A Journey to BethlehemShembull

Joseph’s Journey to Bethlehem Like Mary, Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem started well before they traveled for the required census. Joseph was engaged to be married to Mary, which in his culture was a commitment that could only be broken by means of a divorce. The marriage was set, the decision was made, and his commitment was sure. Then Mary becomes pregnant. Can you imagine the emotions Joseph must have felt? As Mary undoubtedly told him of her experience with the angel Gabriel, and as she steadfastly maintained her claim of fidelity and purity. Feelings of betrayal, grief, anger, and confusion. Mary’s claim would have obviously seemed to be impossible, and marriage to her would have been unthinkable, considering the circumstances. Her condition was controversial for him and his family and a reproach to God, who forbids sexual relations outside the covenant of marriage. The Bible says that Joseph was a righteous man. Because he was righteous, he decided he must divorce Mary rather than marry her. He did not want to dishonor God. Also, because he was a righteous man, he had no desire to bring harm to Mary. He could have made a public spectacle of Mary and even demanded that she be stoned for “obvious” adultery, but he did not because of the uprightness of his heart. It is this righteous heart that positioned Joseph to make that trip to Bethlehem. Joseph wanted to do what was right in God’s eyes. That mattered more to him than what others thought, his place in society, or even his own emotions. Then, he had a dream. In his dream, an angel of God corroborated Mary’s story and told him to go ahead and marry her. The scripture says that Joseph “arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” Mary had a visitation from an angel, but Joseph only had a dream in which an angel spoke. Joseph was a man whose heart was turned towards God. He desired to do the right thing. This desire put Joseph in the position to make the journey to Bethlehem. A heart that desires to do what is right is a heart that can discern when God speaks. If we want to journey to where Jesus is, we must have a heart that desires who He is. God will speak, and we will be able to hear His voice and discern His truth when our heart desires what is right. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”