The Rehearsal
One of the kings has stage fright,
An angel has broken her wing,
And Mary has just dropped the baby,
Thank heavens it’s not the real thing!
Two of the shepherds are fighting,
The innkeeper’s never on cue,
And Joseph keeps disappearing,
They say he’s gone to the loo!
Tomorrow it should be better
Or it could be worse than today!
Still everyone’s going to love it
The Nursery Nativity Play!
Anonymous
What if it hadn’t been a rehearsal but a real life situation and that Joseph had just got up and left when Mary told him she was pregnant?
“What do you mean? ‘I’m pregnant?’ We’re not married yet, come on tell me who have you been sleeping with? You ..... !!!!”
Such might have been the reaction of a fiancé to his partner telling him that she is carrying another man’s child. I suppose Joseph must have felt somewhat similar when Mary told him that she was expecting. Joseph must have felt cuckolded as Shakespeare would say. St. Matthew hints as much:
“Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.” Matthew 1:19
Joseph in actuality must have been devastated, nay ‘gob-smacked’ at Mary’s announcement and the fanciful tale of how she became pregnant. Angels, the Holy Spirit, messages from God, it all sounded a bit too fanciful to be true. Did Mary take him to be a fool? And why should she wish to make him look stupid when she was the one at fault? He hadn’t been unfaithful? It was no wonder that Joseph sought to release Mary from the betrothal promises. Let alone her seeming lack of chastity she had also broken the Sixth Commandment and committed adultery and as such she should have been cast out of Hebrew society.
Under Hebrew Law only freeborn males were deemed to be members of God’s chosen people. Women, children, foreigners, slaves and such like were outside the covenant. All freeborn Hebrew men had to be assured of one thing; that any sons born to them were of their flesh and blood because they were charged with building up the number of the chosen people. Mary’s illegitimate pregnancy flew in the face of convention and Joseph had to divorce her because her child could never be a member of the chosen race.
When you consider the laws and attitudes of the time the fact that Joseph eventually accepted Mary and raised Jesus as his own son is quite remarkable. Joseph was brave as was Mary. To accept that the angel’s message was true and to agree to have an illegitimate child took guts. Because life as an outcast would have been very unpleasant. Both Joseph and Mary took a big risk with God. They chanced everything by saying ‘Yes’.
But, by saying ‘Yes’ both Mary and Joseph show how selfless they actually were. Whatever they may have wanted personally was less important to each of them to what God wanted of them.
Try to imagine if Mary had said ‘No’ or if Joseph had rejected her? As the opening poem says; ‘it could have been worse than today’. It certainly would have been worse for humanity if they had said ‘No’. Two very ordinary human beings, however, said ‘Yes’ to God and changed the world.
Sometimes we may be called to say ‘Yes’ to God as well. But saying ‘Yes’ can be difficult and scary. It took me years of running away from my vocation to the priesthood before I could say ‘Yes’ but once said I have never regretted it despite the pain it has sometimes caused me. It is always easier to say ‘No’ but just sometimes God just has to have his way.
Remember with Christmas day soon to be upon us that if Joseph or Mary had said ‘No’ we might not be getting ready to celebrate to birth of Christ nor would we know his Good News of love and acceptance. This Christmas give thanks to the parents of Jesus and try to follow their example in the coming months. Say ‘yes’ to God and see where it takes you!