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We finished off with study 7 showing that Mary and Joseph had traveled 70 miles south of Nazareth to Bethlehem only to find the city full of people and no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:7 KJV And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. This leads to a question which we need to keep in our mind for further evaluation. The inn was a public place in which those who were poor could come and stay when visiting the city. We know that Joseph and Mary were poor for many reasons, one of which was the fact that they sought lodging in the city inn. If they were people of wealth they would have been known and accommodations would have already been arranged for them. Since they were poor, which we will explain in more detail later, they sought lodging at the inn. The problem was not that Bethlehem did not have an inn for visitors. The problem was that they had a great influx of people that caused all the inns to be full. Why were all the inns in Bethlehem full? What was so important in the region that drew people from everywhere to Bethlehem at this particular time and season? These are interesting points and an important clue as to when our Lord was born. We cannot surmise that the inn was full because of the census that led Joseph to come to Bethlehem in the first place. Yes many would be coming into Bethlehem for the census but many would also be leaving Bethlehem to go to their census cities. There are seven feasts recorded in the Word of God that God had given to His people to follow. These feasts were very important and had been used as the spiritual and political calendars for over 2,000 years. Later we will show that Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem during one of these seven feasts.
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CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK: We are building a Biblical and historical foundation establishing the time and season of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Today we look at the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem for Mary and Joseph. It was tax and census time and every male had to return to his house of origin. At this time Mary was well along in her pregnancy making the trip ever more difficult.
Luke 2:4-6 KJV And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. This was a 70 mile trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Mary was due at any time. This trip would take from 4 to 7 days walking or riding a donkey. Most likely, due to Mary's condition, the trip would have been closer to the 7 days but this is only speculation and cannot be argued from silence. After arriving in Bethlehem they were housed in a stable meant for animals because there was no room in the inn. Luke 2:7 KJV And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. This leads to a question which we need to keep in our mind for further evaluation. The inn was a public place in which those who where poor could come and stay when visiting the city. We know that Joseph and Mary were poor for many reasons which we will lay out in a later study. The problem was not that Bethlehem did not have an inn for visitors. The problem was that they had a great influx of people that caused all the inns to be full. Why were all the inns in Bethlehem full? What was so important in the region that drew people from everywhere to Bethlehem at this particular time and season? These are interesting points and an important clue as to when our Lord was born. More on this in the next study. |
AuthorCharles Morris. Founder and Senior Pastor of RSIM USA. Archives
May 2020
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