The ripple effects of what a righteous man does …

What does a righteous man do?

He obeys.

At least that’s what we see in the life of one righteous man as revealed in the Bible. In this case, it’s the “Christmas story” recorded in the Gospel according to Matthew, and the fellow who is identified as a “righteous man” is Joseph, who we know as the step-father of Jesus.

Let’s start with some context …

“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. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly,” Matthew 1:18-19.

Although Joseph is called a righteous man, he finds himself front and center in a serious moral morass. He’s engaged to be married to Mary, but his fiance is now pregnant … not by Joseph.

How could it be anything other than sinful behavior by Mary? Heartbroken, angry, or probably both, Joseph’s reaction wasn’t one of wanting to strike back; he didn’t want to disgrace Mary, who had disgraced him (so he thought), but had decided to break their engagement “quietly.”

That’s grace.

But still not the right answer for the real circumstances he was in. Joseph didn’t have an understanding of what his real situation was, but he would soon learn of his reality through the visit of an angel delivering an enlightening message …

“As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: ‘Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us,’” Matthew 1:20-23.

Joseph lived in a society that Americans do not understand — an “honor/shame” society. For him to go through with his engagement and marry Mary would be to bring shame upon himself, his family, his community. But here was a a messenger of God telling him to do what others would consider to be shameful.

What does a righteous man do?

He obeys …

“When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus,” Matthew 1:24-25.

Regardless of circumstances, regardless of the potential consequences of one’s circumstances, a righteous man obeys God. Because every single life touches many others, our choices have ripple effects; Joseph’s choice did, too. The ripple effects of this righteous man obeying God were exactly what the angel said they would be:

“… and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Joseph’s obedience to God would bring Him great glory and ultimately benefit the world. Our obeying God also brings Him glory and will be beneficial not just to us, but well beyond ourselves.

So what does a righteous man do?

He obeys.

What do you do?

Scotty