Public Disgrace

"Joseph, being a righteous man, did not want to subject Mary to public disgrace..."

We would rather handle scandalous matters quietly, in private. No one has to know. God in Christ is not spared being made subject to public humiliation. God does not resolve things quietly, in private. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, God raises up Jesus for all the world to see. In Christ crucified we see our own shame and disgrace on display. Yet God vindicates and clothes with righteousness that which we futily attempt to hide.