One of the hallmarks of living in a free country is that people can develop an aversion to being told what to do. Maybe this trend is a hallmark of all people, but it certainly is pronounced in this country. Imagine the government suddenly issuing a proclamation that requires you to drop everything you are doing, abandon all of your plans, and leave your home to travel a very long journey to some place where you have no real connections.
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.
Luke 2: 1-3
While he was still in his mother’s womb, Jesus was already on the road, being jostled hours on end while his mother rode a donkey or walked during the ninth month of her pregnancy. My daughter-in-law is a fitness instructor and has four kids. Each one was treated to multiple workout sessions during their pregnancies, so I have to assume that if a person was used to walking a lot this would not have been the trial that a couch potato like myself might have suffered. Even so, it was a trial and a journey.
Traveling would be something that would be a big part of the young Jesus’ life. He would be born in Bethlehem, but from there his family would move to Egypt, and then to Nazareth. From then on Jesus was told what to do by his stepfather, Joseph, until he became a man and then started his ministry. Throughout all of this, he was doing what his Father in heaven told him to do.
Q: What is the result of following Jesus’ example when we do what God tells us to do?
One result is that we glorify Him through our obedience and our loving response to His direction.
So true! Also, things seem to work out better for some reason.