Series: The Word
Luke 2:1-7 ESV
Luke 2:11 ESV
There are those who question the validity of the miracle birth of the Son of God.
Let’s look at what we know about leading up to the birth
We are told in Luke 1:1-7, “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”
The trip from Galilee to Bethlehem at that time was between 70-90 miles.
They were on foot, so the trip would have taken many days. It’s unknown if Joseph could have afforded to purchase a donkey for the trip. Even though tradition shows her riding a donkey that would have been a luxury.
What we know is that Mary was pregnant. Whether she walked for several days or she rode a donkey, she would have been uncomfortable either way.
Four times I remember being pregnant and the final month was very uncomfortable. I had trouble breathing near the end of each pregnancy (you have to take into account how short I am).
Walking one mile would have been extremely difficult for a pregnant woman. I cannot imagine walking for several days at the end of the pregnancy. In addition to that, I think riding a donkey would have been extremely difficult as well. Either way, the journey through the desert would have been very difficult.
Jewish girls at that time were eligible to marry as soon as they were old enough to bear a child, so Mary was probably not older that 13 or 14 years old.
Jewish men could marry as soon as they had a well-established trade so they could support a family. It wasn’t unusual for a Jewish man to be 30 years old when he married a girl of 13 or 14 years old. Various scholars believe Joseph was between18 years old even to 80 years old when Jesus was born. Traditionally many people believe he was around 30 years old.
Then the trip would have been dangerous.
I have to wonder if both of them slept at night or if they took turns sleeping so someone could be ‘on watch’. At the time they took the trip there was no road. The terrain was rough. There were possibly wild animals along the way.
We also have to wonder about food and water for the trip. There were two main routes at the time they walked from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The shortest route went through Samaria. The other route added 20 miles to their journey. Jewish people didn’t usually travel through Samaria, Realistically, they probably could have walked about ten miles a day because of Mary’s condition.
That means if they chose the longer route that by-passed Samaria the trip could have taken 9 days. If they took the shorter route it would have taken them 7 days.
How did they carry enough food?
And, more importantly, how did the carry enough water? Or, were there wells along the way? Were there other water sources?
Once I started realistically thinking about what they had to do to make the journey, I felt a little overwhelmed.
Then, to make matters worse, since everyone had to go to Bethlehem be counted from Joseph’s tribe, it’s no wonder that there weren’t enough rooms available when they arrived in Bethlehem.
So, Joseph and Mary ended up having to stay in a stable with all of the animals.
And…Mary went into labor.
At that point I would have started to wonder if this really was what God had planned!
There, in the stable, the young girl Mary gave birth to her firstborn son. By herself with no other women there to help her, she had the baby. Did Joseph know what to do once the baby was born? Did they know how to cut the cord? Did they expect there would be after birth pains she had to deal with?
Seriously, when I gave birth the first time I read a lot about what happens, and I was in a hospital with a competent physician (an obstetrician).
Mary didn’t have help from a midwife or her female relatives, and she was a young girl.
When I considered what they went through I really really realized it wasn’t only a miracle virgin birth, it was a miracle birth because of everything Mary went through leading up to the birth. It was a miracle birth because Mary didn’t have help from older women from her tribe. It was a miracle that after the birth, they were able to get Mary and the baby cleaned up. It was a miracle that Joseph knew what to do after (because that was women’s work). Men did not attend to women. Ever.
I don’t know about you, but after reading what I could find about 1st Century births, and thinking about Mary’s age, and being separated from the women in her tribe, I really am amazed.
We know it was a virgin birth, but did Mary trust God?
Was it a miracle birth? You bet it was! Every step of the way…miracle after miracle!
Luke 2:11 says, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
So, the next time when we think we are faced with something difficult, consider Mary when she gave birth to Jesus.
Spiritual Practice: Trust God
When was the last time you had to trust God with life’s impossible issues like Mary faced?
In God, Deborah
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