FORERUNNERS PART 2:

 

I am always amazed at Mary, the mother of Christ. Girls in the meridian of time married young so historians claim that according to the traditions of the day, Mary was a young girl of 15 when she gave birth to Jesus. To take on such a responsibility of raising the child of so much importance would make many of us retreat.

The stigma of pregnancy outside marriage would have been unbearable in Mary’s day. It reminds me of the Jews who spat His birth into the Saviour’s face by calling Him ‘a child of fornication’ (John 8:41). What an incredible insult to the purity of a woman who put her very reputation on the line to enable the salvation of the very people who would crucify the fruit of her womb! Mary would have to be the greatest forerunner of Christ because she gave Him life.

What amazes me even more is what kind of a valiant and righteous spirit she must have been in the beginning to be chosen to be the mother of Christ. I stand in awe of that. Alma called Mary ‘a precious and chosen vessel’ (Alma 7:10).

For such a valiant spirit, there would have to be a protector and that man was Joseph. Not only did he care for Mary and ensured her safety, he was a man spiritually in tune who was willing to receive heavenly instructions and follow them. In this way, he became a forerunner that ensured the safety of Jesus’ life in his youth. Imagine him taking his young family to another country away from family and kin to ensure the safety of a child who was not even his.  How did they live there, what did he do to support them?

And here is an awesome proof that Mary and Joseph paved the way for the Saviour’s earthly mission. We always think that they went to Bethlehem because of the Roman’s tax decree. Elder Bruce R. McConkie reasoned that this decree was just a vehicle to fulfil the prophecy that the Saviour would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1-8). He goes on to say that Mary and Joseph knew of this prophecy and knowing who Mary’s baby was, would have moved heaven and earth to make it to Bethlehem so He could be born there (The Mortal Messiah Book 1, p 341.

Would women really have been expected to attend accounting of taxes and census? Surely only Joseph would have been required to be there. Any governmental procedure in the ancient world was conducted by men with men. Women came under the jurisdiction of men. Their record keeping tracked only the paternal and not the maternal line. The scriptures attest to this.

So why else would Joseph put Mary ‘heavy with child’ through a journey of eighty dusty, dreary miles from Nazareth, riding on a slow stepping donkey, to Bethlehem if the primary motivation was not Jesus’ place of birth?

Imagine if Joseph had gone to Bethlehem alone and Jesus was born in Nazareth instead. How much cause would the Jewish ruling class have had against Jesus who claimed He was the promised Messiah that was prophesied would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2-4)?! I am certain that Mary and Joseph contemplated this and used it as motivation to fulfil the sacred responsibility they were entrusted with.

Could Jesus have had a better beginning to His life with parental forerunners such as this??? I think not.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Mary and Joseph by Greg Collins)