CHRISTMAS AND A CRY FOR JUSTICE
TEXT: MATTHEW 1:19-21
How did Mary tell Joseph that she was pregnant? How did her parents respond? How did Joseph’s parents respond? While we do not know how or when Mary told Joseph, we do know his response. Matthew tells us that he wanted to break off the engagement.
Matthew gives us a glimpse into the man, Joseph. This gives us a hint at how we can take a rocky relationship and turn it into a good one. Joseph was a just man, he decided to break the engagement quietly, so as not to disgrace Mary publicly.
Being a just man. That phrase says a lot about him. Joseph was concerned about justice. The legal thing to do was to stone Mary. However, Joseph tempered his sense of justice with grace and mercy. This verse shows us that he truly loved Mary. He wanted to do the right thing.
What is our testimony as regards justice today? Let this Christmas restore our stories.
REVD. CANON O. E. IGBAMERUN
