” … and the dog ate my homework …”

It’s not likely any of us will ever hear an excuse so incredible as the one Joseph was given.

This good man was engaged to Mary, who now reported to be pregnant. To make matters worse, she claimed the Holy Spirit was the father!

Never before had there been a virgin birth, so what Mary had to say must have seemed like pouring salt into a wound by confounding the situation with what just had to be an outrageous lie!

You can imagine how betrayed and heartbroken Joseph must have felt. And you can imagine how Joseph must have been tempted to respond harshly to such nonsense. But that’s where we see the incredible character — and lesson — from the man who would play the role of earthly “father” to Jesus. Look closely at his response as recorded in Matthew 1:18-19, “18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.”

An angel would soon appear to Joseph in a dream and confirm what Mary had claimed was actually true. But at this point, what Mary said appeared to be an impossibility to cover an ugly sin. His response? He chose not to “dis-grace” her. At the one time where some indignant response would seem to be quite appropriate, Joseph chose to respond to an apparent sin with a gracious decency.

We often tend to think the sleights of others toward us provide us with justification to bring disgrace upon others by acting in ways that are ungracious. After all, how does responding in grace toward sinful behavior make sense?

Joseph understood that what may be the sin of others does not justify a lack of grace on our part. In fact, it’s precisely at those moments where grace is most needed! Colossians 3:13 says, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”

Simply put, it’s not our place to “dis-grace.”

How do you respond to those who wrong you? How gracious are you toward those who offend you? How can you choose to respond graciously?

Scotty