One On One: 100 Days With Jesus--ADVENTSample

Refugees: The Unexpected Way Home

Like refugees running from terrorists, Joseph snuck his young family out of Bethlehem in the middle of the night with nothing but dark, dangerous miles ahead. 

Again, an angel had met Joseph in a dream and warned him of Herod’s troops on their way to Bethlehem intent on massacring every baby boy in the neighborhood hoping the baby Messiah would be one of them. 

Joseph and Mary took only what they could carry. She bundled up Jesus against the night air and away from the eyes of curious spies. Joseph likely grabbed the gifts the wise men had just given them. They were out of their house by daybreak. 

The dawn would bring unspeakable grief to the sleepy towns around Bethlehem. Because of Joseph’s quick obedience to God’s warning, the three of them escaped by a matter of hours. 

Where do you run when the king wants your baby dead? Their only option was Egypt, barely outside the madman’s reach. Just 75 miles to the border along the Via Maris (the ancient road called, “The Way of the Sea”) and then another 200 miles to the nearest town. Before they could rest again, they would walk the better part of two weeks. Once out of harm’s way, they hid out as fugitives inside Jewish communities either in Alexandria or Heliopolis in Egypt’s northern delta. 

What a detour <sigh>—one more for Mary and Joseph in a year already packed with highjacked plans. Their hopes for a quiet life in Nazareth had taken one dramatic turn after another. In retrospect, this detour shaped their young lives—what often happens to us, too, when life changes direction. Look what we can learn from their choices: 

1. Before doing anything, listen for God’s direction. Joseph had learned to recognize God’s voice. Three times he trusted and obeyed, following the angel’s orders in each difficult or dangerous case. 

2. Then, respond with courage rooted in faith in God. Barely starting out in life, Mary too had proven she would respond bravely if she knew God was in it. Now, faith allowed them to act fast when confronted with the unthinkable. 

3. Understand there’s a bigger plan in play. Not only did this detour into Egypt fulfill the prophecy in Hosea 11:1 that God would call His Son out of Egypt, it also proved to Joseph and Mary how God would protect and provide for them in every emergency. Something bigger is always in the works. 

If we’re honest, most of us could point to detours in our lives. Looking back with faith, we sometimes see the unexpected way was the best route after all. The detour is a mystery, but trusting God is always the safest way home. 

 Tomorrow: One on one with Jesus as a toddler