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Printed Courtesy of My Merry Christmas.com The Nativity: A Story of Two Babies By Jeff Westover The story of the Nativity is really the story of two babies. These two babies are uniquely tied to the events that transpired before the physical creation of the world. Known by many as simply The Christmas Story it is often romanticized and told with critical details missing. The real appeal of the story of the Nativity is in the human reactions of the central players in it: Mary, Joseph, the Wise Men, Herod the Great, Zacharias, Elisabeth and, of course, the shepherds abiding in their fields by night. These people were witnesses to great miracles. They were the characters seen in vision of the ancient prophets and they played critical parts in acting out the story foretold for generations. But they were everyday folks. Before experiencing the miracles surround the Nativity they lived very normal lives. For Mary and Joseph, they were lives filled with hope for the future and a family together. For Zacharias and Elisabeth, they were contemplating their lives left empty by their childless nature. These people had troubles, feelings, emotions and each were spiritually inclined. They were people with whom many even today could identify. The story begins with Zacharias and Elisabeth -- an aged, childless couple. They were also faithful -- "...walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." Zacharias was a presiding high priest. This made him not only a man of distinction in his community but also a man learned in the scriptures. He knew the story of man's pre-mortal experience. He knew the identity of the Messiah and the promise that he would be born in the flesh. But Zacharias was an old man -- a man who felt his time had come and gone. He felt that miracles had passed him by. His dear wife Elisabeth had waited all those many years to bear Zacharias a child. But she was barren and this fact grieved them both. But to both of them came an angel with absolutely stunning news. Zacharias was in the temple at the altar of incense when an angel appeared unto him. "Fear not, Zacharias -- for thy prayer is heard: and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John." As he knelt and looked down at his aged hands, his mind racing, what do you suppose was he feeling? For generations his people had been oppressed. For generations they had gathered in their temples, with men such as Zacharias presiding, as scriptures were read and the promise of a Messiah was renewed again and again. "These things," he might have thought, "do not happen to old men like me." The angel spoke words Zacharias could clearly understand from his knowledge of the scriptures. This coming son of Zacharias would not only be a miracle to him and Elisabeth -- he would be great in the eyes of all who shared a knowledge of the scriptures: "...he shall be great in the sight of the Lord...filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb...And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go forth before him in the spirit and power of Elias..." Zacharias knew this son of his already. He had known from the study of the scriptures that a mighty and great prophet would prepare the way of Christ. But Zacharias could not get over the fact that this great miracle could happen to him and Elisabeth. In a way, he asked the angel Gabriel -- "Are you sure?": "...I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years." It is hard to speculate on the thoughts of an angel. But Gabriel came from the very presence of God. He had news of great importance. Perhaps Zacharias' human response was not what Gabriel was expecting. Or perhaps it was exactly what he was expecting. Either way, Gabriel made it known that no matter when Zacharias came around to the new reality he was facing, he would not be able to articulate the facts to anyone else -- at least for a season: "And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words..." Zacharias emerged from the altar and faced the other worshippers in the temple. As a high priest in the function he was performing that day there was an expectation by the crowd that Zacharias would address them. In fact, to the waiting crowd, the length of time Zacharias spent at the altar signaled that something of great import had happened. But try as he might, Zacharias could not speak. The people suspected that Zacharias had had a vision. But what had transpired in that experience was Zacharias' alone to contemplate -- at least until he got home to Elisabeth. While the New Testament does not specifically tell Elisabeth's version of events she clearly was informed in the same manner as Zacharias about what was to transpire. Socially, she hid herself away for months because she knew not how to explain her condition given her reputation as a barren old woman. But spiritually, Elisabeth basked in the glow of not only her impending motherhood but, more importantly, in the hope that this baby would bring of another who would soon follow. ~ Gabriel Comes Again ~ When Elisabeth was six months pregnant, Gabriel visited from the presence of God again -- this time to Elisabeth's cousin Mary, a young woman of probably 16 or so years of age who was promised in marriage soon to Joseph. As with Zacharias, Gabriel brought stunning news to the young Mary: "Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women...Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus." Mary, raised as she was in a household of faith, knew instantly the magnitude of this message. She knew the name "Jesus". The very name means "savior". Though it was not an uncommon Jewish name to have it revealed to her by an angel meant much more than what it would on the surface to other people in society. What could she have felt as a bride-to-be when visited by Gabriel? What could the words from on high mean when the angel declared that Mary was "highly favored"? And who was she to be "blessed among women"? That Mary knew of the coming Messiah, there could be no doubt. She was raised in the royal house of David and knew well the teachings concerning Him. She knew somewhere in Israel a woman would be chosen to bring that Child into the world. But did she have any suspicions prior to the angelic visitation that she would be chosen? And, of course, how was she to deal with her beloved Joseph? Like Elisabeth hiding herself away for so many months Mary had the burden of dealing with a special spiritual miracle in a cruel, disinterested world. In the flower of her youth, mere weeks from her wedding to Joseph, Mary had a lot of explaining to do. Joseph was a man of royal lineage -- the same lineage as Mary -- and was recognized publicly for his patriarchal standing. He was betrothed to Mary which in those days meant a very public commitment of engagement had been made. This engagement, under the laws in which they lived, was nearly as revered as marriage itself. It set the woman aside for the man and regarded her as holy and sacred to him. In addition, Mary was the very love of his life -- she was his distant cousin -- and he had undoubtedly known her since childhood. What was Mary to do? Gabriel planted the seed of a plan: "And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath conceived a son in her old age: and this is the six month with her, who was called barren. For with God, nothing shall be impossible." If anyone could begin to understand the depth of Mary's feelings or the desperate nature of her situation, it was Elisabeth. Mary spared no time in traveling to visit her. As she entered the house, the soon-to-be born John reacted in Elisabeth's womb. It was no secret to him or to Elisabeth about who Mary now was or why she had come to visit: "And whence is this to me," Elisabeth said, "that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" As receivers of heavenly messengers, Mary and Elisabeth had much in common. As faithful students of the scriptures, their shared condition meant the literal fulfillment of prophecy. While society shut them out, together they found support and love as their babies grew closer to maturity. For Elisabeth, birth brought forth more miracles. The fact that she had hid her condition made the birth of John a very public miracle indeed. As they prepared to circumcise the baby -- a somewhat public event attended by "her neighbors and her cousins" -- there was some debate over the name of the baby. The family, the neighbors and those who did not know the full miracle of this birth wanted to follow tradition -- and name the baby after his father, Zacharias. Elisabeth emphatically answered that his name was to be John. When the protests grew louder because there was no one on either side of the family who had that name in their history it was Zacharias -- still mute -- who settled the debate. He asked for something to write with and indicated the baby's name was to be John, much to the amazement of those gathered for they supposed that he was not only mute but also deaf. As they marveled, Zacharias' tongue was finally loosed. And he spoke enthusiastically of the miracle placed before them all: "What manner of child shall this be!...Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people...As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began...to perform the mercy promised to our fathers...The oath which he sware to our father Abraham...And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways." While Mary stayed with Elisabeth for three months we do not know for sure if she was a witness to the outpouring of joy and testimony at the birth of John. But if she was not there in person she certainly would have heard about it as the events of the Zacharias household became famous. ~ Mary Confronts Joseph ~ While Mary no doubt rejoiced at Elisabeth's delivery, she had to face the consequences of the real world while in her condition. And as expected, a clearly pregnant Mary who had been gone from Joseph for many months could not have been welcome news for him. How he handled the situation was not only delicate for Mary but also politically for himself. To abide her condition would be to condone unclean and impure practices. To simply cast her aside would be cruel. The fact of the matter is that Joseph was in love with Mary. It was with these thoughts he struggled when he beheld a vision from an angel himself. Joseph was a man of deep feeling and clearly had spiritual depth . His standing and upbringing was steeped in religious tradition. He knew well of angels and revelation and prophecy. But what must he have felt as this angel explained the nature of the circumstance and his particular part in it? How did it change the way he felt about Mary? And how did it change the way he felt about himself? We can take from the words of the angel some of what Joseph was feeling. For he said "fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife". But given his convictions-- and given his suddenly impending responsibility as both a husband and a stepfather-- there surely must have been many great concerns beyond what the scripture tells us. We fail to think of Joseph much at Christmas. We tend to think of him as an older man, mostly due to the fact that ancient art depicting him shows him beyond his youth. He is largely forgotten in retelling the tale even though he was instrumental in bringing it to pass. Sacred as the role of Mary was, we must not discount the importance of Joseph in the story. Jesus was the Son of God and would be schooled in the works of God. But Jesus was also a man in the flesh, and who would school him to be a man? This role, as stepfathers before and since, was fulfilled by Joseph the Carpenter. Once Joseph awoke from his heavenly sleep and realized his part in the drama of Christmas we can only speculate what transpired between him and Mary. What did they say? Were they scared? Were they happy? How did it all change the feelings they shared about each other? The scriptures are silent on these points. Like Zacharias and Elisabeth, Joseph and Mary were a righteous couple. And as the story continues they remained faithful to the mission they were called. While Joseph did not marry Mary until after the birth of Christ he stayed faithfully by her side and attended to every critical need. In response to an imposed tax , Joseph and Mary both traveled to Bethlehem, their ancestral village. Many assume that Joseph chose a stable for their housing while in Bethlehem because the village was over populated with visitors. But the scriptures do not indicate that was the fact. The scripture says "...because there was no room for them in the inn." Why? Was it merely because Mary was "great with child"? Or was it because of the fact that Joseph and Mary were not yet officially man and wife? We can only speculate about how they felt under the circumstances. They knew by prophecy that Jesus was to be born there. The physical realities were plain to them and others around them. But what could they have felt as Joseph set about to make the stalls intended for animals a suitable place for Mary and a newborn? As he cleared the dung and debris, did Joseph question? Did he murmur -- is this to be the birthplace of our Savior? The moment was at hand. And while they set about the business of welcoming the baby alone in the world-- Mary, a teenager and Joseph, probably not much older -- did they know how many in the world would be made immediately aware of what was transpiring? Close by, "shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night" , were startled from the slumbering duties by the appearance of an angel. These were not priests. These may not have been men learned of the scriptures. Far away to east -- in a land far from the Jews and amongst a people who knew little of them -- "wise" men gazed at a brilliant star. While not learned in the scriptures either, these "wise" men were likely men of science and watchers of stars. How they came to know that the star represented the birth of a King we do not know. Why they felt compelled to come to a strange land to worship the Baby King we are not told. But like the shepherds they were told the glad tidings of great joy. Farther still, in the western hemisphere, to a people who Christ would later refer to as "other sheep I have, which are not of this fold" , the birth of the Messiah was made evident by the absence of darkness: "And it came to pass that there was no darkness in all that night, but it was as light as though it was mid-day...and they knew that it was the day that the Lord should be born, because of the sign which had been given." The birth of Christ was a global event, though Joseph and Mary surely felt alone at the time. But the scene could only be described as reminiscent of that great first Christmas celebrated in the pre-mortal world where all the souls of man and stars of heaven "shouted for joy" : "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." If Mary and Joseph felt alone it was but for a short while only. For the shepherds "came with haste" to Bethlehem to witness the Child spoken of by the angel. It was then that Mary and Joseph knew that their secret was a secret no longer. They became celebrities of a sort because the shepherds made known their experience "abroad". As with many new parents, Joseph and Mary's plans were a little up in the air. How much time Mary needed to recover or if Joseph had prepared a home for them elsewhere is not known. They found a house and for the first few years of Jesus' young life they stayed in Bethlehem. During this time, the wise men of Christmas lore -- the true number of their party is not clearly known, there could have been two of them, three or perhaps as many as a dozen -- found their way to Jerusalem. Imagine the stir they must have caused! No doubt these were men of a different culture. Their description as "wise men" means they were highly regarded. They must have had a striking physical appearance and the very way they portrayed themselves left a lasting impression. To some of the more learned in Jerusalem's society their very appearance must have been shocking because the scriptures had long foretold the arrival of foreign kings and dignitaries bearing gifts of gold and frankincense for the promised Messiah. Could these men verify the rumored tales of the shepherds near Bethlehem? That these wise men got the notice of the people of Jerusalem did not get past King Herod. "Herod" was actually a family name of a line of kings who ruled Judea before, during and after the lifetime of Jesus Christ. At the time of Jesus' birth, Herod the Great was king. And he was an evil, tyrannical dictator. In fact, just as the names Stalin and Hitler today are synonymous with evil rule, Herod the Great was infamous for his crimes against his Jewish subjects. Herod himself was not Jewish, of course. His heritage and family were Idumeans, far from Judea in distance and very different in culture. Herod the Great was a self-absorbed king and he was forever suspicious of political opposition. He once executed his own wife and several sons of people he suspected were plotting against him. He heavily taxed his people to support his lavish lifestyle. And before he died, he directed that a number of well-known Jewish individuals be slain on the day of his death to ensure that people would actually mourn on that day. The arrival of high-profile visitors who came to worship a king other than Herod must have been most disturbing to him. He hastily called his priests and experts in Jewish scripture to determine what this all meant. They told him that ancient prophecy predicted the birth of Christ in Bethlehem and that the Child was destined to be a ruler over Israel. With evil designs in his heart, King Herod called the Magi before him. He told them that the Messiah was born in the city of Bethlehem. He instructed them to find the Child. "Go and search diligently for the child and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." Following the star once again, the Magi traveled to Bethlehem, located the house of Mary, Joseph and Jesus, described now as a "young child" . There they worshipped the Child and gave unto him their treasures of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Magi, though evil in the eyes of Herod, made a lasting impression upon humanity with their Christmas quest. Though predicted in ancient scripture, the modern world is left to wonder who the Magi really were and why their pilgrimage had to take place. The word "magi" comes from ancient Greek and Persian terminology referring to scholars and priests. In biblical times, these learned, respected holy men were commonly found in countries of what we call today the Middle East. Common history identifies them as students of astronomy and astrology, and skilled in the interpretation of dreams and philosophy. Officially, many magi served in advisory capacities to kings and rulers. They were prolific writers and many their teachings survived to be an influence upon later Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle. The magi were practiced magicians and experts in divination. The English word "magic" is derived from the ancient word "magi". Some believe the Magi had their beginnings in an ancient religion known as Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrians believed in the coming of a savior known as a saoshyant. In fact, they believed there were three saoshyants, Zoroaster being but the first. The third, or greatest of them all, would be born to a virgin mother and his exploits would include total defeat of the forces of evil, resurrection of the dead, termination of old age and renewal of the earth. All of these known historical factors fit nicely with elements of the Christmas story as told by Matthew. As believers in a saoshyant they could accept the idea of a savior. As astronomers, they would have knowledge of the night sky and be able to determine significant celestial events. As astrologers they might have been practiced in reading the skies for a sign through the rising of an unusual star. And as interpreters of dreams, they understood fully the warning of the danger and evil designs of Herod the Great. But for students of the scriptures the wise men could only be described as faithful. Their quest was spiritually driven. They could see the star when others could not. They knew enough of prophecy to fulfill it with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrhh. They too, like their brethren on the continents of the Americas who knew through recorded scripture of the prophecies of the Messiah and experienced his birth in their own land, we likely just "other sheep", as Jesus later described. And though unlearned and unqualified -- much like the shepherds abiding in the fields watching over their flocks by night -- the Magi were called to participate in the great story. Regardless of who they really were, they ultimately knew that they were in trouble. Upon falling asleep after presenting themselves before the Christ Child they were told in a dream to avoid going back to Jerusalem because of the evil designs of the King. Herod, of course, eventually found out the Magi had given him the slip. In a rage, he ordered all male children under the age of two in Bethlehem and "in all the coasts thereof" to be put to death. This immediately put the babies central to the story of Christmas in danger -- Jesus and John. We do not know if Zacharias and Joseph were told the same thing from an angelic visitor. We do know that John was described as growing up "in the deserts" , so Zacharias clearly took John a safe distance from Bethlehem and the slaughter of the innocents sought by Herod. Joseph was told to flee to Egypt and await the day of Herod's death. But Christmas on earth had finally been celebrated. We began "before the foundation of the world", and was since celebrated as a future event, could now and would now be celebrated for all time. Christmas would not be immediately identified in societal circles. It would slowly evolve. But just as the idea of Christmas before Christ celebrated the free gift of a Messiah, so would Christmas yet-to-come be celebrated through gift-bringers carrying the message that the greatest of all gift had come through Jesus the Christ. And no gift-bringer would spread that word greater than one man dressed in the red robes of a Bishop and wearing a long white beard.
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