To have a child out of wedlock at that time was extremely shameful. Nobody would have believed that Mary's pregnancy was a miracle from God. The fact that Joseph agreed to remain the father of Jesus instead of leaving Mary was a miracle all its own, because now that shame was going to be placed upon him as well.
Sure enough, nine months later, Mary was nearing the end of her pregnancy. Around that time, the emperor of Rome, Caesar Augustus, sent a decree all around the world, calling the Roman citizens back to their hometowns to be registered for a census.
Joseph, a descendant of David, was from Bethlehem — so he and Mary made their way back to his hometown.
When they arrived, the city was packed. Bethlehem did not have room for everyone.
So Joseph and Mary ended up spending the night in the same place the animals were taken care of, either a stable or a shepherd's cave.
It was not an ideal spot to deliver a baby. But this was the place Jesus, the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah, was born into.
Now while all of this was happening, a group of shepherds was nearby in the wilderness. An angel appeared to them and said,
Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. — Luke 2:10–12 NIV
The shepherds hurried off to Bethlehem and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby just as the angel said they would. The time they had all been waiting for was finally here — and in a completely different way than they would have expected.
Meanwhile, a group of wise men (called "magi," a sort of ancient spiritual advisor) from Babylon saw a sign in the stars. The sign told them a new king had been born to lead the world into a new era. They followed the star to Jerusalem and went straight to Herod, expecting the new king to be from his bloodline — but they were shocked to discover that the child wasn't Herod's. So the wise men left Herod's palace, and the star rose again and led them straight to baby Jesus. We call these guys the "three wise men" or "three kings," but the Bible doesn't actually say how many of them there were. All we know is that they brought three generous gifts: frankincense and myrrh — two ancient perfume-like substances — and gold. These gifts would have been worth a lot of money in Israel.
Herod, out of fear for what might come of his throne, commanded his army to go into Bethlehem and kill every baby boy two years old or younger. Sound familiar? This parallels the story in Exodus when Moses was born.
The story was set up for the original Jewish audience to anticipate Jesus as a great leader of God's people — like Moses, but even better.
The parallels don't end there. While the Israelites fled Egypt to get away from the oppressive pharaoh, Joseph and Mary and Jesus fled Judea to escape Herod's evil plans and sought safety in Egypt.
After Herod died in 4 BC, an angel appeared to Joseph telling him they were free to return to Israel, to Nazareth, since the threat was no longer there.
So now Jesus — born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth — was going to grow up to become the Savior of the world.
One-Sentence Recap
After centuries of Israel's waiting for the promised Messiah, Jesus was born to the virgin Mary and would grow up to become the Savior of the world.
How to Apply This Lesson to Your Life
God often works through humble and unexpected circumstances to fulfill His plan and purpose for our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment