Now the birth of Jesus took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
--Matthew 1:18-19
What is justice?
There was a time when these verses unsettled me. Because he was a just man....he was unwilling to put her to shame....I thought being just meant applying the law equally to all (according to Deuteronomy an unfaithful partner - man and woman - were both to be stoned). But here we are told Joseph was just.
Is the text talking about another kind of justice? Is there another kind of justice? Apparently, to Joseph it was more than "equal application of the law."
Joseph, being a faithful Jew, would have known many Old Testament passages talking about justice.
He would have known Micah 6:8: He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
To act justly and love mercy - are they one?
He would have also known Isaiah's songs about a "suffering servant" who would one day appear. One of these hymns is in Isaiah 42: A bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.
Justice here is not "pay back" and it is not equal distribution of punishment. It is compassion for the weak and exhausted.
Reeds were used in the ancient world as pens. In southern Iraq until recently, they were also used for houses and boats -- that is, if they were not damaged. What could be done with a crushed reed? The only option was to break it and use it for fuel.
(For more on this, see Kenneth Bailey's Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes.)
Wicks were used for illumination. Every home had small clay lamps fueled with olive oil. The wicks for these lamps hung from a spout on the side of the lamp. As the oil ran out, there was danger that the wick might sever through burning and the end fall out of the spout and cause a fire. A small bowl of water was often placed on the floor under the lamp and prevent this kind of accident.
But the servant of God described in Isaiah will not break the damaged reed nor quench the dimly burning wick...he will faithfully bring forth justice.
According the Kenneth Bailey, "Joseph looked beyond the penalties of the law in order to reach out with tenderness to a young woman who was no doubt bruised and exhausted. Perhaps he saw Mary as a 'dimly burning wick.'
"This prophetic definition of justice required a compassionate concern for the weak, the downtrodden and the outcasts in their need.
"...Without that prophetic understanding of justice embedded in Joseph's mind, Jesus would never have been born..
"Joseph is not, therefore, a passive, mute figure. Rather he acts as a strong, thoughtful person whose bold decision at a point of crisis saves the life of the mother and her unborn child."
Joseph was a theologian whose concept of justice grew out of the Old Testament writing, especially those "suffering servant" songs in Isaiah.
Joseph was a "just" man and so he showed mercy and extended grace.
(con't in Part 2)
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