Verses 4-5
It may seem unusual that Joseph took Mary with him to his ancestral home in Bethlehem since she was pregnant. Apparently the Romans required that every adult appear to make a proper assessment of his property. [Note: Ibid., p. 15.] Perhaps Joseph also did this to remove Mary from local gossip and emotional stress in Nazareth. [Note: Liefeld, p. 844.] Moreover the couple probably knew that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).
One writer suggested that Joseph and Mary lived together as husband and wife, though they did not have sexual relations before Jesus’ birth (cf. Luke 1:25). He believed that it is unlikely that Mary would have traveled with Joseph as she did if they were only betrothed. [Note: Marshall, The Gospel . . ., p. 105.] However they could have traveled together without having lived together previously since their culture regarded engaged couples as virtually married.
Most readers assume that the couple arrived in Bethlehem just before Jesus’ birth. However the text does not require nor rule out this reading. They may have been there for some time before Mary went into labor.
Be the first to react on this!
