Should I Stay or Should I Go? Bearing Shame for Jesus

Matthew 1:18–25 

Now the birth of Jesus Christ 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 from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:     “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,         and they shall call his name Immanuel”     (which means, God with us). [24] When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, [25] but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. 

Shame is a powerful tool. In biblical times, the honor/shame dynamic plays an important part in cultural life. Often times we think of the story of Joseph in simplistic ways, that he thought about breaking his engagement to Mary because she was pregnant until the angel told him it was okay. But there's much more going on than that. 

The common society would have only one explanation for Mary's pregnancy. Since virgins don't get pregnant, her pregnancy would point to immorality. So what does this have to do with Joseph? Well if Mary had been unfaithful to Joseph, then she would bear the shame, and Joseph would call off the engagement publicly, thus sealing the shame on her head. But if he stayed, people would assume that they had committed immorality together thus resulting in her pregnancy. So if Joseph stays, his honor is tarnished by accusations and assumptions of immorality. This would affect his standing I the community among colleagues, friends, and relatives. Joseph, in staying, bears that shame. 

Those of us who follow Christ will face shame of some sort. Either through name-calling or derision, rejection or even persecution, the world tells us that we should be ashamed for following Christ. But Paul tells us, citing the Old Testament, that we who trust in Christ and confess Him will never be put to shame (Romans 10:11). Think about it – we trust in the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16), the one Whom will one day be confessed Lord of all by every tongue and every nation (Philippians 2:11). There is unspeakable honor for those of us who have aligned ourselves with Jesus, honor that no shame heaped upon us by the world can ever tarnish.  

So we can bear the shame of following Christ. We can bear relatives who might think we are ridiculous for our commitment to faith in His name. Stay faithful, and bear the world's shame!