So Joseph
went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town,
for the census. As a descendent of David, he had to go there. He went with
Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.
Luke 2:4-5
The people in
Bible times placed much importance on their family line, and they were expected
to return to their ancestors' hometowns for the census. Various characters
throughout the Bible have whole lists written of their descendants. It would
only make sense to them that if they were all going to be counted, they would
go to the hometowns of their ancestors.
Looking on a
map, Nazareth appears to be fairly close to Bethlehem, approximately ninety
miles away. It would’ve taken them at least several days to walk that distance,
especially with Mary being pregnant. We picture Mary riding a donkey with
Joseph walking beside her. There’s no mention in the Bible, however, that she
rode a donkey. Since they were relatively poor, it is possible that she walked
right along with Joseph.
When we take a trip somewhere, we make plans. We study
a map and pack our bags. Things were different in Jesus’ time. There was no
GPS, no triple A, and no spacious SUV. The donkey might have been their only
luxury. Maybe. If they had a donkey. Imagine taking a week-long trip without
any of the comforts we are used to. Now, imagine being pregnant besides.
(From "The Christmas Story in 40 Days", published by Life Sentence Publishing, 2013)
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