Now it happened that at this time Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be made of the whole inhabited
world. 2This census -- the first -- took place while
Quirinius was governor of Syria, 3and everyone went to
be registered, each to his own town.
4So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee for Judaea, to David's town called
Bethlehem, since he was of David's House and line,
5in order to
be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
6Now it happened that, while they were there, the time came
for her to have her child,7and she gave birth to a
son, her first-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a
manger because there was no room for them in the living-space.
1. This is the
antithesis of the prosperity gospel; it illustrates that being in God’s will,
even powerfully so, does not exempt one from the troubles of life. Mary and Joseph
were clearly yielded to and executing God’s will, but nonetheless experienced:
A. A tough
journey. They had to travel approximately 65 miles/104 kilometers, likely on
foot or at best via donkey/mule/horse, when Mary was very pregnant.
B. Adverse
economic impact. They probably lost income because Joseph was apparently
diverted from his work. They incurred
the expenses of the journey. And they
had few resources to fall back on; the sacrifice described in Luke 2:22-24 indicates
that they had limited means. See Leviticus 12:8.
C. Social
stress. Mary had to meet her in laws in very awkward circumstances (during a
seemingly illegitimate pregnancy). Joseph’s family seemed less than receptive,
relegating him and his very pregnant wife to the manger; that would be like
putting your out of town relations up in your garage, barn, or storage shed.
D. Great
uncertainty. Mary had to birth her first child away from her mother and her
other family/social supports. Further, these circumstances were far from what
most would expect based on what the angel told Mary about their child as
described in Luke 1:32; that must have raised
doubts in their minds.
E. Tension/conflict
between each other. Anyone who has been married for a while has experienced the
dynamic of stressful circumstances causing tension or conflict with his or her
spouse. The description in Luke 2:41-50 of Mary and
Joseph’s reaction to another stressful situation suggests that they reacted to
stresses in ways similar to other couples. The high level of stress involved in
their journey to and experiences in Bethlehem makes it likely that those
stresses caused tension/conflict between Mary and Joseph.
2. What the
holy family went through, tough as it was, is consistent with scripture:
A. Sirach 2 is quite explicit in stating
that those who serve God experience hardship. That dynamic is illustrated by
Moses’ troubles while he lead the Israelites through the desert, David’s as he
was pursued by Saul, and Elijah’s conflict with Ahab and Jezebel and his
depression after the confrontation with the prophets of Baal.
B. The
prophecies about Messiah make it clear that He would suffer. See Isaiah 49:4, Isaiah 49:7, Isaiah 50:6, Isaiah 52:14,
Isaiah 53:2-4,
Isaiah 53:7-8,
Isaiah 53:10.
C. The Messiah’s own teaching
and the teachings of his disciples make it clear that His followers will suffer
hardship. See e.g. John 15:18-21, John 16:20 and 33, Romans 5:3-5, Romans 8:17-18, James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 4:12-19.
3. Mary and Joseph’s hardships were not meaningless, but had purposes:
A. They help people accept
that Jesus is Messiah by fulfilling prophecies about His humble background and
birth. See Micah 5:1-2.
B. They make it evident
that Jesus can relate to, and is approachable by, the very least of us by
showing that He was born homeless. See
Hebrews 4:15-16.
4. The matters described
here provide insights into the often invoked dynamic described in Genesis 5:20 and Romans 8:28:
A. It illustrates that the
good that God brings out of hardship sometimes flows to persons other than
those who experience the hardship. Billions have benefitted from the good that
came out of Mary and Joseph’s hardships travelling to and at Bethlehem.
B. It illustrates that the
good that God creates out of hardship can be manifested in times and
circumstances far removed from the time/circumstances of the hardship. The good
that came—and still comes—from Mary and Joseph’s hardships in and on the way to
Bethlehem is manifested across the world and (so far) across two millennia.
C. It illustrates that those
undergoing the hardships do not always understand the good that will come of
the hardships as they are going through them. As discussed at point 1(D) above,
Mary and Joseph were likely confused by the apparent disconnect between their
circumstances and what they were told about the Child who came to them at
Bethlehem. Further, one of the prophecies about that Child indicate that He too
would not fully appreciate what would come of the sufferings He endured as He endured
them. See Isaiah 49:4. This dynamic is also alluded to in Sirach 2:1-5 and Isaiah 53:2.
5. The
immediate cause of this hardship (the census imposed by Rome) illustrates that God
uses secular powers/events to further His divine plans:
A. We see other examples of this in His using
secularly motivated invasions to take Israel and Judah into exile and to
deliver Judah from Exile. The general principle that God uses secular
authorities to deliver good to mankind is reflected in Romans 13:3-4 and 1 Peter 2:13-14.
B.
That does not mean that everything that secular authorities do delivers
God’s goodness or is in God’s will. The decrees about the Hebrews described in Exodus 1:8-22 are
examples of a secular authority’s actions that are not manifestations of God’s
goodness/will. Similarly, the fact that scripture repeatedly warns against
government treating the vulnerable unjustly is evidence that secular governments
repeatedly stray from God’s will.
Scriptures to that effect are collected in Wisdom Principles: We must strive for fair
justice, to maintain the rule of law for all, especially the weak.
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