From 30 BC to 14 AD

A moderate as Ceasars go, defeated Richard Burton, I mean Marc Antony and became sole ruler of Rome, the first official emporer.....laid the foundation of 200 years of peace called the Pax Romana....into this world Jesus was born and the church would spread.....

Had expanded enough……for now and turned his attention to several strengthening the empire in general

Was a great builder of roads, water systems and other types of infrastructure

Fortified the empire’s borders and gave a great deal of freedom to local rulers – and allowed them to be King in a sense of their areas of jurisdiction

70 mile trip

3-4 days in length by donkey or on foot

with a fiancee who is 9 months pregnant

9 months pregnant Joseph brings his not yet wife to Bethlehem to have a child before they were married........

source of some humiliation for Joseph, so much so it took an angelic message to convince him to keep Mary as his wife.....

Soon the whole town would know that there was a pregnant lady in the stable, and soon they would also know that she had given birth to a son.....

sound of animals

smell of animals, the hay,

Jesus did a lot of teaching using the common things of life....

a mustard seed

a fig tree

a coin

a sheep

a loaf of bread

a glass of wine

many scholars believe Jesus was born in a stable that was carved out of a rock hillside

and believe that he started his physical life in a hole carved out of a rock

God so loved the world that he gave.....

his only Son.......

The first place Jesus showed up was in a stable, a place where we keep our animals....

I wonder how many times some of the owners of those animals came and checked on them during the night, to make sure they had water and food, their blankets had not fallen off of them......