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The Israel that the Son of God entered in the incarnation was not some pristine, sinless Israel. God took on a genealogy that included harlots, adulterers, murderers, and idolaters. God did not keep his distance from his bride, but came near to rescue her.
Though initially intending to put Mary away, he obeyed the angel's instruction and took Mary as his wife. The scandal of this should not be underestimated. We can imagine the family talk, speculating either that Joseph could not control himself until the marriage was finalized or that Mary was intimate with another man. Yet, Joseph did not keep Mary at a distance, but entered into the "scandal" of her pregnancy and took her as his bride. Joseph thus proves himself a faithful son of Yahweh.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Sunday, December 04, 2005 at 08:31 AM
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