Born at Bethlehem

Experience the Jesus Story Here:    • The Jesus Story  

As we study the word, we notice that God will align the things of the world to make his plan come to completion. The birth, life, and death of Christ is no exception to this. Another example of this would be the story of Joseph that we discussed two Sundays ago, as we look at that we would say that everything happens to align for him. The reality is God aligned everything so that it would happen the way he wanted it to. Just before the birth of Jesus Caesar Augustus sent out an order for a census to be taken. Assumably to assure that everyone was paying their taxes to the government, thinking this was his own idea. Luke 2:1 “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.”

The reality of the situation was that this was not Caesar’s it was Gods, God used Ceasar to bring what he wanted. God needed to get Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem for the birth of his son, God had already said through the prophet Micah that his son would be born in Bethlehem in Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Now that Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem it was time for the birth of Jesus, Luke described the birth of Jesus in Luke 2:1-7 “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”