To whom would a young teenage pregnant virgin go for
support, counsel and a shared understanding of the miraculous? When the angel Gabriel told Mary she would be
with child, he added an important fact:
her elderly, up-to-now barren relative, Elizabeth, was six months’ pregnant.
The First Journey
So Mary takes her first journey from Nazareth all the way to
the hills of Judea, (anywhere from 80-100 kilometres), where she spends her
first trimester with Elizabeth. When God
has a plan, He misses nothing. His
provisions are marvelous, even today. You know, I often wonder about their
conversations. I wonder about the marvel
of Elizabeth’s statement when Mary first greets her: “Blessed among women are you, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me that the mother
of my Lord should come to me? For
behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my
womb for joy.” (Luke 1:42-45) And I wonder about Mary’s response, the one
we call “The Magnificat” (Luke 1: 4655).
She quotes from Hannah’s Song, obviously well-known to Mary; one that
was poured out from Hannah’s heart some 1100 years before, at the birth of her
son, Samuel; a son long prayed-for and long-awaited as Hannah had been barren. And Mary returns to Nazareth, to be told they
will soon be heading back to Judah.
The Second Journey
In reality, we don’t know how far along Mary was in her
pregnancy when they had to leave for Bethlehem.
The Roman emporer, Augustus, wanted more revenue and cooked up a mad
scheme to make everyone return to their home town for a census, and of course, to
then be taxed. But God had a much bigger
plan and when He has a plan, He misses nothing.
You see, Bethlehem was prophesied by Malachi to be the town where the
Saviour was to be born. How to make sure
Mary and Joseph and the baby-in-the-womb Jesus would be there on time for the
long-awaited Messiah’s birth? Somehow,
we have gotten into our heads that they arrived in Bethlehem, camped out in the
stable and Jesus is born that night. All
we do know is that Mary was at least three months’ pregnant and it had been a
long journey.
They made it to Bethlehem, the “City
of David,” but there was no room at the inn,
“And it came about that while they
were there, the days were completed for her to give birth” (Luke 2:6). The first visitors were those shepherds, of
whom I wrote in my December 13, 2017 post.
But what about those wise men?
They did not show up until two years later. The star, shining in the east, led them to the
house where the child was, with His mother, (Matthew 2:11), and they delivered their
gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Having been warned by God in a dream to not return and report to Herod
where they found this born King, they went home another way, and Herod was so
incensed that he had his soldiers slaughter all the male children two years old
and younger, who were in Bethlehem. But
in the meantime, Joseph, Mary and Jesus went on another journey.
The Third Journey
Along with the opulent gifts they
had received from the wise men, the little family fled to Egypt, where they stayed
until news came that Herod was dead. I
wonder if Mary and Joseph thought about how their ancestors had lived in Egypt
2000 years earlier? Did they think about
Moses and how he led the Israelites back toward The Promised Land? Would they, too, be able to go home? But God had a much bigger plan and when He has
a plan, He misses nothing. You see, it
had been prophesied by Hosea: “Out of
Egypt have I called my son” (Hosea 11:1); their journey home had already
been foretold.
The Fourth Journey
Scholars generally agree that they
stayed in Egypt for up to six months and made a cautious return, first to Judea
and then ultimately back to their home town of Nazareth. A Mom, a step-Dad and a two-year-old boy
journeyed from Egypt to Nazareth, well over 200 kilometres. I wonder if they sang? Did they have enough money left over from the
wise men’s gifts, to buy provisions? On
at least two occasions, we are told that Mary treasured up all these things,
pondering them in heart. So many
journeys but she would no doubt say that they were all worth it.
The greatest and most difficult one
had yet to happen: Jesus being led up Calvary’s mountain, to die on a cross. Was Mary’s heart prepared even for this? I’m sure of it, as she herself had prophesied
in her song: “...My soul exalts the Lord,
and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:46,47). She knew from the beginning that the baby she
was carrying would be her Saviour and while she may not have known the plan, God
did, and when He has a plan, He misses nothing.
Will you trust the One who has taken the most arduous of journeys, for us? His death and
resurrection are enough to save us from our sin and bring us true hope and true
joy. And whatever journeys I may take, one
thing I know for sure: Jesus will be with me every step of the way.
I will falter. I will fail.
But Jesus’ mercies towards me
Will always prevail.
