Bethlehem is the small city that David left to become king of Israel a thousand years ago, and it hasn't been famous for anything else since. But it's been very busy these last months! The Roman invaders have decided to tax Judea just the same as other provinces - this will be the real end of Judean independence - and have demanded census, by the clumsiest means possible: Everybody's required to go back to wherever their ancestors came from, in order to be counted as family groups. This foolish method has been a hardship for thousands - and has also forced one young couple to travel all the way from Nazareth in the north, even though she's in advanced pregnancy.
But it's good for business! The city is so packed that the inn's overflowing and there's not a room to be had, and of course, all the out-of-towners have got to eat. The markets are open almost all night, and nobody notices what's happened in an outbuilding in the inn's backyard. But before this night is over, some excited shepherds will be running through the market demanding directions: 'A pregnant girl's been staying in a stable somewhere in town! Where is it?' Everybody who hears them will be stunned by what they've got to tell. |