THE AMAZING JOURNEY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

Luke 2:4-5

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

How far do you think God would move you to fulfill His purposes?

Maybe the better question is...

How far would you be willing to go to fulfill His purposes?

I think all Christian believers know that the Lord can and will call them to go anywhere to do anything in His name but I think a person’s compliance with such a request is another matter.

Could we, like Abraham and the first four disciples (James, John, Peter, and Andrew), leave everything behind to follow where Jesus leads us, trusting everything to Him?

These are questions we need to seriously consider as we look at the scriptures and the amazing journeys that so many champions of the faith went on to carry out what the Lord wanted them to do.

Embedded in the Christmas story is one such journey, one indirectly caused by God as He set in motion the events that would ensure Jesus was born in Bethlehem, just as He had promised through the prophet Micah (Micah 5:2).

Right around the time when Mary was due to deliver her baby boy, the divine Son of God conceived by the Holy Spirit, the first Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, issued a decree that a census would be taken of the entire Roman world. Such a census was performed mainly for two reasons.

First, the Roman army needed to be strong in order to maintain and sustain the empire. A census was a good way to have an accurate count of how many fighting men were available for duty.

The second reason for the census was taxation. Just as today, taxes collected by the government were needed in order to ensure the empire had the funds needed to conduct business and provide services to the people, even though in biblical times, there was far more corruption and unethical behavior by governmental leadership than what we see today.

In regard to the state of affairs in the days of Joseph and Mary, the Jews wouldn’t have been conscripted to serve in the Roman army but they certainly were taxed by Rome and expected to pay said taxes or risk severe consequences. We know they enlisted Jewish men to serve as tax collectors and these men were despised by the Jewish people because they had a tendency to levy more charges on their fellow Jews than what the Romans demanded. The tax collectors would then keep the difference for themselves. You may remember that Matthew, one of the Twelve, was a tax collector when called by Jesus to follow Him.

The census carried with it a call to register and each person was to go to the hometown of their ancestry. In the case of Joseph and Mary, this was the town of Bethlehem, as they were in the line of David. Bethlehem was in the province of Judea, located some 90 miles from where they lived in the Galilean town of Nazareth.

It wasn’t an easy trip by any means. The most distance people could travel by foot anywhere was around 20 miles a day and we need to remember Mary was well on in her pregnancy so the distance was probably less per day for them. It’s believed the journey took anywhere from five to seven days and it wasn’t all on flat terrain. The couple would travel through the Jordan Valley but then need to ascend through the Judean mountains to reach Bethlehem which was more than 2,500 feet above sea level.

And then there was the beginning of the winter season.

Temperatures would often be in the thirties and rain was prevalent. Joseph and Mary would have had to wear thick coats over their clothing to stay warm during the trip, adding more weight to bear as they traveled.

Additionally, there was the threat of crime and wild animals along the way.

Robbers would frequently lie in wait along the trails traveled by people, waiting to attack and steal belongings, sometimes assaulting or killing their victims. And there were any number of predatory animals running free and looking for food, attacking people if need be to eat.

Indeed, God had Joseph and Mary on an amazing journey, one potentially fraught with danger and adversity. But we also know that He was with them every step of the way. He would ensure they made it, no matter the circumstances, providing protection from the elements and anyone or anything that would do them harm because His incredible salvation plan would happen just as He said it would.

A virgin would give birth to a Son and that Son would be born in Bethlehem.

Tomorrow, we’ll arrive at the day long awaited, the day the Messiah who is Christ the Lord is born.

As for today, as we have reached the day before we celebrate our Savior’s birth, let us all remember that God has us all on our own amazing journeys, each of us specially purposed to play a role in His salvation plan. As we approach a new year, my prayer is that we will be willing to do what we need to do in order to ensure God’s will be done, trusting Him fully when the way ahead might seem risky and potentially difficult.

Like Joseph and Mary, the Lord is ever with us and will bring us through anything He calls us to.

Trust and believe in that.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.