So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.
We see the righteousness of Joseph right from the beginning in his desire not to publicly humiliate Mary because of her apparent infidelity. This is no small matter when you consider that Joseph must reasonably assume that there is another man in Mary’s life. Joseph displays his righteousness in his treatment of the one to whom he has sworn himself by the decision to keep this private. Righteousness seeks the good of those we love even when it appears they may have wronged us at the deepest level. An unkind response is never justified.
Matthew 1:24-25
When Joseph woke up, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her but did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. And he named him Jesus.
In addition to all of this, he was denied the pleasure of consummating his own marriage! He purposely refrained from having sex with his wife because of the word he received from Father God and his faith in Him. Joseph is the essence of a man of God.
How thankful Joseph must have been when he found out ‘the rest of the story’ and the truth of Mary’s pregnancy.
Ventanas 