A Christmas Journey--To Bethlehem

A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY-TO BETHLEHEM Spring Valley Mennonite; December 12, 2021; Luke 1:39, Matthew 1:18-25, 2:1-6. The Christmas account-I call it an account, for "story" is mostly used to describe fiction-the True Biblical Christmas account is filled with travel. I mentioned this fact two weeks ago as we began our Christmas journey, but one journey of which I have yet on which to elaborate is that of Mary's travel to visit Elizabeth. The angel had informed Mary that her relative Elizabeth, who had been unable to have a child, was miraculously and joyously pregnant. Mary then made the trip to help her aunt during the last three months of the pregnancy. I have often wondered who accompanied Mary on that trip, for it would have been too dangerous to make the trip alone. In doing some reading this week, I came across the idea that it could have been Joseph who escorted Mary from Nazareth to Judea. My failure to consider him up comes from reading Luke's account which leaves out the angel's visit to Joseph. Luke goes from Gabriel's announcement to Mary to her trip to visit Elizabeth. If you insert the Matthew passage of Joseph's dream/visit into the account between Gabriel's visit to Mary and her trip to Judea, this placement of Joseph's dream seems to fit better than after the three months Mary spent with Elizabeth. Several ideas contribute to the idea that Joseph accompanied Mary: first, I think Mary would have told Joseph of the angel's visit very soon after it happened, instead of waiting three months. There would have been a short period when Joseph to pondered and questioned Mary's story, and to make his decision to quietly divorce her. But then the vision came from God where the angel confirmed Mary's words, and immediately Joseph took her as his wife. As a newly married couple, Joseph then would have escorted her to Judea, returning to Nazareth afterward. A second trip three months later would have been necessary to bring her back to Nazareth. A second reason for Joseph to accompany Mary would be the seeming impropriety of allowing your espoused fiancé to make the trip with other men. The tradition of espousal considered the couple the same as married. The tender love that we see as we "read between the lines" tells me that Mary most likely told Joseph about Gabriel's visit immediately after it happened. I admit this is somewhat speculative, but it makes sense to me. This was another Christmas account journey to add to our list. The primary travels we think of related to the birth of Christ is the Journey to Bethlehem. This trip was made by several groups, the Holy couple, the Wise Men, the angels and shepherds. We will focus on the first two this morning: Mary and Joseph and the Maji. I. WHY BETHLEHEM? The first question to be asked is "Why Bethlehem?" The answer has two parts: first is the prophesy that the Messiah would be born there. Micah 5:2 was quoted by the scribes who were asked the question by King Herod after the Magi inquired, as we read in Matthew 2:6. The second reason Bethlehem enters the Christmas account is that it was the "City of David." As the head of the family, Joseph, being of the lineage of the tribe of Judah and the family of King David had to travel there to fulfill the requirement of the census ordered by the Caesar Augustus. One dared not fail to submit to the order: in recent history before Caesar's census, Cassius, pro-counsul of Syria, had sold into slavery the inhabitants of several Judean towns, then completely razed those towns-all because they were late in paying their taxes! No matter how inconvenient the trip was with Mary about to give birth, Joseph and Mary were compelled to make the journey. It was about 90 miles as the crow flies, but that would be the route through Samaria, which usually was avoided. The preferred route was closer to 120 miles as this took them first east from Nazareth to the Jordan valley, then south to Jericho, then west up the ascending road to Jerusalem and then the six miles Bethlehem. Depending on the time of year, either 120-degree temperatures in the summer or freezing temps with occasional snow could be expected. Although the church has celebrated Christmas in December since the 4th century, the exact time of year of Jesus' birth is unknown. Even in the most favorable time of the year, and even if they took the shorter route, their journey was long and uncomfortable. But they knew that God would get them there, for the prophesy was clear: the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. II. THE JOURNEY OF THE MAJI TO BETHLEHEM It was somewhat of a different story for the Wise Men or Magi, instead of 90 to 120 miles, from Persia to Bethlehem was over 1000 miles. Such a journey was undertaken by learned and distinguished Gentiles who belonged to a long line of astrologers. Such men who studied the stars, made predictions, cast spells, and dealt in the mysterious had existed for eons in the ancient east. Their existence and influence spanned the Assyrian, Babylonian, Greek, Parthian, and Roman Empires. Many of our ideas about these Magi come from songs or Christmas cards, if truth be known! We sing, "We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts, we traverse afar." To demonstrate what I'm saying, let me point out three possible errors in that first line: First, they were not kings, but Magi; secondly, even though there were three categories of gifts, we cannot definitely say there were only three men; and thirdly, if by "Orient" we mean the far east, these Magi were rather from the near east, in all likelihood, from the area of the world we know today as Iran. They came from what was then part of the Parthian Empire, a vast area of the middle east which Rome failed to conquer. It was the Parthians who consolidated the Eastern portion of the Greek Empire and became a great military rival of the Romans; in one significant battle the Parthians killed over 20,000 Roman soldiers. Couple this with the fact that Palestine had been the scene of many battles between the Parthians and the Romans, Palestine being a buffer state between the Roman and the Parthian Empires. Now listen to this: Around 40 B.C., the Parthians had forged an alliance with a group of Jewish rebels with the probable goal of annexing Palestine into the Parthian Empire. It was an half Edomite/half Jewish military leader allied with Rome who conquered the Jewish rebel stronghold at Jerusalem in 37 B.C. This leader's name? Herod! As a reward, Harod was given the title of "King" of Palestine under the Romans for his effort in their behalf. There is a further bit of historical information which will further explain why King Herod was so upset with the appearance of the Magi, along with all Jerusalem. During the century preceding the birth of Christ, the Magi had become very powerful in the Parthian Empire, comprising the upper house of the ruling counsel of Parthia. Among their other responsibilities, the Magi had the absolute power to select the Kings of Parthia. It was therefore a group of Parthian King-makers who entered Jerusalem in the latter days of the reign of Herod. This was the King Herod who was so troubled by the appearance of the Parthian Magi who came looking for the new King of the Jews! Knowing this background, and who the Magi were, why did they come to Jerusalem? Turn back to Numbers 24, verse 17. (READ) We read here of the prophesy about a Jewish ruler who would come to power in Israel sometime in the future. He would somehow be associated with a star. Understand that the Magi were astronomers and astrologers. They were students of the heavens. It would have meant something when a new light appeared in the night sky. By the way, who gave this prophesy recorded in the book of Numbers? It was a man named Balaam. (He is best remembered as having a talking donkey!) Balaam lived on the west bank of the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia-in what would later become the land of Babylon. He was a soothsayer, a caster of spells, a practitioner of "magic"-I believe Balaam was an early member of the Magi! When Daniel was in Babylon, including his time in the Persian Empire which succeeded the Babylonians, he was installed as chief of the Magi because of his ability to interpret dreams. Daniel 2:48: Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and the CHIEF PREFECT over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel became the leader of the Magi. Keep this fact in mind as we continue. Remember it was Daniel who gave a timetable for the birth of the Messiah in Daniel 9. He recorded a period of 70 weeks of years which would encompass the plan of God regarding Messiah the Prince, the Lord Jesus Christ. Sixty-nine weeks of years would go by until Messiah the Prince would be "cut off" or be killed. This Messiah would of necessity need to have been born sometime before this date. Obviously, these prophesies of Balaam and Daniel had been passed down through generations of Magi, and when the star appeared in the East, they put the two prophesies together-a star with the birth of the Messiah-and they headed West to visit the New King of the Jews. Putting Daniel and Balaam's prophesies together, the Maji left their home for the long journey to find this newborn King. But we must ask the question again: What motivated them to undertake such a long trip? In the best of circumstances, it would have taken months. From Herod's response in destroying all the mail children in Bethlehem, it might have been as long as two years from the star's first appearance to their arrival in Bethlehem. By the way, although I hate to destroy traditions, the Bethlehem star did not appear over the stable, but over the house where the holy family had settled. It has been said that wise men always seek Jesus. I believe that there was something missing in the lives and hearts of these Maji. By all indications, seen in their ability to make such an extensive journey, and the gifts they were able to bring-by all indications, these men were wealthy and influential. This still left an emptiness in their hearts. There is a quote attributed to the French Physicist Pascal who said, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made know through Jesus Christ." These Maji were not seeking a Persian King, that would have adequately explained their mission; no, they were seeking a Jewish King, a Messiah Who would become the King of the World. This was the promise found in Daniel's prophesy. We studied the name Jesus chose to self-identify: The Son of Man. He was Jesus-the Savior, not just of the Jews, but for all mankind. The Maji knew of earthly kings and their shortcomings. This King of the Jews promised much more. And their purpose was simply stated: "We have come to worship Him." David Jeremiah brings up a profound thought in relation to the Maji: "Imagine if the Magi had arrived in Bethlehem and proceeded to worship the star that had guided them instead of the Star they discovered. It would be the equivalent of going into a restaurant and eating the menu instead of the meal. Or going to a pharmacy and consuming the prescription instead of the pills. It would also be like participating in the secular observance of Christmas without ever worshiping the One who birth we celebrate." We gather this morning to worship our King, born in the most humble of circumstances, but now exalted to the Throne of Heaven. The Christmas account stirs our hearts, but the emphasis of the Gospel writers quickly moves forward to the more important reasons for God the Son taking on humanity. He is the Savior of the world, the only provision there is for the sin problem we all possess. Don't get so caught up in the birth account that you miss the death and resurrection. The beginning of the story is magnificent, but the ending even more so! The shadow of the cross stretches over the manger. Jesus came with a single purpose: to seek and save the lost through His death on the cross. Jesus also came to reveal the heart of God to us. Herein lies the wonder of Immanuel, God with us. The compassionate and caring and loving nature of God was veiled to most throughout the Old Testament. King David spoke of God's forgiveness and care in the Psalms, and the prophets spoke of God's character. The presence of God was limited, first to the Tabernacle and later to the Jerusalem Temple. But the full expression of God awaited the coming of Immanuel, the Messiah, the Son of Man who walked among us compassionately partaking of ordinary life and its struggles. He healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, He taught us by word and example of the love of God; He was the light of the world which conquers the darkness of the human heart. He alone fills the longing within, the longing which all humans feel, whether they admit it openly of not. The Magi were seeking the One who was born King of all mankind. And they found Him under the star. And they rejoiced greatly and bowed down in reverence before this infant King. I cannot imagine that their lives were ever the same after that encounter with Immanuel. The journey to Bethlehem leads us to the beginning of Jesus' earthly life, but the story continues to Nazareth, to Jerusalem, to Calvary, to the empty tomb, and back to the right hand of God Almighty. And King Jesus will return, and our hope rests in the future promised Kingdom. In the meantime, we will worship the Savior. O Come Let Us Adore Him, Christ the Lord! 2