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In any culture to any man, and in any situation this would have been a big kick to the groin. In America today sadly this would not be something to terribly uncommon. Many young people are liveing together at a much earlier age, and long before a covenant of marriage is even considered many are either pregnant or have children. In many circles marriage is never mentioned. They just shack up. To Joseph it was much different. Here is the women that his parents have picked for him to marry. He obviously is a man of faith, charcter, and principles from the rest of his story, but his fiance is now pregnant, and he KNOWS it is not HIS. This is ultimate humiliation and shame to a young man in his culture. Look at how he handels the worse news possible to a very young man. He chooses the high road. The way Jesus would be proud of. Forgiveness, and not condemnation, love and respect, not shame. He had to choose to follow his convictions in a situation where he could have washed his hands of Mary, and walked away with no penalty from peers or society. Think about it this way. If he made the decision to have a hard heart, and turn his ear from the angel, and his heart away from God; The Savior of the world would have had no earthly father. Thank you Joseph for making the right choice.