Strange Story: The Birth of Jesus Part 8 The Journey

In order to comply with the census, “Up” would have to travel from “The Heathen Circle,” specifically from “The Holy Sprout,” to “The Land of Those Hot-Headed, Troublesome Jews,” to the city of “The One Who Is Loved,” which is also “The House of Bread,” since he was of the house and family of “The One Who Is Loved” Luke 2:4.

Women were most likely not included in this census. Therefore it was not necessary for “Reb” to accompany “Up” to their hometown, “The House of Bread.”

They talked about it briefly and agreed that she should go along because of the hostility of everyone around them. He was concerned about taking her on such a long trip in her condition, but he was more concerned about leaving her alone with no one to help her if a need would arise. The reality was that no midwife was willing to help them in their hometown of “The Holy Sprout” and they could expect the same situation in “The House of Bread.” They were confident that the news of her untimely pregnancy had arrived at “The House of Bread” long before the census had been announced meaning that all their relatives would have the same attitudes toward them that their parents had.

She was pregnant and the date of her delivery was getting relatively close. It was inconceivable for her to walk that far, so she had to ride either on a beast of burden or in a cart. Donkeys were common and cheap; horses were expensive and were often stolen by Roman soldiers. Whether she rode side-saddle on a donkey or in a bumpy cart, either way would be hard on her. “Up” wanted to do everything he could to make the trip as painless as possible for her. Therefore he chose an option that did not rely on a donkey for he would not trust her comfort to a witless animal that didn’t care how hard the jars and jolts would be. Instead he would use a small cart which he owned, and he would pulled it himself. First, he adapted it to include a type of stand to hold it partially level when it was stationary and a crude braking system for use when his wife was climbing in and out of it. Pulling the cart himself might slow them down a bit, but he would control the cart himself with utmost gentleness.

The two of them worked together to make a few cushions from old material and anything they could find that was soft – primarily moss and wool. The cushions were not pretty like those of rich people, but they were soft. He arranged the cushions in the cart; it looked like a large nest. It was a good thing that she was small of stature for the cart was not very large. He also placed his most important tools in the cart.

Knowing they would have to travel slowly, they started out several days before others in their village who were heading the same general direction they were headed. The young couple traveled slowly, stopped often, and did not push themselves the way others did. “Up” made sure to not stress out his pregnant wife and he controlled the severity of every bump the best he could. A human stream heading East across the Jordan and then South toward Judea caught up with them and encircled them, yet they were alone. At night the side of the road was dotted with many campfires for cooking and warmth. Their own fire was pitifully small because he did not want to leave his wife to go on a long search for firewood. Most people travelled in groups to protect from opportunistic thieves who had inserted themselves into the moving mass of people. “Up” hoped that the meager supplies in their cart would not attract the attention of any bandits. So, by day they moved as two lonely travelers and at night they slept as an isolated couple. Their fathers and brothers were all required to make the same journey to “The House of Bread,” but the rejected young couple was not allowed to travel with them, not invited to sit by their cooking fires, nor asked to spend the night at their shelters. Instead each night along the journey they slept outside, on the ground, under the stars, with his cloak serving as a blanket that they shared.

To navigate to Part 9 of this story click on The Birth of Jesus Part 9 Bethlehem.