NATIVITY NUGGETS

When you think about the Nativity, raise your hand if scenes from the Charlie Brown Christmas Classic pop into your head.

In all honesty, it's not that far off from the Biblical version. I mean, you've got a teenage girl engaged to an honorable, yet impoverished Jewish man of no acclaim who is willing to accept a miraculously virginal conception then hauls his pregnant fiance to a crowded village where she gives birth to the Son of God and lays him in a feeding trough while a bunch of lowly shepherds announce His birth. I mean, could God have chosen a more ragtag cast of characters?

Other than Charlie Brown's version (based on Luke 2 and a few chapters in the Gospel of Matthew), we really don't have a plethora of information on the Nativity.  However, I went digging for a few interesting nuggets that may have you looking at your Christmas Nativity Set in a different way.

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BETHLEHEM

The fact that the Little Town of Bethlehem became the birthplace of Jesus was not a surprise to the Jews. It was prophesied in the OT book of Micah:

“But you,Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,

Yet out of you shall come forth to Me

The One to be Ruler in Israel,

Whose goings forth are from of old,

From everlasting.” (Micah 5:2)

Because there were two Bethlehems, Micah specifically referred to Bethlehem Ephrathah. Just look at all that happened in that small, seemingly insignificant village: 

• King David was born there (later called the City of David).
• Ruth & Boaz were married there.
• It was the grave site of Rachel (wife of Jacob / mother of Joseph & Benjamin).

💛Bethlehem means “House of Bread” (beth: "house'; lehem: "of bread") . Ephratah means "fruitfulness". The Bread of Life (John 6:48) was born in the House of Bread. And He is The Vine of our fruitfulness (John 15:5).

💛Bethlehem is only six miles south of Jerusalem. Ancient rabbis record that the lambs used for temple sacrifices were raised in the fields between these two towns. See the symbolism? The Lamb of God was born among the sacrificial lambs in Bethlehem, born to be a living sacrifice in Jerusalem. 

💛“Inn”, “innkeeper” or “stable” are never mentioned in the Biblical account of the Nativity. The idea of Joseph and Mary being turned away from “the inn” and having to birth Jesus in a barn full of lowing cattle comes from from extra-biblical traditions. Logically, since Bethlehem was Joseph's ancestral home, he likely had relatives or acquaintances there with whom he could stay.  It didn't occur to him to make reservations at the Holiday Inn.  To his dismay, Bethlehem was unusually crowded upon their arrival - everybody had a full house.  Joseph and Mary were lucky to find any place to sleep. It just so happened to be a room that was used for keeping animals.

The typical family home in that area did not have barns. Instead, animals were kept in a room (or cave) on the main floor at the back of the house while the family lived together in a separate area.  Since all the guest rooms were occupied (the word used in Matthew 2:7 is "kataluma" which means “upper room”), Joseph and Mary had to stay where the animals usually stayed. There would have been a “manger” (a wooden or stone trough) in the room for feeding the animals.

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SHEPHERDS

Although often used to represent leaders in the Bible, shepherding was actually not a highly respected career. In fact, shepherds were often social outcasts, performing duties that Mike Rowe would categorize as “Dirty Jobs”. But the shepherds around Bethlehem were not just any ol' shepherds. They were special shepherds responsible for raising and caring for the sacrificial lambs that were taken to the Temple in Jerusalem. 

💛Since these lambs had to be perfect and “without blemish” the shepherds went to great lengths to protect them. They would tear strips of cloth (the Greek word translated “swaddling” means “to tear") and wrap them around the limbs of the newborn lambs. Then they would place the tiny lambs in mangers to keep them safe. [Can you imagine the shepherds' surprise in finding the Son of God all wrapped up and laying in a manger?]

“It is a lovely thought that the shepherds who looked after the Temple lambs were the first to see the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” ~ William Barclay

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WISE MEN

This is where some of you might be surprised to learn that your Nativity Set might not be technically correct, in the Biblical sense, that is. There were NOT three wise men standing humbly at the manger scene on the night that Jesus was born because they were late to the scene.  And the wise men weren't just fashionably late, they were several months late.

💛Matthew tells us that the wise men did not arrive until sometime AFTER the birth of Jesus (2:1). In fact, Matthew refers to Jesus three times as the “young child” (Greek “paidion”). Most scholars believe that Jesus could have been almost two years old.

Were they kings? Were they magi? Were they wise men? Were there three?

The Greek word "mάgoi" is translated as “wise men” or “magi”, depending on the English translation. This word originally referred to a class of Persian wise men that were sorta like priests who could interpret the stars and special astrological signs.  They weren't actually kings, but most likely advisers to their king. These particular magi obviously had some knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures and had read about the coming of the Messiah.  We know they came from “the east”- most likely Babylonia or Persia (Iran) - which means they traveled well over 1000 miles while following “His” star.

💛In essence, the magi were star-gazers who followed a star in search of a Savior. And when they finally found Him, they worshiped Him.

💛The Bible does not tell us how many wise men there were - obviously more than one, as "magi" is plural. Three are assumed because of the number of gifts. But traveling in a caravan, there were likely more than three. Eastern tradition states there were 12.

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GIFTS OF THE MAGI

“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11)

The Magi did not come bearing your typical baby shower gifts. They brought gifts that were fit for a king, as prophesied more than 700 years before the birth of Jesus: 

“They shall bring gold and incense, and they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.” (Isaiah 60:6)

To the ancient church, there was plenty of symbolism in these three gifts:

💛GOLD – A gift for royalty and is a symbol of Christ’s kingship on earth – both as King of the Jews and ultimately King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Revelation 19:16)

💛FRANKINCENSE – This is an incense used in priestly duties and is a symbol of the divinity of Christ as High Priest. (Hebrews 4:14-15)

💛MYRRH – Traditionally used as an embalming oil, symbolized the humanity of the sacrificial death of Jesus. As was customary, Myrrh was used to prepare the body of Jesus for burial. (John 19:39-40).

💛Myrrh is extracted by piercing the tree’s heartwood and allowing the resin to trickle out into red droplets called "tears".

Beyond the symbolism, these gifts most likely provided the financial means for Joseph and Mary's trip to Egypt with Jesus, where they lived as refugees for two years in order to protect Jesus from King Herod.  (Matthew 2:13-15)

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BABY JESUS

There's just something about that name...

While most parents spend a great deal of thought over naming their children, Mary and Joseph didn't have that luxury. They didn't waste their time contemplating a firstborn named “Joseph, Jr.” because no less than the angel Gabriel told both of them EXACTLY what to name their baby:

TO JOSEPH: "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus...” (Matthew 1:21)

TO MARY: "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus." (Luke 1:31)

His name shall be JESUS.

• In Hebrew, the word for salvation comes from “yasha”.
• From “yasha” comes Yeshua (Joshua), which means “God is salvation”.
• Translated into Greek, Yeshua becomes Iesous.
• In English, Iesous becomes... JESUS.

Isaiah 7:14 prophesied the birth of a Son named Immanuel. In Hebrew, Immanuel is not just a name, it's a sentence: "God is with us."

To the shepherds, Baby Jesus was introduced as a “Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). Savior means REDEEMER / DELIVERER / RESCUER. Christ (Greek: “Christos”) means “Anointed One”.

JESUS is our Salvation; the Anointed One. He is God with us as our Redeemer, Deliverer and Rescuer.

All wrapped up in the swaddling cloths of a sacrificial lamb.

Divinity in a diaper.

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MOTHER MARY

The Gospel of Luke gives us much greater detail from the perspective of Mary than does Matthew. Most commentators agree that much of the information about Jesus in chapters 1 and 2 was gleaned directly from Mary, who served as one of Luke's “eyewitnesses” (Luke 1:2).

This resonates with me, especially when I read the words written about Mary after the shepherds came to meet Baby Jesus:

“But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19 NRSV)

The word used for “ponder” comes from the Latin "ponderare", which goes beyond the idea of merely thinking upon things. It means “to consider, to weigh, to hold in balance”.

I mean... if anyone ever had some powerful pondering to do on the night of Jesus' birth, it was Mary.

Just try wrapping your brain around the fact that an ancient OT prophecy is about YOU:

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

Oh, Mary.  Did you really know that it was God you were growing under your heart?  Did you understand that your labor pains and stretch marks actually came from Immanuel?

By the time Luke interviewed Mary, she had been pondering over Her Son for many years. She had kept all the important pieces of her Son's life tucked safely away in her heart... things that only the Mother of Jesus could know.

Throughout her life, she pondered over the toddler with scraped knees that was also her Savior... pondered the times she heard her Son praying to His Father... pondered that the teenager who loved her cooking was the King of Kings.

And after sitting under the cross of His crucifixion... she pondered in sorrow as her Son was taken from the cross, wrapped in swaddling cloths (that had been dipped in Myrrh), and then laid in a tomb.