Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 2:1-5; Micah 5
As if they didn’t have enough to worry about. There was the unexpected pregnancy that happened during betrothal. They’d seen the scorn and endured the silent treatment. They planned to just ride it out until the wedding day. But now soldiers came with an announcement from the emperor. “Everyone must return to his hometown to register so that you could be taxed.” Wow, that’s a fun reason to go on a trip. Make a journey so they can know who you are, how much you own and how much they can tax.
On top of this required trip, she was 8 months pregnant. The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem was 100 km by foot. They needed to cross rugged terrain. It would take several days. They might find no place to stay. Why couldn’t they have just stayed in Nazareth? Why did Joseph and Mary have to go to Bethlehem?
Because that’s where God wanted them. God “interrupted” their lives to move them where they needed to be. It was all part of God’s bigger plan. Sometimes God does the same with us. He interrupts our lives to move us where He wants us. You might have experienced, be experiencing or are about to experience something in your life that you see as an interruption. But it might be exactly what God has in mind to move you to where He wants you to be or to where He wants you to learn.
