Day 15, The Christmas Story, The Journey to Bethlehem

Good morning. Yesterday we studied Zechariah’s speech being restored and the life of faith that he now exhibited after his time of silence. Today, we are actually getting near the birth of Christ! I’m shocked – because I’m so long winded, that we might actually be having him born before the 25th! Miracle! But as usual, I’ll just keep going and stop where God says stop for the day and who knows what will happen!

Luke 2
1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, his wife, who was now obviously pregnant.

This will be one of those days of historical background, but will be necessary to the rest of the story, so bear with me, because the good stuff is soon to come.

A regional census leads Joseph and his betrothed, Mary, to the city of David, better known as Bethlehem. The decree had come from Caesar Augustus, better known as Octavian, who ruled from 27 B.C. to A.D. 14. The administrator of the census was Quirinius, governor of Syria. The census was most likely in order for tax purposes. I would imagine the Roman occupation of their land would have caused the Jews great bitterness toward paying them taxes. Although a lot of scholars argue that Joseph wouldn’t have gone to his ancestral home, it does make sense that the Roman authorities would seek to keep things peaceful and act in accordance with their tribal culture. A journey to the ancestral home would have fit Jewish practice, so that the custom was done in a culturally inoffensive manner (2 Sam 24). This was important, since the tax itself would have been a painful reminder of Israel's position before Rome.

Bethlehem has hot summers and cold winters, sort of like we do here in Tennessee. 70%of their rainfall occurs from December through March. So add cold to wet and rainy, and add traveling in it for three days, and you get chilled to the bone cold.
From Nazareth to Bethlehem was about a ninety mile trip when Samaria was bypassed. Jews generally avoided going through Samaria since they were basically enemies. (That’s a whole different study.!) So, this journey would have taken around three days! The scripture says Mary is “obviously” pregnant. You know, I wondered as I read this, how far along she actually was. If she endured a three-day journey on foot and on the back of a donkey, (traveling 30 miles a day!) it is quite plausible that this would have induced labor, even earlier than she was expecting. Anybody that’s ever had a baby has heard other women tell them to walk around a lot, in hopes of inducing labor. I cannot imagine Mary’s discomfort for these three long days. At the end of pregnancy, your back hurts, you certainly move at a snail’s pace, the baby is pushing up on your ribcage making it more difficult to breath. You have to go potty EVERY 15 minutes. There is NO way I could have ridden on a donkey before I had my last child, because Sarah Beth was so long and big, and I was so short-waisted that I truly believe she hooked her toes around my lower ribs like a monkey would and hung upside down, and occasionally push up on the barbells to stretch - agony. If I did sit, it would have to be bowed backward just to have breathing room! It is a medical fact that your heart is enlarged and working overtime during those last weeks. You are exhausted. Add to that the cold weather and the rainy season, well, that adds up to complete misery for a very pregnant woman.

I find it interesting that the number of days travel would have been three. Three is so interwoven through the Bible and is so significant in so many things. The three of the Trinity, 33 the age of Jesus when he began ministry, three days in the belly of a whale, Jesus was buried and raised again in 3 days, and I could go on and on (again, a whole ‘nother study). Even pregnancy by modern science is now divided into three “trimesters”.

But God had planned it this way, because a prophecy had stated in Micah 5:2 the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, David’s ancestral town.
Micah 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times."

. IEverything is subject to the plan and purpose of God and to his timing and to his Sovereigntyn Proverbs you may remember the verse that says he turns the hearts of kings. Remember the story of how he hardened Pharaoh’s heart? And in this case, it was the Romans, the authorities who sought to subdue and control the Jews. Caesar had made it law that there would be a census taken of all the known world (in this case, the Roman Empire). And during Quirinius’s term as governor, he administered it. But, ironically, the move of the authorities to take this census and tax the people at this particular time in history, orchestrated (even though they didn’t realize it) by God himself, would bring Joseph, Mary and their unborn baby, the Messiah, straight into the town where God had promised so long ago that he would be born. Every last detail does not escape the notice of God. It was in Bethlehem that David had been born, and now the "eternal king" would be born in this very same town. Royalty, a "King of kings", was soon to enter human history. Bethlehem means "house of bread". Do you remember the day we studied Nazareth and how the "Living Water" was sent to be raised in a town so needy of water in its dry, arid region. And today, we can now see that the "Bread of Life" was prophesied to be born in a town that means "house of bread"! I think that is so cool that God has such awesome little details. And sometimes I wonder why Jews can't see it? Why is it not obvious to them that Jesus is truly their Messiah? I guess so their eyes would be blind and we Gentiles would be offered the same salvation that they are!
When God has a plan, there is no struggling on our part to force it to happen. It falls into perfect timing, like pieces in a puzzle, effortlessly because you have the Holy Spirit with you. We have all tried to make things happen, make things be like we thought God would have them. But in our wildest dreams, we can never know the ways of God. His ways are not our ways, his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. And sometimes it may take us on a long, uncomfortable journey to get us to the place that he is ready to fulfill his promise in his time. Remember, He did not even spare this discomfort on Mary or Joseph, the very people chosen to raise his son.

As you journey to the place God is preparing for you, do not assume all is not well if the journey seems difficult at times. He will still prepare the way ahead of you, still bring you to the right place at the right time, with ways beyond our own means, ways that we could never dream of. And out of the long journey will in time come a treasure, as we are soon to see.

Teresa