Luke 2.1-5
In those days a decree went out from
Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first
registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to
their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in
Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was
descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with
Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.
There is a significant historical question as to whether a government decree required Joseph, who was probably about 15 years old, to take his even younger wife and return to Bethlehem to be counted for tax purposes. There is no historical record that people were ever required to return to their birthplace to be counted. But there are practical reasons why Joseph may have wanted to return to Bethlehem for a tax assessment: Joseph may have owned property in Bethlehem—and like today, property owners got tax breaks. And by registering his child in the town where he owned property, Joseph would assure the tax exemption would pass on.
The quest for historical fact misses the point of this story,
though: the story is an example of God’s process of revelation. God, like Jesus, often teaches in parables.
As Adam Hamilton notes, it was the common practice then, as
it is today in many Middle Eastern nations, for a married couple to move in
with the husband’s family. Because Mary
was already probably five months pregnant, they may have intended to remain in
Nazareth until after the baby was born. Nine months’ pregnant Mary was probably
not enthusiastic about making the arduous 90 mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. She made it for the betterment of her family.
This was the first of several unwanted journeys Mary took,
the last being to witness her precious child’s death on the cross. In each case, Mary made the choice, the
excruciating choice, to believe that God could use her struggles to accomplish
God’s purposes. Because she put her personal
comfort last, her journeys were not the end of the story, but the beginning.
Susan Sanders Wansbrough, Covenant Class
