Already in this genealogy Matthew makes it clear that Jesus doesn't come
into the world in the usual way. Joseph, the adoptive father, is part of
Jesus' genealogy and story only because he marries Jesus' mother. The
genealogy of Jesus tells us that Joseph -- by no biological contribution of
his own -- is graciously invited by the angel into Jesus' life to be part
of God's saving purpose for the world.
It's only after this first genealogical clue that Matthew discloses the
full extent of God's meddling in Joseph's life and his proposed marriage.
By making Mary pregnant by the Holy Spirit, God has created a moral and
spiritual crisis for Joseph. Unwittingly Joseph is forced to face Mary's
problem pregnancy, a problem he neither has created nor approves. Joseph
is a "righteous" man. He knows God's law and has made every effort to live
by it. Consequently, if he is going to be faithful to the law then he
should either dismiss Mary quietly, or dismiss her and expose her apparent
sin.
Joseph wants to do the right thing. But does that mean the right thing
before the law of God? Or might he also be concerned for Mary? (As Raymond
Brown points out, Matthew's gospel is ambiguous at this point: "Joseph,
being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace,
planned to dismiss her quietly.") Joseph is caught between a rock and a
hard place. His moral righteousness may put him at odds with his betrothed,
Mary (who, for all he knows at this point, has been unfaithful to him).
And conversely, any compassion he may show to Mary may put him at odds with
God's law.
But you were asking, When we today are faced with the problem of Mary's
virginal pregnancy, as we frequently are, don't we also, like Joseph,
struggle between his same two alternatives: to repudiate her problem
openly or, more likely, to dismiss it quiety? Yes, I guess we do. For we,
too, are "righteous" people.
Messiah, . . . [who
descended from] Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom
Jesus was born."
LAC: The spiritual crisis which Joseph faces before and after he is visited
by the angel shouldn't be underestimated. In trying to do the right thing,
Joseph finds himself caught between acting compassionately and acting
righteously. He has to make a choice between bad and worse -- not good and
bad. It's no wonder that, as the angel suggests, he's "afraid." Who among
us -- who tries to be faithful to God's callings -- isn't afraid when we
have to make important choices?
Even the angel's news -- that Mary is pregnant by the Holy Spirit (the
Donor Parent as you say)-- doesn't offer full relief for Joseph's fear.
After all, this news only confirms that Joseph is out of control of the
situation, and that God is in control. And then there is also still the
problem of appearances: If Joseph is a "righteous" man, why (people might
wonder) would he have gotten Mary pregnant before they were formally
married? Surely people would suspect what Joseph himself had suspected
before -- that Mary was pregnant by someone other than him.
Given the untenable nature of Joseph's situation, you could say that God is
calling Joseph to abandon his own righteousness (a righteousness based on
religious law) and to cling to God's unexpected plans. So, yes, in a way,
Joseph must have been afraid to believe. The God revealed to Joseph by the
angel was different from the one Joseph had known through the Law. And
like the rest of us, I would guess that Joseph preferred the more
predictable God he'd known before.
Asking Joseph to believe that Mary had conceived by the power of the Holy
Spirit meant that Joseph was at the mercy of God. Joseph was out of
control
of his life. No doubt his ideas about marriage, family, life, and God were
sorely shaken by this "problem pregnancy." And a God who asks you to live
your life out of your own control is a God to be feared.