Sometimes It Is the Destination

Meditating on Luke 2

And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

—Luke 2:16

Sometimes we will hear this statement, It’s not the destination. It’s the journey. This statement, or at least the idea, has been attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson. It conveys the idea that when we are on a journey, we should enjoy the process of moving from one location to another.

Often for us this is the case. We should slow down and take in the sights along the way. But in Luke 2 we read the account of the shepherds on their way to see Jesus. They had been somewhere in fields in the region of Bethlehem when an angel appeared to them in the radiant glory of the Lord. The angel announced to them that the Christ child was to be found inside the city of Bethlehem.

When the angel left they said to one another,

Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.

—Luke 2:15

So they were on a trip. The destination was Bethlehem. More specifically it was to a manger in Bethlehem. And it was not any manger, but the one which was holding the promised Christ child. Jesus was their destination.

What a wonderful journey it is when Jesus is our destination. And if Jesus is our destination, how do we make the trip? Well, these shepherds made their journey with haste. They were not interested in the flowers along the way. They did not get sidetracked by the lights and the sounds of the city as they neared. No, they went quickly…for they were going to see the Lord.

Imagine taking a road trip to see grandma. If it is a normal day, you might stop along the way at an interesting looking restaurant. You might get out of the car, stretch your legs and sit for a meal before going on down the road to grandma’s house. You might stop along the road to see some historical site or to gaze at the wildflowers in the fields.

But imagine it is not a normal day. Word has arrived to you that grandma is at the point of death. You hop in the car and with haste turn your car towards her house. You have to hurry. You want to see grandma one more time in this life. Along the way you don’t stop unless it is to get a quick splash of gas. You treat the gas station like you are racing in NASCAR and have to hit the pits in record time.

This is the way the shepherds journeyed to see something (someone) so amazing that God had sent an angel and his cohorts to announce it to them. They were going to see the Savior. They were heading to see what the angel had promised would bring great joy.

In other words, they did not dawdle. They did not dilly dally. They went with haste to see Jesus. Does this describe your pursuit of Jesus? Are you making haste to see this promised Messiah? Are you speeding to see this one who brings you great joy?

As the hymn writer encouraged his singers,

Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we'll behold.

—E.E. Hewitt

Let’s go! Are you coming?