Read the Gospels. See Jesus dismantle legalism. In fact, read the entire Bible. See God dismantle legalism. Legalism is the rules of men and women that take priority over the love and acceptance of God. It disguises itself so that you would think it was discipline or the orderly nature of human affairs. This is a facade. Legalism is always the traditions of men and women that bind other men and women in chains for the purposes of power and control. It wants us to remain passive so that it can move us rather than us taking control of our God-given lives. It’s a string of relationships that can be traced throughout history dating all the way back to the conversation between Eve and the Serpent.
Even before Jesus was born, God ushers Mary and Joseph into addressing their own personal and cultural legalism. Mary had become pregnant through the Holy Spirit. God simply decided Mary would become pregnant with Jesus and it happened. The Matthew account states that Joseph tried to save Mary from public disgrace. He intended to sever their engagement. He probably thought about the consequences of their marriage. A person might ask Mary who the father was and about whether or not Jesus was conceived before their wedding. This presented a problem. If she says Joseph is the father to avoid shame, then this is a lie. If she says that God is Jesus’ father, then people would either think she was crazy or that she was trying to cover up for an adulterous affair. Either answer shames Mary in the eyes of other people.
The concept of shame in Middle Eastern culture is enormous and our Western mindset doesn’t fully understand it. Joseph had decided to quietly sever their engagement because of this potential shaming. It was a somewhat loving thing for him to do, but in an unhealthy way. He was letting legalism direct his actions. God, however, knew what was best for them and would have nothing of Joseph’s falling sway to its influence. God came to Joseph in a dream and told him to maintain the relationship. He is born from the Holy Spirit, God tells Joseph. He will save everyone from their sins and His name is to be Jesus (Matthew 1).
The heaviest potential burden is for Mary. She will probably endure more shame than Joseph. On the other hand, it isn’t an easy situation for Joseph either. In the end, Joseph decided to follow God’s direction. Mary concurs and follows Joseph. My gut feeling is that Mary was thankful for Joseph’s leading, even though they would be swimming against legalistic pressures. From Mary’s perspective, Joseph was supporting the divine nature of her pregnancy and remained her companion. She saw that he loved her. The culture of legalism had tried to encourage Joseph to be passive so it could move him. God moved Joseph towards action so that he could lead him and his wife in their own direction. Let’s remember that God leads us, just like Joseph and Mary, to prioritize love and acceptance over the avoidance of shame and humility in our own lives.
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