Luke 2:4

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee  to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

For Encouragement

The journey was long and arduous.  Ninenty miles of trekking for a maiden carrying her first child was no mean feat, but God had ordained it, so she went in the company of Joseph, a righteous and obedient husband.

You would think Bethlehem had prepared to recieve them, the Glory of Israel, with His earthly parents, but No!

The town was bustling with joyful natives who had returned to register in Augustus’s census of the Roman Empire. They filled every room, so Joseph and Mary found no place to lodge. Someone may have suggested a cave they used to keep their sheep, so they took it. Not a place to welcome even your worst enemy, but the Creator of the Universe received it for His first breath among men.

While they were there, Dr. Luke writes the time came for the baby to be born. Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and laid Him in a manger for lack of decent accommodation. What a lesson in humiliation!

The birth of Jesus is a lesson in humility and service. It is the teaching we have heard many times but never learned. It is a lesson in the self-emptying of our Lord, and, despite His unlimited wealth, becoming poor for our sake, that we would become rich for the glory of the Father (2 Cor. 8:9). We learn a lesson in servant leadership and obedience to the Father before glory (Phil. 2:6-11).

Let us, therefore, rejoice and celebrate our Savior’s birth, but principally, let us learn from what made all things possible for us in redemption history and live it. He deserves our obedience for the glory of the Father, amen!

Shalom