Wednesday, December 14- Righteous

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.    --Matthew 1:18-19

          "Righteous" became a slang word in the seventies, but other than that is not a word we use often today. For many it brings a negative connotation as in someone who thinks they are better than everyone else, superior in character. I think of the Pharisees when I think of the word, "righteous." They were focused on doing what was "right" according to their interpretation of the Law, even if doing right caused harm and oppression to others. Jesus asserts the importance of righteousness by saying in Matthew 5:20 "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."

          In the Old Testament one of the primary attributes of God is righteousness. Its primary meaning concerns ethical conduct and is often used in a legal sense; while the guilty are judged, the guiltless are held as righteous.          
          In the New Testament righteousness continues to be tied to the Law but also takes on another central meaning. In Romans 10: 3-13, Paul ties righteousness directly faith. We are made righteous in Christ. Righteousness is tied to following God's commandments, the Law, but is made fully possible only through God's love in Christ.

          Matthew tells us that Joseph was a righteous man and ties that righteousness directly to his unwillingness to expose Mary to public disgrace. What an amazing insight into the character of Joseph. For Joseph righteousness was centered in Law but governed by God's grace. He felt he had no other choice than to dissolve his betrothal to Mary. He chose, however, to do it in the way that would cause the least harm to Mary and her family. In the midst of the pain and heartbreak of finding out that his wife-to-be was pregnant, Joseph remained righteous.

          I wonder how different the world would be if we Christians practiced Joseph's form of righteousness? Yes, we care about the Law. Yes, we are centered in living in a way that we understand as "right." But faith and tradition ought to be invitational-inviting others to know and experience God's love, not confrontational-used a bat to beat people down and push them away.
          Joseph was a righteous man. We can learn something from Joseph.

          Advent Blessings,

          Rich