measured, and left wanting but Joseph shows us how picturesque the high road truly is.

I have a new respect for Joseph and a little more realizaton into the Sovereignty of our Holy Father.

Revised from Christmas 2009 and enjoy your FUDGE!
Chel