the christmas story part 3
"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" (Luke 2:1-5 NIV).
Caesar Augustus is also known to history as Octavian and he ruled the Roman Empire from about 30 BC to 14 AD. A "census" was a type of survey that counted people for tax purposes and they were commonly held from time to time in ancient Rome. In fact, Luke calls this "the first census" to separate it from another well-known census (which he also mentions in Acts 5:37) that occurred in the year 6 A.D.
Now on the surface, it would seem that Caesar was the one responsible for ordering this census, but today we know from the Scriptures that God was the One who orchestrated these events behind the scenes to fulfill His promises. How do we know that? Well, the Old Testament book of Micah contains a prophecy that directly ties into this event...
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2 NKJ).
The "town" that people would go to register for the census was the place where they owned property, so this meant that Joseph probably held a title to some land in that area. This trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem was about 80 miles (129 km) and at an average walking speed of 2 mph (3 kph), this was not an easy distance to cover in those days.
Even though Roman law didn't require someone like Mary to register for the census, Luke 4:5 tells us that Mary and Joseph both went together anyway. Knowing this, we might be tempted to ask, "Why would a very pregnant woman make such a difficult, unnecessary, 80 mile journey like this?"
Some possible answers to that question should quickly come to mind if you know a little bit about the culture and the background to this story. You see, Mary did not have to go with Joseph but it was probably a good idea for her to do so, especially considering that she was in the last stages of a controversial pregnancy. It's also possible that things had become so unpleasant for Mary and Joseph back home that the long trip to Bethlehem seemed better than leaving her alone to fend for herself while he was away. Or perhaps Joseph simply didn't want to leave Mary by herself to face the possibility of her coming to term alone while he was gone.
In any event, the stage had now been set and the curtain was about to rise on the greatest event in human history...
"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 2:6-7 NIV).
One of the most incredible things about the Christmas story is the difference between the astounding greatness of the event and how simply the story is told. In this day and age where a small plastic nativity scene on the front lawn at Christmas time often gets buried behind Santa Claus, Frosty The Snowman, and Christmas light decorations, it's sometimes hard to appreciate how tremendous this event really is.
So just in case you missed it the first time, here it is again...
"…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."
There weren't many good places to stay when traveling in those days because the "inns" mentioned in the Bible were not like the "Holiday Inn" type of hotels or motels that we know today. In fact, the word translated "inn" probably refers to a "private home" or "guest room."
The cloths or "swaddling clothes" mentioned were long cloth strips that were used to keep a baby's arms and legs straight so they could grow properly. In Mary's day, midwives usually helped out when a woman was giving birth but notice that Mary apparently had no one to help her (except perhaps, Joseph) because the Scriptures tell us that she wrapped up the baby on her own.
This passage then goes on to say that Mary placed the infant Jesus in a manger. Now when you think of the word "manger," what sort of image comes to mind? Well, if you're like many people, it's probably the image of a barn-like structure or some other building that was used for the care and shelter of animals. But during that time, animals were not usually kept in barns as we often do today. In those days, animals were usually kept in hollowed out rock areas or caves. A "manger" was actually a feeding trough for animals; sometimes they were even built into the floor. All of this means that Jesus was probably not born in a barn or a stable as we know it, but in a cave behind someone's house.
So Joseph and Mary couldn't find a place to stay and they didn't even have a cradle to place the newborn Jesus in. This means that the greatest human being of all time probably spent His first hours on earth inside a cave while sleeping in a feedbox that animals ate out of. It's hardly the kind of entrance that you might expect for God in human form, is it?
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Except as indicated, all Scriptural references taken from The
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