Joseph’s agonising dilemma

Church tradition over the centuries has sanitised the Nativity story, leaving it a far cry from the earthy reality and scandal of the actual events surrounding Mary and Joseph.  Paintings and images of the Christmas story are often idealised and domesticated, reducing the gripping drama of the Nativity to something rather tame.

Joseph is a key figure in the actual story, and the French painter James Tissot sought to express something of the intense pressure Joseph was under as he was unwittingly catapaulted into what would become the fulcrum of world history. 

 

The scene is Joseph’s workshop in Nazareth; the carpenter is depicted as an older man, following church tradition (but probably incorrect historically).  He is unable to concentrate on his work, although he has clearly been industrious that day, judging by the piles of wood shavings all about.

Some women are filing past on their way back from fetching water, and they have caught Joseph’s attention.  Perhaps he is hoping for a glimpse of his betrothed… or is he wishing he had set his heart on one of the other suitable maidens in the village instead? 

Either way, his mind constantly went back to Mary’s gut-wrenching announcement, which had landed him in an impossible dilemma.  Either he must denounce her publicly as an adulteress – which he had every right to do – with the possibility that the elders would condemn her to death by stoning.  Or he could break all ties with Mary by divorcing her quietly, which would bring much humiliation to her family.

The third alternative was unthinkable: to marry her quickly, knowing full well that he was not the father of her child, and in spite of the shame and disgrace which a shotgun wedding would bring to both families.  Deep in Joseph’s heart, beneath the seething emotions of anger and foolishness and betrayal, he couldn’t quite dismiss the thought that this might be the right thing to do. 

The women who were chatting gaily as they passed in front of his door had no idea whatsoever how much hinged on the decision that the anxious carpenter had to make.  That night he had the most extraordinary dream, after which he his heart was firmly set on the third option. 

Joseph is described as a righteous man, meaning that in all his relationships he sought the way of justice, mercy and truth.  Faced with this excruciating dilemma that was not of his choosing, he wrestled on until he found the way which was right in God’s eyes, and then resolutely stuck to it and all its implications.

For a while Joseph experienced shame and embarrassment in the 1^st century world of Nazareth; yet because of his decision to protect and love and provide for Mary and her son, he has been earning the applause of men and women in every nation and generation since. 

May your heart be stirred and inspired as you reflect on the tapestry of relationships at the centre of the Christmas story. 

WikiLeaks: democracy, diplomacy and keeping secrets

Quote

“Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves and how little we think of the other person.”  Mark Twain

News
The WikiLeaks furore is perhaps an example of what happens when an irresistible force (the assumption that the internet exists to make any information accessible to anyone, anywhere) collides with an immovable object (the assumption that western governments must have the right to restrict access to information in order to accomplish their goals).  

Both sides in the dispute claim that what they are doing is right.  Julian Assange writes, “I grew up in Queensland where people spoke their minds bluntly. They distrusted big government as something that could be corrupted if not watched carefully… The dark days of corruption [before 1989] are testimony to what happens when the politicians gag the media from reporting the truth.  These things have stayed with me. WikiLeaks was created around these core values.”

Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, states, “People of good faith understand the need for sensitive diplomatic communications, both to protect the national interest and the global common interest… In almost every profession – whether it’s law or journalism, finance or medicine or academia or running a small business – people rely on confidential communications to do their jobs. We count on the space of trust that confidentiality provides. When someone breaches that trust, we are all worse off for it.”

At heart this issue is relational.  It is about trust and the appropriate level of disclosure to third parties about something pertaining to another person in a relationship.  WikiLeaks assumes that there is an absolute value in the public knowing everything that US diplomatic or military officials write. 

Yet the obligation to disclose the truth is relative to the relationship.  We don’t owe truth to our enemies; it is appropriate to leave lights on when leaving our house empty, to try and fool a burglar.  For diplomats there is a time for discretion, and a time for openness – and no less so for journalists.  One key criterion for deciding is to ask which relationships might ultimately be improved through this disclosure, and which ones might be harmed – and how?    

For whistleblowers to bring justice to a situation, they must be wise in choosing when and what to reveal.  The risk is that WikiLeaks have gone overboard with the scale and content of these leaked cables, such that any wrongs they were trying to redress will be eclipsed by the wider scandal they have created.

Read on...

The Jubilee Centre published a Cambridge Paper 3 years ago on a related topic – making and breaking promises, explored from a biblical perspective.  To reflect more on this please go to www.jubilee-centre.org/resources/promises_promises

Walk the talk

We regularly decide whether or not to disclose some information or an opinion about another person.  To what extent is our decision based on the desire to win an argument, or to defend our reputation?  We would do well to evaluate more carefully the impact which a disclosure would have on relationships, directly or indirectly, and whether the results are actually what we want. 

The last word

From the Bible, Proverbs 22:11 “He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend.”

Friday Five is written and sent out by Jonathan Tame of Relationships Global www.relationshipsglobal.net