Thoughts for the Day

Luke 2:1-3 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 their own town to register.

Luke, the historian, carefully timestamps his narrative, albeit the reference to Quirinius is less clear cut now than I expect it was when he wrote it.  He gives us the context of Joseph and Mary’s journey to Bethlehem, but by current reporting standards, there is so much detail left out.  How much notice did they have?  When did they travel and arrive?  How long did they stay?  When exactly was the birth?  Why no reference to the wise men and their flight to Egypt? We are so used to getting all the details, we can feel frustrated without them.  But let’s focus on what this snapshot tells us rather than on the gaps.  We don’t know how long before Jesus’ birth Mary and Joseph set off from Nazareth for Bethlehem, but we know they did and not by choice.  The journey will take days, and the timing could hardly have been worse.  They must have calculated that Jesus is likely to be born while they are away.  It sounds desperate for Mary, and there will be more bad news when they discover there is no suitable accommodation.  Even if God had explained why to them beforehand (and there is no suggestion He did), they had to live through the discomfort and uncertainty of the experience.  How did it feel to them?  Unexpected difficulties, things not always working out as planned or hoped, somehow managing through … and only afterwards being able to look back and see God’s provision and perhaps detect His unfolding plan.

There is something familiar about this pattern!  I suspect it’s called “the trials of life”.  These trials can consume our energy and our minds, and they test our faith. Clearly God did not insulate Mary and Joseph from such trials.  But, as I reflect on these, I note that God was undoubtedly with them, in their case in the shape of the baby in Mary’s womb; God was undoubtedly surrounding them sovereignly ensuring that His purposes would not be thwarted; and at times He was manifestly present through visitations, angelic and human, that lifted their eyes and their spirits above their circumstances.  Another familiar pattern?