IMMANUEL...GOD IS STILL WITH US

DAY 11 "THE BIRTH OF A KING"

Scripture: Luke 2:1-7

The census that was ordered by Caesar Augustus was the first of its kind. It was done because the Roman government wanted to make sure that everyone in the Empire was paying their taxes correctly. The census was carried out all over Empire (most of Europe): but in Palestine, it was carried out in a Jewish way rather than a Roman way. This meant that families had to register in their historical tribal town rather than where they lived. This also meant that Joseph and the very pregnant Mary would have had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, as this was a town that Joseph's family (the royal family of David) originally came from - a journey of about 70 miles (112 kilometers).

The journey would have taken about three days and they might well have arrived in the evening because if they had arrived earlier in the day, it is more likely that they would have found somewhere to stay. In those times, there weren't really such things as motels or inns, you normally would have stayed with some extended family or relations. A more accurate translation of 'inn' would be 'guest room'. You would normally stay with extended family in their ‘guest room’ but as it was a busy time the guest room was already full. Most houses would have been shared with the animals that the family kept. Houses had two levels, the upper/mezzanine level where people slept and the ground floor where the animals slept at night and the family lived during the day. As many people would have traveled to Bethlehem for the census, all the houses or certainly upper levels were full. So Joseph and Mary probably had to sleep with the animals on the low level (where it’s common to have a manger cut into a wall where you put the animal food) or possibly (but unlikely) out in a stable, cave, or even a covered market stall that sold animals (these stalls could be rented during tabernacles).

Between the angels, the pregnancy, the wedding, and the census, the theme of the past year for Joseph and Mary seemed to have been about listening to the story of who they were. They weren’t children anymore, but they weren’t quite grownups either. They were somewhere between who they used to be and who they were becoming, and now, the moment had come which would change not only their lives but the entire course of history. Pain stabbed at her. Then it happened again, worse this time. And again. Adam and Eve took the forbidden fruit and one of the consequences of that act of rebellion shot through Mary from head to toe, every few minutes now. Eventually, as if cresting a ridge, her labor gave way to delivery, and her groaning gave way to the sound of the cries of little lungs drawing in the breath of earth for the first time. To the wonder of the humble man and relief of the weary woman, they beheld Him who, though He was the Son of God, was every bit a fragile, tiny baby. Together, Mary and her husband cleaned their child and wrapped His little arms and legs in strips of cloth to keep Him warm. It was the custom in those times to wrap a newborn baby very tightly in long bandages called swaddling clothes. The arms and legs of the baby were also wrapped, so they couldn't move. After they laid Him in a manger and finally exhaled, they gave Him the name Jesus. And both remembered why.

                

The incarnation of the Savior of the world could have come to pass any number of ways. But God, in His infinite wisdom, chose this. He chose this couple for this night in this shelter. This boy, the angel told them, would be the heir to David’s throne. He would be their Wonderful Counselor, their Mighty God, their Everlasting Father, their Prince of Peace. The government would be upon His shoulders (Isaiah 9:2-7).

But there was nothing particularly complex or regal about this moment in the stable outside Bethlehem. There were no heralds in the streets announcing the birth of the King. By all appearances, it was a humble, simple affair, seemingly incidental to everything else going on in David’s town that night. But it wasn’t incidental. It had been God’s plan from the beginning: this King of Kings was “chosen before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20). There, on the edge of Bethlehem, a child was born. A Son was given. It was the most significant moment in the history of the world. The zeal of the Lord Almighty had accomplished this (Isaiah 9:7). 

Thanks be to God! GOD IS STILL WITH US!

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