Sunday we lit the second advent candle. The candle of Peace or Bethlehem’s Candle. I wondered as we lit this candle, “How many miles would I have to travel to get to Bethlehem?” So I googled it. How far to Bethlehem? My google maps says it’s around 7000 miles from my house to Bethlehem Israel.
I also wondered, “How far did Mary and Joseph have to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem all those centuries ago before airplanes, boats, cars, trains and vans?” So I googled it.
Google maps thinks we can walk from Nazareth to Bethlehem in 4 hours. Hummmm. I’m thinking not. Not for me anyway. And not for Mary and Joseph. In biblical days a person would travel on average 20 miles a day, and as the crow flies, it was about 70 miles from Nazareth, where Joseph and Mary began their journey to Bethlehem. The terrain in between was rocky, hilly, littered with thieves and bandits, and the land of Samaria lay in between. The couple would have probably gone around the land of Samaritans. Then there lay the last obstacle. Mary was heavy with child. No matter what, they would get to Bethlehem.
”But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.“
Micah 5:2 ESV
”“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”“
Matthew 2:6 ESV
God ordained it, so it shall be.
Again, as I stared at those 2 purple candles, I wondered, “How far did the wise men travel to get to Bethlehem?” I googled it. They would have traveled more than 900 miles to meet Jesus.
Still allowing my thoughts to wander, “how far is it from Jerusalem to Bethlehem?”
Less than seven miles. A days journey. Yet we read of none of the leaders of Jerusalem bothered to travel to Bethlehem and worship the newborn King. Not Herod, not the religious leaders, none of them bothered. They knew the prophecies but were too self involved to investigate. All the while Wise Men from the East traveled months maybe even years all so they could worship and bring their gifts to the One True King of the Universe, and simply because they saw a new star rising in the night sky.
Still staring at the light of this second candle, I thought, “How far did Jesus travel to get to Bethlehem, to get to that cradle made of hay. How far did He go to make himself a vulnerable infant?” Jesus went as far as love would take Him.
”“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”“
John 3:16-21 ESV