Where?

"When word of their inquiry got to Herod, he was terrified—and not Herod alone, but most of Jerusalem as well. Herod lost no time. He gathered all the high priests and religion scholars in the city together and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

They told him, “Bethlehem, Judah territory. The prophet Micah wrote it plainly:

It’s you, Bethlehem, in Judah’s land,
no longer bringing up the rear.
From you will come the leader
who will shepherd-rule my people, my Israel.”Micah 5:2, 4
Matthew 2:3 - 6

They knew. These learned men, these Gentiles, knew that the true King of the Jews was born.
They knew the When, for his star had appeared.
They knew the Why: a king would appear to save the Jewish people.
They only needed to know the Where.

So did Herod.
He was terrified he would lose his position when the Messiah King arrived/

Me too.
The King who would tilt the world, turn 'normal' upside down, challenge all for change.

Will I trust Him, pay homage, worship and obey? Put my life, belief, heart in His hands?
Not just once in a lifetime, but times in the everyday always?
Believe in this unusual leader, more humble shepherd than proud royalty?
Step forward into a new Adventure?
Why not do it?
Indeed?

Story behind The Story.

When they finished everything required by God in the Law, they returned to Galilee and their own town, Nazareth. There the child grew strong in body and wise in spirit. And the grace of God was on him."

Luke 2:39 - 40

This little gap, between verses 38 and 39, speaks volumes. Between Bethlehem and Nazareth were several years... it is said that they remained in Bethlehem long enough for the wise men to visit them before they fled to Egypt in front of Herod's murdering soldiers.

Such obedience from Mary and Joseph: fulfilling the law: the circumcision, and naming, affirming again the separation, the setting apart, of the Jews from the Gentiles: and yet this boy was to bring unity to all the world under God;
the giving of the first-born to God, acknowledging that Jesus belonged to God, who gave him life: and how very true this was for THIS boy;
the cleansing of Mary, making her fit once again to worship God in the temple: but of course she worshipped Him in her heart, wherever she was - as she and Joseph would have to do in Egypt.

And once in Nazareth.... Nazareth was home.
There they could settle, surrounded by family
who would help them in bringing up their son.

So he grew, physically strong and spiritually wise.
Emotionally gracious.
Perfect.
Jesus.

Good news!

Good news.

More exciting

than words 

can say.

Compulsion 

to go, to see, 

to tell.

Imagine the stories

these excited men

told, words tumbling

out.

Lord, may I too

have this same

strong conviction

To go to Bethlehem.

See what has happened.

(Find the Child in that

most unlikely of places.)

TELL what has happened.

"When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them."

Luke 2:15 - 18

Arrival.

And how amazing
that this Jesus, this Jew born to people of humble origin
should have his birth registered
in the mighty Roman empire.
Caesar Augustus, thinking he was God
and owned the people, wanting them counted
as he counted his riches, was himself
directed by God.

No disputing that this baby was born
a real human being.
No disputing his parents.
No disputing his birthplace.
No, the mighty Roman empire
had it recorded as truth

ordained by God, who himself
spoke centuries before
of where and how this all would happen.

Luke 2:1 - 7
About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.

6-7 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.