Bethlehem (house of lamb; Arabic, house of bread; Hebrew)

All of my life the story of Christmas has been presented as an account of a pleasant trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem, a nice neat stable, on a “Silent Night, Holy Night.” This year, however, I am reminded of the reality of the times and that has increased my love for the Savior and God.

Luke 2:1-5
Today, a census means a census taker comes to our door or we fill out a form we receive in the mail and then return it in a postage-paid envelope. I remember in 2000 we moved to three separate addresses due to buying a house. We were favored with being the tenth household at each address and were asked to respond to the long form. It was a nuisance, but we didn’t have to travel 80 miles to another city while expecting a baby.

Mary and Joseph were obedient to the will of God by obeying Caesar Augustus, the head of government (Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your Leaders and submit to their authority”). This was a huge sacrifice since Mary was in her ninth month and it was an 80-mile trip for her on a donkey over rough, rocky, dirt roads. I can remember when my wife was pregnant I and I tried my very best to memorize every bump in the road because of her discomfort.

Luke 2:6
The time came. Such a simple statement, yet it was so full of meaning. It tells us that the birth of Jesus occurred on God’s timetable, it was right on time.

Please give some thought to the actual conditions in Bethlehem at this time. The current population of Bethlehem is about 30,000. For the sake of description let’s reduce that number to 10,000 to 15,000 at this time. Now imagine the influx of people reporting for the census. When Joshua had a census taken, there were 74,000 men over 20 years of age in the tribe of Judah. When David had Joab perform a census, he counted 500,000 fighting men in the tribe of Judah (2 Sam. 24-9). Perhaps there was an extra 150,000 to 200,000 people in Bethlehem which had a population roughly the size of Rockport. This was not a silent night. People would be pushing and shoving for advantage in the streets and for rooms in the inn. There would be shouting perhaps even fights which would have been broken up by hated Roman soldiers. Sort of reminds you of Christmas shopping.

Consider the manger for a moment. Have you ever been in a working barn? Animals make offensive sounds, smells, and products. The floor was dirty and hay can’t be called “clean” at its very best. Mary gave birth on the dirty floor with only a used blanket put down for a little comfort. Perhaps the innkeeper’s wife took pity upon Mary and Joseph and helped with the delivery. We do know that Mary and Joseph did not have any family with them for support. Joseph may have taken Mary with him because he didn’t trust to leave her alone in Nazareth. Of course, we know now that it was to fulfill prophecy.

This was truly a labor of love and courage and most of all Faith in the Father.

Luke 2:28-14
Can you imagine the angels’ surprise when the curtain went up for the angelic choir and they were looking at these rag-tag shepherds? One of them may have asked, “Hey Michael, why did God book us at this venue?”

Why did God choose to reveal the birth of the Messiah to lowly shepherds? Certainly, it shows that Jesus came for even the lowest of the low; that He came for every person. But there is another message for us to learn. Each shepherd was quiet and alone with God and they were able to listen to the message.

Would people in the city have listened to the angels? They may have been impressed by the special entertainment and the light show, but their hearts were not open to the message God wanted to communicate. They would have been too self-absorbed. This is a lesson for each of us; we need time alone with our Creator and our God. We need to be open to the voice of God.

Luke 2:15-20
The shepherds didn’t waste any time considering how the Messiah could be born in a dirty barn and be lying in a manger. They recognized God’s glory and the fact that the Messiah would recognize them because of His lowly birth. They went straight to the Savior. Once they saw Jesus and worshiped Him, they went and spread the word in the town of the Messiah’s birth about God’s mercy. They were the first “Home Missionaries.”

The shepherds set an example for each of us, don’t hesitate to go to Jesus then go and share our knowledge of Jesus and salvation through His blood, sacrifice, and resurrection.

Let us remember, that this is not a nice, neat story of travel and birth. Mary and Joseph were obedient through faith and suffered extreme discomfort for that obedience. The First Christmas was not a “Silent Night, Holy Night” experience. It was noisy, hectic, and crowded; perhaps even dangerous if for no other reason than abuse by the hated Roman soldiers. Jesus, consenting to be born in human flesh and being born in a dirty, smelly barn was a sacrifice of unimaginable proportions. From the King of Kings to a carpenter’s son born in a barn. Who but our Savior could make such a sacrifice, knowing full well that the shadow of the Cross covered that simple barn on the night of His birth?

We may not be able to make the celebration of Christ’s birth a silent night, but we should make sure that it is and will ever be a “Holy Night.”