“It was a cold and windy day on our way to school, and the snow was blowing so hard it would freeze on our faces faster than we could say frosty the snowman. We had to walk to and from school when I was growing up, and we walked uphill both ways!” And everyone laughs as grandpap tells his exaggerated story with a twinkle in his eye.
Up hill both ways. Life does feel like this at times, sometimes for so long that we just can’t take any more. I’ve been thinking a lot about Mary and Joseph and the story of Christ’s birth as we celebrate Jesus this season. How easy it is to gloss over the account of Jesus’ birth as we get caught up in completing our to-do lists and striving to enjoy the holidays – or get through them if this is a tough season for you. But to delve into what was going on before the time of Jesus’ birth helps us see what it meant for Him to come, that He was hope being born into an unsettled world.
Though the Jews had secured independence from Syria 100+ years earlier, there was still unrest not only with their neighbors, but also political infighting for control of Judah and conflicts between the Pharisees and Sadducees. There were still terroristic threats, and then Rome’s invasion of Syria that sent Pompey the Great to end the Jewish independence and establish Roman authority in Jerusalem. Rome transformed from a Republic to an Empire (this is the fourth empire “made of iron” about which Daniel prophesied), and the first Emperor of Rome, Caesar Augustus, had named Herod, currently governor of Galilee, as ruler of Judea. The Jews did not like Herod; even though he did much for the country, and he was instrumental in the Temple being rebuilt after it was badly damaged in Pompey’s takeover, he was also a cruel tyrant. And he was an Edomite, from the line of Esau and not from the line of David (which is why Herod was extremely afraid when he heard about Jesus being born from the line of David). To top it off, the Jews were still in the 400 year period of not hearing from the Lord after they had rebelled and turned their backs on him. So the need for hope, for the Messiah, was very great among the peoples!
Enter Mary and Joseph, who had their own challenges. Joseph and Mary were in their year of engagement when Joseph learned that she was pregnant. This meant he had the right to divorce her (in their custom, engagement was as binding as marriage). Yet he chose to trust God and believe His promise that this was of the Lord and not anything Mary had done against Joseph. He loved Mary enough to risk humiliation and what could possibly be defamation to his integrity, trusting not only God’s message to him, but also God’s Spirit in her. And as Mary chose to trust the Lord and His message, she too had fears to set aside as she followed God’s plan. How often do we make our plans, and then God turns us 180 degrees a different direction? It requires us to trust Him and believe His way is right, knowing He is with us the whole way. I wonder if Joseph and Mary were feeling like every direction was uphill at this point.
In this time of changing whatever plans they had for their life together and embracing God’s call for their lives, they had to make their way to Bethlehem where they were to register for the census that Caesar required of the whole Roman world. So they had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the town of David from which line Joseph was a descendant. This would have been a minimum three day trip, though I would expect it was longer since Mary was very pregnant. And then, tired and ready to have the baby, the only space available to them was not in a comfortable Inn, but in a stable. The baby Jesus’ bed, a manger – the animal’s feeding trough. Yet this was all part of God’s plan. While the peoples wanted a king to swoop in and defeat their enemies and bring lasting peace, the real battle is for our hearts. God’s plan was for the King to come as a baby, showing us peace by His quiet entrance, not military style, and bringing salvation by His ultimate sacrifice on the cross for our sins. This King has come for our hearts, giving mankind the opportunity to believe on Him as their Savior and have a relationship with Him. This is the true peace and hope that we crave, that we need, that is His righteousness. This is the full expression of just how much God loves you. Emmanuel, God with us.
The Christmas songs we sing are filled with the desire for hope and peace that Jesus brings into our own unsettled hearts and minds. May the privilege of worshipping Jesus and celebrating His birth as He willingly came to save us, be what truly fills this season with the joy and peace you need.
Merry Christmas!