Mary and Joseph, Part VII

Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Once when my children were very young, I remember on Christmas Eve reading this story to them…and then we talked about the miracle that happened in Bethlehem that night.  And, as I was tucking her in, the five-year-old asked, “But did Mary and Joseph ever pay their taxes?”

Yes, let’s demand that they show those tax returns!

How easy it is to fix on something insignificant and miss the real point of the story.

Indeed, the whole matter of the census taking and the date and who was governing the Roman province have vexed scholars for two millennia as they try to “fix” the date of Jesus birth, and the reason his Galilean parents would have been in Bethlehem to satisfy yet another Old Testament Prophecy.

And they miss the point.  It is not where…nor why they were there…nor whether there really were shepherds in the fields or wise men from the east…that is the stuff of which Christmas pageants are made, but it is not the “true” meaning of Christmas.

The “true” meaning is found in the Gospel of John, the one that doesn’t have any mangers or shepherds in it at all: In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

It was not a tax that was collected, but a gift that was given…the gift of light and life eternal…the most tax-free gift of all…LOVE.

It is a gift that cannot be truly given nor truly accepted, it can only be shared.

Prayer:  Lord, who so loved us that you gave us the perfect example of Love in Jesus, help us to accept that love and to share it will all your children everywhere.