In last week’s edition, we were ‘re-introduced’ to Mary, the most uniquely blessed woman in human history, and found her to be quite different from how she is often depicted in our Christmas pageants. The real Mary (whose name in Aramaic, the language spoken by Joseph and Mary, and eventually, by Jesus as well, was actually Maryam), was not like the images portrayed hundreds of years later by imaginative Renaissance artists – and the journey she undertook with Joseph wasn’t like those pictures on our current-day Christmas cards. In light of that, for today’s session, we’re once again leaving the fanciful and fictional images behind. We’re going to consider what it was really like for them as they departed from Nazareth and made their way to Bethlehem, the hometown of Joseph’s family. They didn’t have smart watches and gadgets to measure steps in those days, but rest assured, their trip racked up a lot more steps than we may have been led  to think.

_____________________________________________

AS we begin Part 2 of our Christmas Story Revisited series, we could say quite literally that America’s Christmas season is ‘trucking along’ because everywhere we look, there are Amazon trucks, FedEx trucks, UPS trucks, Post Office trucks, and other delivery trucks. They’re filling major highways, city streets, secluded neighborhoods, and backwoods country roads, and they’re on their way to unload Christmas surprises for unsuspecting people. It reminds me that in unfolding the story of our redemption, the Living God delivered some Christmas surprises that no one could have expected. And when He chose to send His angel, Gabriel, to drop in for the divine visit that we explored last week, He was actually just beginning. The initial announcements alone were surely mind-numbing enough for Mary and Joseph, but God had more surprises awaiting them. 

No Travel Plan Included ~
For instance, Gabriel didn’t bother to tell Mary to make a packing list, because she’d soon be heading off to Bethlehem. And whether it was him or some other angel who drew the assignment to reign Joseph in before he dumped Mary with a behind-the-scenes divorce, he didn’t mention Bethlehem, either. All Joseph was told at that point was that Mary had not been unfaithful to him, and no other human being had been involved in conceiving the child in her womb. Nothing was said about an upcoming trip to Bethlehem. That’s intriguing, since it was Joseph’s hometown, and so many eternally glorious things were soon going to happen there. 

The journey to Bethlehem might have been unexpected for Joseph and Mary, but it shouldn’t surprise us. Their impending journey to Bethlehem is reminiscent of another time thousands of years earlier when a pregnant woman close to God’s heart was traveling that same road. That story took place shortly after Jacob’s incredible meeting with God when the covenant He made with Abraham and Isaac was renewed and when Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. After that, Jacob, now Israel, along with his pregnant wife, Rachel, continued their homeward journey. As they approached Bethlehem, Rachel’s time came, and it didn’t end with joy as they had hoped. In an article I wrote years ago, I described it like this: 

“It must have been heartbreaking for Jacob to watch—Rachel’s infant son struggling to breathe his first breaths as his beloved Rachel fought to breathe those that would soon be her last. As her life ebbed away in sacrifice for his, Rachel called her baby, Ben-oni—“son of my sorrow”. Wracked with grief as he looked at the little face that had brought so much pain with it, Jacob saw that beyond the suffering, there was promise. In his infant son’s eyes, he saw life and strength and hope, and he called his name, Benjamin—“son of my right hand”. Heartache and hope joined hands in the shadow of that little village. Pain and promise weren’t enemies that night. They clung to each other, sharing the tears that love inevitably demands, and embracing the promise they accomplish together.”

No one but God knew then that in that same obscure little village, perhaps not far from the place where the son of Rachel’s sorrow became the son of Jacob’s right hand, pain and promise were destined to hold hands again. Now, thousands of years later, we still feel the power of that moment. 

No Afterthought ~
So, Bethlehem was not an afterthought God inserted because a Roman ruler wanted a tax increase, but quite the opposite. Bethlehem was a special part of His plan from the beginning, and He used Caesar to get Mary and Joseph there to fulfill a promise He made. Through the prophet, Micah, God unveiled that Bethlehem would be the place where He would deliver the greatest gift the world would ever receive. Micah declared …

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting. (Micah 5:2 NKJV)

Given the traditional images we’ve seen all our lives, several things need to be addressed. To begin, their journey would not have been one of those “grab your overnight bag and go” kinds of trips. Covering the 94 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem would have represented at least a four- to five-day trek over difficult terrain. And once there, they may not have known how long they might have to stay, making it hard to know how much to try to take with them. Complicating everything was the fact that they were poor, and their resources were very limited. The potential cost could have seemed overwhelming to them.

Our traditional images of the trip depict Mary and Joseph trudging along the road alone with Joseph leading a little donkey carrying Mary, who looks like she could give birth at almost any moment. We can’t help but feel sorry for them, but the lens of cultural reality allows us to upgrade our emotions. 

“Not” a Lonely Journey ~
No sane person or couple would have undertaken a trip like that alone. The dangers from potential robbers, predators, and accidents were too great. People in that day traveled in groups; the larger the better. That enabled them, especially in the strong communal culture of the time, to share resources and provide protection and assistance. Joseph and Mary would likely not have been the only people in the Nazareth area going to Bethlehem to be registered, and it’s likely that family members were among those traveling with them, as well. Either way, there’s virtually no likelihood that Mary and Joseph were traveling alone. 

Another problem is that our relative wealth and extravagance makes it hard for us to relate to what being poor meant for them. We get a glimpse of that when Mary had to offer the required sacrifice for ritual cleansing after the birth of Jesus. A lamb was the preferred offering, but they could afford only a couple of doves, the cheapest sacrifice that was allowed. If they couldn’t even afford a lamb for such an important sacrifice, there’s no way they could have owned a donkey. Like most travelers in that day, Mary may have walked the entire way, but if she got to ride a donkey at all, it almost certainly would have belonged to someone else traveling with them.

Another part of the picture that has no reasonable or verifiable accuracy is the stage of Mary’s pregnancy and their arrival in Bethlehem. They’re constantly depicted as arriving alone and exhausted, late at night, and with Mary about to go into labor. They desperately pound on the door of the “Bethlehem Motel 6” until eventually the gruff, crude, heartless night manager opens the door and says something like, “Sorry Dude – the ‘No vacancy’ sign means what it says.” 

No Biblical Roots ~
That tale was not derived from the actual biblical narrative or the prevailing social and cultural realities of the time. The story that has become an entrenched tradition has its roots in a spurious, non-biblical, pseudepigraphical account concocted by an anonymous writer somewhere around 400 AD who claimed to be the biblical author, James. The biblical text offers no indication of how far along Mary’s pregnancy was when they made the journey or how long they had already been in Bethlehem when her time did come. The Scripture simply says that Joseph went to Bethlehem … 

…to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there [staying in Bethlehem], the days were completed for her to be delivered. (Luke 2:5–6 NKJV)

We’ll see next week that the Greek term translated “inn” was not a place for travelers to lodge at all, and we’ll see that the situation that actually awaited them in Bethlehem makes the miraculous story even more glorious. 

There are more lessons to be learned in our journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem with Mary and Joseph. A few that came to mind are listed below, but feel free to join the conversation and post some of your own in the comments section, along with any questions you may have. 

• • Obedience can be challenging and sometimes painful, but there is no obstacle God cannot overcome to fulfill His plan for our life when we say “Yes” to Him.
  • The tough roads ahead are better traveled in groups. The Church Jesus designed was intended to promote sharing resources, protecting one another, and reaching out to help those who trip and fall.
  • God doesn’t just show up in the miracle moments. He’s with us on the road that leads to them.  

As we continue next week with Part 3 in ‘revisiting’ the Christmas Story series, we hope you’ll join us again as we do just that … ‘revisit’ the “Little Town of Bethlehem”.

“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to Tweet & Share from the pull quotes below. Each quote links directly back to this article through Twitter.

• • • “Embracing the Christmas story and its characters as God ‘really’ presented them highlights how He can work in and through the realities that exist in the world at any point in time. He’ll work out His plan for us in whatever conditions exist in the world we live in.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 
    • “A lamb was the preferred sacrificial offering, but Mary and Joseph could afford only a couple of doves, the cheapest sacrifice allowed. If they couldn’t afford a lamb for such an important sacrifice, there’s no way they could have owned a donkey.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)   
    • “Traditional images of the trip depict Mary and Joseph trudging along the road alone, with Joseph leading a little donkey carrying Mary. She looks like she could give birth at almost any moment. BUT the lens of cultural reality allows us to upgrade our sad emotions.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  
    • Lesson learned: “The tough roads ahead are better traveled in groups. The Church Jesus designed was intended to promote sharing resources, protecting one another, and reaching out to help those who who trip and fall.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 
      

      ---

      Check out Ron’s book, “Right Side Up Thinking in an Upside Down World ~ Looking at the World through the Lens of Biblical Truth” 

       The Kindle e-version is just $1.99. No Kindle device is needed. E-book readers are included on most computers, tablets, and smartphones. If you don’t have one, the free Kindle app can be easily downloaded directly from the Amazon site on almost any device.

      Click here for a “Look Inside” preview at Amazon.

      ---

      © 2023 Gallagher’s Pen, Ronald L. Gallagher, Ed.S.  All rights reserved.