Watching and listening to the television the other day, I heard a man who considered himself to be educated, say that Jesus was not born in Bethlehem but in Nazareth. His premise was the fact that, in the Bible, Jesus is referred to as Jesus of Nazareth and not Jesus of Bethlehem. One must assume that the educated man never read Matthew 2:23, “He came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, ‘He shall be called a Nazarene.'” But what if the spirit had not led Matthew to write those words? If a child were born in a city other than the place where his parents live, what city would you report the child to be from? Would the child be from the city where the birth took place or the city where the child goes to live?

The man went on to offer as proof the fact that a women that far along in her pregnancy would not have traveled the distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem. In Luke 2 starting in verse 1 it is written that Caesar Augustus, the ruler of the nation that ruled Israel at the time, decreed that everyone would be registered in their own city (the city of their ancestry). A decree from Caesar would have persuaded a pregnant woman to make the journey. The woman Mary loved God and would have trusted Him to protect the unborn child who was conceived in her by the Spirit and power of God. Gabriel said of the child in her womb, “He shall be great, and be called the Son of the Highest” (see Luke 1:32). Mary knowing that the child would live to be Son of the Highest would not have feared the journey.
It is so easy for a person led by learning to doubt everything they read. The proof of Jesus Christ is not in the reading; it is in the living. Jesus promised that God the Father would send a comforter, the Holy Spirit, which would remind us of His words and give understanding. The written words are not the proof of Jesus; the proof is in living in the Spirit in faith.

Preachers tell us that Jesus is the way to God and Jesus Himself told us so. What path we take to Jesus is not defined. Some would say it is the Bible, the written word. The written word tells us of both the prophecy and the life of Jesus, but the Spirit gives us understanding. The written is like a map and the Spirit the mode of transportation. The leaders of Jesus’ day had the same written word that Jesus read and quoted from, but the Holy Spirit gave Him understanding. If we live according to the understanding given us by the Holy Spirit, then Jesus is proven in our life. In the same manner one cannot disprove Jesus in the reading or writing, all that changes is their choice to believe or not.

When preparing to travel one day, I looked at a map to see how to get where I was going. While I was looking at the map a few coworkers asked me where I was going. Some of them had opinions on how I should get there and gladly shared them with me. I listened, studied the map a little more and calculated a plan in my head. As I started the journey I had to adjust my plan because of traffic and road conditions, but arrived at my destination. I made it because I trusted that the place existed and set it as my goal. No matter what obstacles were presented I was able to proceed slower through or go around them, always keeping my goal in mind. The map did not get me to my goal. The opinions of others did not get me to my goal. While both were helpful, it was living the journey that got me to my goal.

To find the righteous life in Jesus we must have faith that He exists and set our goal. We study the map, listen to the opinions of others, and make the journey. Jesus promised us a guide to help if we step out in faith (believe in Him). The guide is the Holy Spirit that brings understanding in all things Jesus taught. One cannot find Jesus where He once walked. There is a song that says, “He walks with me, and He talks with me” (In The Garden, Charles Miles, 1912, public domain). And that He, the living Word of God, does.