Today, I want to review a familiar part of the Christmas story, to emphasize one character quality that we sometimes overlook.

Matthew 1:18-25 NLT  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, 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.  (20)  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.  (21)  And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  (22)  All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:  (23)  “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.’”  (24)  When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.  (25)  But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Joseph and Mary both exhibited exemplary obedience in this situation.  They both realized that they would be facing a lifetime of public shame, based on people’s assumptions of sexual sin.  They both exhibited great courage.

John Eldredge, in his book “Wild at Heart,” gives us some additional insights into the courage of Joseph in this situation:

This sort of heroism is what we see in the life of Joseph, the husband of Mary and the stepfather to Jesus Christ. I don’t think we’ve fully appreciated what he did for them. Mary, an engaged young woman, almost a girl, turns up pregnant with a pretty wild story: “I’m carrying God’s child.” The situation is scandalous. What is Joseph to think?  What is he to feel? Hurt, confused, betrayed no doubt. But he’s a good man; he cannot bear to have her stoned, he will simply “divorce her quietly” (Matthew 1:19).

An angel comes to him in a dream (which shows you what it sometimes takes to get a good man to do the right thing) to convince him that Mary is telling the truth and he is to follow through with the marriage. This is going to cost him. Do you know what he’s going to endure if he marries a woman the whole community thinks is an adulteress? He will be shunned by his business associates and most of his clients; he will certainly lose his standing in society and his place in the synagogue. To see the pain he’s in for, notice the insult that crowds will later use against Jesus. “Isn’t this Joseph and Mary’s son?” they say with a sneer and a nudge and a wink (Matthew 13:55). In other words, we know who you are—the [illegitimate] child of that slut and her foolish carpenter. Joseph will pay big-time for this move. Does he withhold? No, he offers Mary his strength; he steps right between her and all of that mess and takes it on the chin. He spends himself for her.

Wow!  What a remarkable example to us of courage!  In fact, being brave and courageous is part of the biblical mandate for godly men.  The following two verses contain the most succinct definition of authentic biblical manhood that I have encountered in the Scriptures:

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NASB  Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.  (14)  Let all that you do be done in love.

Did you catch the two aspects of biblical manhood?  The first is strength:  be alert, stand firm, act like a man, be strong.  And the second is love:  do everything in the manner and motivation of love.  So, when men are operating in authentic biblical manhood, they have a godly balance of strength and love.

Today, I encourage you to “Reflect on This.”