But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law         Galatians 4:4 ESV

As Christmas approaches, we think of the journeys that ended on the night when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Shepherds walked down from the hills where they had been watching their flocks. Joseph and Mary had wearily journeyed ninety miles on foot from Nazareth to Bethlehem. We often suppose that the ones who came the farthest were the wise men who had traveled over a thousand miles. But of all who were in Bethlehem that night, no one had come further than the newborn baby they had come to worship.

The shepherds came when they heard the angels. The wise men journeyed because they saw His star appear. Mary and Joseph arrived when the time was right for the birth of the child. Today’s verse tells us that Jesus also was sent on a journey, but He left from farther than the farthest star, to come to Bethlehem. What could it have been like for Jesus to close His eyes while in the presence of angels and open them nine months later in a stable where mice rustled in the hay? When God had decided that it was the perfect day for Jesus to come, He couldn’t wait even one minute longer. Yet when Jesus was born and opened His eyes His journey had only just begun!