Dear Explorer,
Read Luke 2:1-7
Caesar Augustus of Rome ordered that all the men of the entire Roman empire would be counted by family lineage. Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem because he was a distant grandson of King David who was born in Bethlehem. I believe that Mary traveled with Joseph because the people who lived in their village were so harsh toward her. I believe that Joseph wanted to protect her as much as possible because he knew the truth. If her parents had been supportive, I'm sure that she would have stayed with them while Joseph traveled alone. But they traveled together.
Read Micah 5:2
Five hundred years before this census (numbering of the people), a prophet named Micah wrote this. Where did Micah predict that the Messiah would be born?
God orchestrated everything perfectly so that Mary and Joseph would be in Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus – even though Bethlehem was 90 miles away and would have taken a week to travel there by foot. But God is a God of details. When God makes a promise – it always happens – even 500 years later!
Let's take a little detour for just a minute and talk about these 7 simple verses in Luke. They have been embellished in many ways through 2000 years of tradition. But this is the only book of the Bible that records Jesus' birth. Luke tells us all we need to know. We don't know if Mary rode a donkey – or not. We don't know if Joseph stopped at an Inn, if they were in a stable or a cave, or even the lower level of a house where animals were kept. We also don't know if Jesus arrived on their first night in Bethlehem or sometime later. What we do know is that Jesus arrived and was placed in a cow's feeding trough (manger) because there was no room for Him anywhere else.
Make sure that as you study God's Word, you look for truth and not just accept tradition.
It's easy to be swayed by a movie that Hollywood or Disney makes or even Christmas carols, etc. Know your facts so that you can be a bearer of truth.
In His service, dale
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