Scripture text: Matthew 1:18-25
Rules. Every human society and institution has them. Our government has rules that order life here in America. Speak freely. Worship as you please. But don’t murder. Don’t steal. Don’t run red lights. Etc. Clubs and other organizations have rules. Pay your dues. Show up for meetings. Participate in activities. So forth. Religions have rules. Honor God. Love neighbor. Be good. Families have rules. Listen to your parents. Be home by 10pm.
Everywhere you look there are rules. They guide human society and civilization. They keep things running smoothly...most of the time. Of course, since many rules are human created and human enforced, there are times when rules are unfair or unjust. When you were a kid and you finally got the tree house of your dreams and you put out that sign on the outside of it, “NO GIRLS ALOUD!” (For those of you reading this on the blog, that misspelling is deliberate.)
That’s not a fair rule. Sadly though, such unjust rules are not confined to children. We adults can do that sort of thing too.
In addition to unfair rules, there are also times when the rules probably should be waived. There are mitigating circumstances that might mean that the rules shouldn’t apply. Probably the most dramatic example of this is the insanity plea in our court system. A person has committed a horrible crime, but they didn’t completely understand what they were doing. They weren’t in their right mind. Those are mitigating circumstances. Judges and juries wrestle with whether or not to apply the rules to such a person or waive them because of mental illness and the defendant’s inability to comprehend what precisely they did.
Rules. Joseph of Nazareth struggles with what to do about the rules in our Gospel lesson today. One of the rules, certainly more strict in past times but still often potent in these times, is that you’re not supposed to have sexual relations before you’re married. You’re certainly not supposed to, if you’re a woman, get pregnant. And you’re not supposed to cheat on the person you’re in a relationship with. Yet that appears to be precisely what’s happened here. Joseph’s fiance, Mary, is pregnant and the most logical conclusion is that she got that way by fooling around with someone other than Joseph.
What’s a man to do in those circumstances?
If Joseph were the vindictive type, he could call her out publicly for what she’s done. He could shame her, make her a public embarrassment, and then walk away, breaking off their engagement with a public display of disdain and anger. He would be within his rights to that. In fact, that’s pretty much what the rules demand he do. But Joseph is not vindictive. The storyteller points out that he is a righteous man, and this is one of those circumstances where that word should not be taken sarcastically as it often is when referring to folks like the Pharisees. Joseph is the real deal. He wants to do what is right. And in this case, doing what is right means not doing what the rules demand.
Joseph decides as the story tells us to divorce her “quietly.” He doesn’t want a spectacle. No witch hunt. No lynch mob. He just wants things to go away and he wants to do it in a way that doesn’t hurt Mary. Despite the appearance of her betrayal, Joseph still wants what’s best for her. He wants to uphold her well-being. No wonder he was chosen to be Jesus’ earthly father.
Of course, the story ends with Joseph receiving a vision that tells him the whole truth. Mary has been faithful after all. This child she bears is not an ordinary one, but the promised Messiah, conceived of the Holy Spirit. Joseph changes his mind and he goes forward with marrying Mary. That too is breaking the rules. Imagine the spectacle that was! Joseph and Mary (clearly pregnant) standing before the rabbi with much of the village standing around, saying their vows to one another. Both of them with defiant grins on their faces, not caring one whit what the world thinks. Both of them knowing the truth of what God is doing with them.
They did what was right. Not what the rules demanded.
Jesus clearly followed in their footsteps. As an adult, he was a great one for rule-breaking. He ate with tax collectors. Touched lepers and bleeding women. Talked with Samaritans. Healed the servant of a Roman centurion, a Gentile invader. Defied the rules lawyers in the Pharisees and other religious authorities all the time. He did what was right, not what the rules demanded.
One could argue that even in his death, there was a defiance of the rules. He’s innocent and yet he makes no defense. He has the power to come off the cross and the justification to do so, and yet he remains up there. He has no reason to let himself die and yet he does. Because he did what was right. He died for the sake of the world, innocent blood shed for the sake of the guilty. Oh, and speaking of rules that he breaks, there’s another. What’s dead usually stays dead, but not Jesus. He didn’t obey that rule either. He returned to life and then promised the same to all of us.
But what are we to take away from all this? Well, don’t let the rule get in your way to do what is right. There have been many unfair or downright evil laws in our society. Owning another person whose skin color was different was once perfectly legal in this country. The genocide of the Native population was once legal in this country. The internment of loyal citizens whose ancestry was the same as a declared enemy was once legal in this country. None of these things were what was right and there are those in our society today who would see them become legal again.
Few in number perhaps, but they are bold and vocal. As Christians, we are called to be as Joseph was, as Jesus was. To do what is right and not always what is legal, not always what the rules demand. We must resist these voices of evil. Because if these things or other atrocities were to become legal once more, where do you think Jesus would be if he were on Earth today? He’d be in the internment camps with the immigrants or the Muslims. He’d break the rules to do what is right. Because regardless of whether those people believe in him or not, they are still beloved of God. Still folks for whom, like us, he hung on that cross. Can we do any less?
Sometimes the rules are wrong. Jesus knew that and so should we. But all of us, for the sake of those whom he loves, should do what is right. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment