Obstacle Course!

On Sunday, Pastor Sam reminded us that the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem was full of risks for Joseph and Mary.

It was a pathway full of obstacles:

The financial challenge of having to come up with the money to pay taxes to Rome. This was a newly instituted manadte, and I would imagine that most families in ancient Israel were not prepared to pay tribute to Caesar.

The physical challenge of having to travel. There was no airplane, no bus system. Does the Bible tell us whether this couple even had a donkey for Mary to ride on? (That's for you to research.)

The physiological challenge of giving birth to a child. Scripture does not inform us of whether there was a midwife, or any other assistant. But we do know that Mary and Joseph had lodging in a stable, apparently the only available space since "there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7). In the worst of sanitary conditions, there they were.

Was there a racial obstacle? Was there ethnic bias? We don't know, but I do wonder about that phrase "there was no room for them". Would there have been room if they had a lot of money, making a grand entrance with camels and horses and famous relatives?

Ah, but the good news is that in spite of these obstacles, God's work was still accomplished. As Pastor Sam shared, "Obstacles do not present a credible barrier to the purpose of God." And perhaps that is a good note to end on for today: when faced with the pressures of life, we can know without a doubt that God's work will nonetheless move forward. Amen!