It will be a busy week-end for most of us, thus I have decided to post this week’s blog a bit early. Next Tuesday I will publish the blog for December 27. Merry Christmas and God Bless.

 That is the secular term that we are accustomed to. Included in this season of bright lights and trees, gifts and holiday cheer  lives, some things to note. I started almost by habit to include the opening to read as such…For those of the Christian faith, there are many important events that will occur during this season. Now, I honestly don’t know if this will make sense and it is certainly not intended to offend anyone but the important thing right now is during this season we celebrate the birth of Christ, and I actually believe it’s really a season for all the people. The birth of Jesus Christ was for all the people of the world because Christ was sent to bring salvation to all. There is much in biblical history that leads us to the Good Way.. as we in the Christian community go through this season of Advent, let us look at a couple of more things of note. I would like to take us from the Pew to the city of Jerusalem, and Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’s birth.

At the time of Jesus’ birth, Jerusalem was a bustling, significant city, but we know that Jesus was born in nearby Bethlehem, a smaller town about 6 miles south, which was Joseph’s ancestral home known as David’s town, and prophesies as a Messiah birthplace. There is so much information available today because of the Internet, sometimes we may be repetitious in sharing some of that with you, please excuse us for that. Jerusalem was the capital under Herod the Great, featuring wealthy upper city areas, and crowded lower city markets. Bethlehem was a modest settlement on a trade route, famous as the ancestral home of King David, and were Shepherd’s visited Jesus after his birth. Let’s compare these two cities of note. At the time of the birth of Christ, King Herod had transformed Jerusalem with grand projects, including his magnificent palace in the upper city. Now the city had a wealthy upper class so to speak with villas and and the and the poor crowded lower city was the location of many of the marketplaces and hotels or hostels as they were called back in that day and time. There was a religious center. It was the hub for the Jewish faith with the temple mount as its focal point. When we turn and take a quick look at Bethlehem’s significance, it was a humble town small not a major city like Jerusalem. Bethlehem was the ancestral home of King David making it significant for Joseph’s registration in the Roman census. It was Micah, who prophesies that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, David’s town. (Micah 5:2.) The connection between these two cities were really very simple. Joseph and Mary had traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem it is recorded that the Wisemen first went to Jerusalem, asking for the new king which we find in the Bible and in the book of Matthew. And now let’s take note of Joseph and Mary’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. 

Historical accounts of the land at that time and the conditions that it put upon people was that it was a difficult and hard trip for the both of them and was estimated to have been a 70 to 90 mile trek. We must be a very careful when we talk about these situations. We really don’t know what the trip was like, but because of historical an archaeological writings, we do know the terrain and the conditions they probably would have faced was as we said,  the distance being about 70 to 90 miles and it’s estimated that it would’ve taken 4 to 5 days potentially a bit longer depending on pace and conditions. Most scholars say it would’ve been about 10 to 20 miles a day under the best circumstances and it’s highly possible that Mary was riding a donkey. In fact it would have been the only way she could’ve done anything like that because of her condition at the time. Joseph walked, at the time most people walked everywhere and they would’ve traveled through varied terrain. It was difficult terrain, plus the fear of bandits, winter conditions which amount  to rain and cold and Mary’s advanced pregnancy made the journey exhausting. Another important note that we do not want to dismiss was the route that they took. The route was from Nazareth in Galilee south to Bethlehem and Judea a journey often described as going up to the hilltop town. One of the reasons was possibly to avoid Samaria due to tensions at the time. After their travel, or journey, whichever word you want to use over some very difficult terrain they arrived in Bethlehem. They found that the city was overcrowded because many travelers had been brought to the city because of the census and they were filling all of the inns and lodging at that time. The term that we’re used to hearing is that there was no room at the Inn. Now there are too distinct opinions of this about where the actual birth took place. Most all accounts relate to Jesus, being born in a stable and placed in a manger. There is another theory or opinion that we can take from Jewish custom at that time in the area that Mary and Joseph reached at the time of Christ birth, we can use the word stable, but add to that the possibility that the stable was actually a cave as the area was one of heavy limestone formations.

I want to include a note about Bethlehem-Judah. The information that I will share with you now is from a website called Bible Hub, please make note of that. Bethlehem.-Judah is often referred to simply as Bethlehem. It is a significant location in biblical history, situated in the territory of Judah, which is approximately 6 miles south of Jerusalem and its name…Bethlehem means House of Bread. Bethlehem.-Judah holds a prominent place in the biblical narrative and it serves as a backdrop for several key events and figures. We know that it is the ancestral home of David. This connection to David establishes Bethlehem as a city of Royal lineage. When we read the book of Ruth, we are provided a very touching narrative set in Bethlehem.-Judah about Ruth a Moabite widow, who returns with her mother-in-law to Bethlehem, where she meets Boaz. You can read about that in the book of Ruth 1: 22 where it is stated. “so Naomi returned from the land of Mohab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabites’s. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.” We also note that Rachel’s tomb is there, Rachel was Jacob’s beloved wife and you can read the account in Genesis 35:19. Bethlehem-Judah’s has been continuously inhabited since ancient times and there have been excavations there that have uncovered artifacts and structures that attest to its long history. The city, of course, had a very strategic location because it was near major trade routes, that contributed to its development and it’s significance in the region. The other interesting thing about this area is its cultural and religious impact and its role in biblical history has made it a focal point for Christian pilgrimage. It is here that the church of nativity is built over the traditional site of Jesus’s birth place and it is one of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world. So to  conclude this little deep dive into Bethlehem-Judah, it is a place that is rich in biblical heritage and it’s association with key figures and events has made it a cornerstone of the Judo- Christian history. It’s legacy continues to inspire faith and devotion among believers worldwide.

There are many ways to celebrate the approaching remembrance of the birth of Christ. The verse will be celebrated in many different ways in many different places, but there is one commonality that united all this. Our God, incarnate came among us to bring his love for us and to offer to us the forgiveness of our sins. Through the birth of this child and his pursuit of The Good Way. We thank you very much for joining us in the Pew and we wish for you and yours, a very happy and joyous Advent and Christmas Day.

Life is Good

jk