A Journey to BethlehemSýnishorn

Mary’s Journey to Bethlehem

When we reflect on how Mary journeyed to Bethlehem, the natural response would be to say, by donkey. This is how it is portrayed in paintings and movies, but we don’t know that is true. It is widely told that Mary rode on a donkey, and Joseph walked beside her and led the way. The Bible does not completely tell us this detail. What the Bible does make clear is how Mary actually begins the journey that eventually culminated with her giving birth to the Savior of the world.

Her journey to Bethlehem began when the angel Gabriel came to a young, unmarried Mary, engaged to be to her fiancé Joseph. Gabriel told Mary that she was going to be “with child” by the supernatural activity of God, and the child she would deliver would be the Son of God. Mary did not understand this, but her response showed her surrender to God’s will. She responded that she was the servant of the Lord, and whatever the Lord wanted, she would do. Mary’s heart was surrendered to the will of God. This surrender was what really took Mary to Bethlehem.

If we hope to experience the reality of the incarnation, our hearts must be surrendered to God’s will. God’s will for Mary would put her in a position to be ostracized by her community, rejected by her fiancé, and potentially stoned to death, yet she submitted to God’s will. Her submission to God was truly the vehicle that led her to Bethlehem, to give birth to the Savior into this world. A surrendered heart is always necessary to encounter all that Jesus offers us. Even when it is not an easy journey or a journey we completely understand, it can be a journey infinitely and eternally worth taking. Surrendering to the will of God will take us to a place where God will bring miracles to the messiness of our lives.