Posted By RichC on December 24, 2025
With Christmas Eve upon us, we are still gathering bits and pieces for the holidays; Brenda is still pulling out some old decorations and I’m hobbling around on my lingering foot issue that’s made 2025 a bit more “bah humbug” than usual. But … at least I’ve been thinking a little historicity and the “real reason” we even celebrate Christmas. It is likely not the sanitized manger scenes we see on cards (or like below), but I’m convinced a much more uncomfortable one that Luke gives us right at the start.
“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.” – Luke 2:1-5 (KJV)
It’s easy to skim over this as just background, but Luke’s dropping these names—Caesar Augustus, Cyrenius (Quirinius)—and places like Nazareth and Bethlehem for a reason. This wasn’t some myth; it was history pinned down in Roman politics, a census for taxation that forced everyday people like Joseph and Mary to uproot and travel. Joseph, a carpenter from Nazareth, hauling his very pregnant wife on a roughly 90-mile trek south to his ancestral hometown because of some imperial decree. It was not a comfortable ride for Mary — just donkey and on foot for Joseph. The roads were rough and dusty … and dangerous (thieves, etc). Traveling in those times had all the discomfort that comes with this kind of travel, especially a distance.
I thought about this post from Truth for Life devotional: Luke’s weaving in political, social, geographical, and historical details that seem mundane, but they ground the story in reality. Joseph and Mary weren’t rebels; they were obedient to the authorities of their time, making that journey in compliance with the law. And someone back then could’ve checked the public records for Joseph’s registration. 
This wasn’t some vague religion or philosophy, it was reporting actual events leading to the birth of a child in David’s city (a great re-telling by Jane Wells if you missed it).
As we routinely approach Christmas Eve and Christmas Day tomorrow, it’s worth pausing on your “journey.” The obedience, the inconvenience, the real-world mess leading to the manger for Joseph and Mary was likely significantly more than most of us struggle with in getting to our destinations and celebrating the Birth of Christ.
Category: Faith, Holiday |
No Comments »
Tags: christmas, christmas eve, Faith, historicity, Jesus birth, Joseph and Mary, Luke 2
