Matthew 1:19

"Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily".

Righteous? Joseph? How could a man, pre-Christian as he was, be considered righteous? Even more so, when not obeying the law, which demanded the stoning of this extramaritally pregnant young woman, and escaping the priestly obvious verdict, how could a man be regarded righteous by such ignorance of the God-ordained written code? Can you disobey the law so blatantly and still be considered righteous, and even go further and announce this ‘righteousness’ in the holy writings?.

It has been said the same of the parents of John the baptizer, that they were righteous and blameless before God. Now, in the essential truth, it is fondationally impossible since no one could be found righteous during the Law era, that is, before Jesus Christ had completed his sacrifice to God, he having not even yet been born. So how could such people be called righteous still?

Last night my wife highlighted Matthew chapter 5:17-19, and asked if it would be correct, as in the last part of this passage, to actually teach the Law?

However, I noticed that straight away Jesus moves on to talk about righteousness, not that of the scribes, but that of God, and henceforth in that chapter better know as the beatitude chapter, our Saviour starts teaching the law, but not as a lawyer, rather as a righteous man. In this 5th chapter, after explaining that the adherance to and the teaching of the Law is related to salvation, Jesus starts teaching it, and expounds what it really means to apply the law, not according to the visible, but according to what God sees, thereby fulfilling it in spirit and in truth.

What about Joseph or Elizabeth or Zechariah? I would assume that they understood the Christian, or rather Godly, principles of worship, and through the grace of God, which had never ceased, it being before, during and after the Law, and thus,they could be called righteous before God, though not yet knowing Christ.

Some food for thought here, as we reflect on our own fulfilling the law through Jesus Christ, following the footsteps of those who were without Saviour, as well as He who was perfect in every way.