The Character of Joseph

Yesterday we talked about Mary's brave "yes," but the Christmas story would have quickly fallen apart without the quiet, profound faith of another hero: Joseph. Poor Joseph! He receives the shocking news from Mary and then has to figure out how to respond. His character is a template for how we should handle unexpected, life-altering situations.

The Bible tells us that when he found out Mary was pregnant, he was a "just man" (Matthew 1:19, KJV). Because he was just, he knew he couldn’t marry her, but because he was also compassionate, he didn’t want to subject her to public shame or punishment. He decided to put her away "privily"—quietly, with dignity.

Joseph’s first instinct was to do the right thing gently