The religious Kinsey scale ( for men )

Matthew 2:13-23

         Two images of men. Joseph and Herod. I would like to align myself with the likes of Joseph but that is perhaps a bit self righteous. I don't think I am in the Herod category though either so perhaps I am somewhere in between. Where are you on this religious Kinsey scale?

         Although we often equate supreme cooperation with God as a trait of Mary, I think that perhaps Joseph is a greater example of God's love. In the first place, it would have been sooo easy for Joseph to follow the letter of the law and have Mary stoned to death because she was 'found to be with child' when Joseph had not yet 'known her'. That is, in a biblical sense. For those religious zealots who love to quote Leviticus about homosexuality, Joseph should have had Mary stoned for being pregnant using that same kind of Levitical judgement.  But Joseph is not only a religious man, he is a religious man in the vein of why Jesus came to become human. Joseph has compassion, love and perhaps most importantly, Joseph is aware of the voice and movement of the Holy Spirit. So no, Joseph does not have Mary stoned to death. Had Joseph followed Levitical rules, the Savior would never have been born in the first place. 

          True to form then, Joseph is still listening to the Holy Spirit when he accedes to the message of God to move his family to Egypt.  Joseph puts love of God and love of family first. And I should note, this definition of family is not your ordinary definition of family. Yes, there is a father, mother and child but really, who is the father here - it isn't Joseph. That perhaps was just another dig at those same zealots who drag on about traditional families. Jesus, Mary and Joseph were not a traditional family.

         Now what of Herod?  Herod it seems would do anything to maintain his power grip. Even if he does not see his actions as supporting his own personal power, he would have been acting to maintain the power of the Empire. Do we see any similarities in our own life on how we as individuals try to maintain our power grip on things? Are you a control freak so to speak?  Do you see any similarities in how the Roman Catholic church has acted to maintain it's power grip, seemingly at any cost? The cost of victims of abuse who seem to be judged less valuable that the value of the power and bureaucracy of the church?

          There are two visions here of men and of those that wield power and responsibility. How do we handle it? Are we like Joseph? Are we loving, faithful and mindful of God? Or, do we think we are God and mindful only of our own plans, our own wants and maintaining our own power?

          Just a meditation for today.  

Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him."

Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt,

and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, "Out of Egypt I have called my son."

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men.

Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

"A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more."

When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said,

"Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead."

Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.

But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee.

There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He will be called a Nazorean."