Chatting with Jesus
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Lord, the images we have of Mary, the mother of Jesus, seem to portray her as gentle and humble. She probably would love kittens make chocolate chip cookies for those she loves. Often she is pictured kneeling over the manger, looking glowingly at the baby Jesus, while Joseph leans over her. We are not told her age, with some biblical scholars estimating her age between thirteen and sixteen. But what about her tough side of this young girl? Just how hardy was she?
This may be difficult for men to comprehend but guys, put on your thinking cap. Imagine being nine months pregnant and ready to deliver at any moment. Your body is swollen, retaining fluids, your ankles the size of cantaloupes. Irritable, grouchy, and your husband comes home and says, get ready, start packing, we’re going to Bethlehem in the morning. God must have restrained Mary not to kill Joseph.
Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels detail the story of their journey. Mary rode the donkey for the 70-mile walk from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Traveling about fifteen miles a day, the journey must have taken nearly five days. Surely, the five day ride on a bumpy, smelly donkey must have tested her humanity, and Joseph’s sanity. But Mary endured. She persevered. She probably longed for the comfortable bed awaiting her in Bethlehem, where she might find relief from this arduous donkey ride.
As we know, there is much more to the Christmas story. Mary gave birth to Jesus in the stable and laid her baby son, the very physical being of God, in a manger. Her Son, the promised Messiah, would one day redeem not only her from her sins, but the sins of the world.
Lord Jesus, help us grasp the significance of you humbly coming to us as our promised Emmanuel, God with us!
THANKFUL 