"Bethlehem Miracle"

"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. 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. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:1-7

As Christmas Day approaches, we find ourselves singing carols and rushing about with our last minute preparations for the holidays, but let us pause today and consider the miracle of WHERE Jesus was born. Bethlehem, the tiniest of towns in the Israeli countryside, insignificant at best in those days, and yet God chose Bethlehem to be the place where His Son would come to earth in the form of flesh, a tiny newborn baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, laid in a manger. We've somehow lost sight of what the scene of Jesus’ arrival to earth really looked (and smelled) like. Jesus wasn't born in a warm home on that cold winter night. We see cute Nativity sets with all the adoring shepherds and animals standing around Mary and Joseph as they gaze into the manger all aglow. But the evidence is clear: the holy Son of God was born in a stable or cave where animals were kept, and his first crib was a common cattle trough. Why? I don't think this was by accident or the Father's lack of provision for his Son. God is speaking to us even in this tiny detail. Jesus was by very nature God (Philippians 2:6), and yet He didn't demand to be born in the palace attended by servants. Instead, He "made himself nothing (Greek kenoo), taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness...." (Philippians 2:7). The Greek verb kenoo means "make empty". Jesus literally "emptied himself" of all the privileges to which He was heir. He didn't just take a low place, He took the lowest place when He arrived: a piece of farm furniture used to serve food to animals, a manger, filled with hay. Imagine what the angelic hosts of heaven must have thought when they looked down and saw such a sight!

God has such an amazing way of documenting details that will help strengthen our faith when we are challenged as believers. Some foolishly say that Jesus never really existed, that He was a myth created by the Church in the first and second centuries. I have actually heard “intelligent” people try to claim this. But know this for CERTAIN: Jesus has an historical context; he's neither a myth nor a legend. Webster’s dictionary defines a myth as "a person or thing having only an imaginary or unverifiable existence." But Jesus was born in history. A legend is "a story coming down from the past; especially one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable." But Jesus is both historical and verifiable. He is mentioned not only in the New Testament, but by contemporaries and early documents such as Josephus, Pliny, Tacitus, Suetonius, Bar-Serapion, Thallus, Lucian, Josephus, and the Talmud. Modern heresies strip Jesus of his place in history and turn him into some kind of "Christ figure" or metaphysical guru. But Scripture persistently places him within history as a man who lived and died and rose again in real time, a man who permanently altered the history into which he was born. History is really HIS story. Here are those who were in historical power when Jesus was born:

1. Caesar Augustus was the emperor Octavian, founder of the Roman Empire, reigned 27 BC to 14 AD, when he was succeeded by Tiberius Caesar.
2. Herod the Great (Matthew 2:1) was called "king of the Jews, and who ruled Judea from 40 to 4 BC. His reputation for paranoia and ruthlessness was well deserved, having executed three of his own sons, and slaughtered all the baby boys in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).
3. Quirinius was a military leader and Roman consul in central Asia Minor, and later Imperial Legate of Syria-Cilicia (AD 6 to 9), where Josephus notes that he conducted a census. The census referred to in Luke 2 isn't recorded historically, but probably took place under a kind of extraordinary command authority he possessed during his military maneuvers in Cilicia or possibly during a brief earlier stint as governor in Syria.

Jesus was born in the birthplace of David (verses 3-4), Israel's greatest King. Nearly 1000 years before Jesus' birth, God had promised to David through the Prophet Samuel, "Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever" (2 Samuel 7:16). Micah had prophesied 730 years previously: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." (Micah 5:2) The Jews eagerly expected David's successor and called this hoped-for Messiah the "Son of David." Jesus is the Son of David, this promised King. It is no accident that Joseph was "of the house and lineage of David" (verse 4) and that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. But Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth at the time of her pregnancy. How did God resolve this? "It just so happened..." that the Romans ordered a tax census and Joseph was required to return to his ancestral town, Bethlehem, for enrollment.

Consider this: The most glorious event in history is about to unfold, but for Joseph and Mary it is drudgery and hardship -- a real pain.

• Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, four days journey north of Bethlehem.
• Mary was a teenage pregnant mother. A journey late in pregnancy was dangerous for her AND the child. But if her husband had gone alone and she stayed in Nazareth she would have had to face scandal alone and possible danger if the child had been born without Joseph by her side.
• Mary made the four day journey over hills and rocks and cliffs on the back of a DONKEY… any of you mothers out there MUST understand how impossible and physically painful this would have seemed to accomplish in her 9th month of pregnancy!
• Add to this the physical hardship of winter weather at that time in the hills of Bethlehem, they would not have been the most ideal traveling conditions, they would have slept outside for three nights before continuing on. When they arrived, tired and worn, they heard the words “No room”. Rejection when they were at their weakest point. This breaks my heart. It also breaks my heart to consider that even today we still find ourselves saying “no room” to Him.

Who says that following God's plan is easy? We are sometimes called to do things we don’t understand, things that are challenging and may seem impossible, but God sees the bigger picture, and just like Mary, we must move with God’s plan and God’s timing in all areas of our lives, even when it doesn’t make sense to us at the time.

Pray with me: Abba Father God, thank You for sending us the most precious gift so long ago, the gift of Your One and Only Son. Remind us this Christmas season in the midst of the hustle and bustle of how much of a sacrifice You made so that we could receive the gift of forgiveness and grace and mercy. Refresh us with a deeper sense of the wondrous way You sent Him to us, according to Your Word. You sent Jesus into the world exactly WHEN You said You would, exactly WHERE You said You would and exactly HOW You said You would. God, allow this to bring comfort and assurance to us, Your children, that You are always in control, and that we can always take You at Your Word.

Humble us, Father. Humble us. Return us to the manger to see the Miracle of Bethlehem anew. Lord, sometimes we're so fussy, so picky about what we will and will not do. Please forgive us and help us surrender our wills and allow You to show us Your Will in this world we live in. Bring us back to the simplicity of the manger and remind us that Jesus came to bring Peace on Earth and reconciliation of mankind to You, Almighty God. Make us willing to be your servants, wherever you send us out of our comfort zones, and whatever it takes. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

For unto us a Child is Born this CHRISTmas Day, sister Lahoma

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