Put Her Away?!

Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. Matthew 1:19

In our age the combination of those words sounds a bit extreme, put her away secretly?! Mary received a visitor from God, one Gabriel, messenger of God by trade, angel to us. Joseph was before his dream apparently told of the impending arrival by Mary. And that brought about a conundrum - what was he to do about his unfaithful wife-to-be? That there was a procedure in place for this under the law or tradition means that it had happened before. Joseph not wanting to make a public example, that is shaming, of Mary is admirable, but in this case it was not enough. And thus Joseph gets the first of several dream messages from angels of the Lord. Mary, unfaithful by appearance, was not at all unfaithful to the Lord her God. It is interesting that the message does not command Joseph to take Mary and complete the marriage, it tells him to not be afraid to do it.

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20-21

Without fear, Joseph was able to do the right thing.

Bucky