Bethlehem

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. (Luke 2:1-5 ESV).

If you could travel from Nazareth in a straight line to Bethlehem you would need to go about eighty miles. However, there is no “straight line” from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary would have gone through the hills and mountains, through villages and around rivers. Christmas pictures always show Mary riding a donkey but we really have no idea of their mode of travel. Whether on foot or on the back of a swaying animal it couldn’t have been an easy journey, especially for a woman nearing the end of her pregnancy. I’ve often thought about the many things that could have gone wrong. Even in today’s world of modern health care, giving birth is no easy task. They both must have been anxious about the trip and what it might mean for both they and their child. We all know that the Roman government had decreed a census and that everyone had to go to their “own city,” the place their families called home, for this official registration and counting. Perhaps Mary was also quite ready to leave the village of Nazareth where tongues were wagging about her pregnancy and unmarried status. But Mary and Joseph knew they were going far from family and into a city whose streets would be clogged with traveling strangers. They were assured of no warm welcome, no cozy place to birth the expected child. Perhaps they hoped for a small house or a distant relative or a way for Joseph to earn money for their keep, but in almost every way, they were traveling into the unknown. The journey was long and hard, the destination uncertain. Nearly nine months before their arrival in Bethlehem, Mary spoke life-changing words to God; they were words that were to comfort her in the many uncertain years ahead. She confessed, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” With those simple words of faith, she could endure the long journey on the back of a donkey, the cold streets of Bethlehem, the staring faces of strangers, and even the crude stable with its straw-lined manger. I wonder if you have been forced to travel to your Bethlehem? Has the path been long, the people uncaring, or the circumstances burdensome? When we submit ourselves to a loving God, we can in quietness and confidence add “May it be to me as you have said” no matter the place or position in which we find ourselves. Trust Him to see you through it all and work it together for your good.