A LOOK AT SOME EVENTS SURROUNDING

THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST

By Gary Ray Branscome

While every student of Scripture knows that some of the details included in our popular remembrance of Christmas are not explicitly stated in Scripture, there is no need to constantly point them out as if they were factual errors. That said, let me give some examples.

I heard someone very confidently say, “When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem Mary was not riding a donkey.” Now, while it is true that the Bible says nothing about Joseph having a donkey, there are some good reasons for believing that he had one, and that Mary rode on it. First of all, because Joseph was a carpenter he would have had his tools with him (that is how he made his living). And, because those tools were heavy he would need a donkey to carry them. Second, because Mary was “great with child,” it would have been difficult for her to walk, so if they had a donkey it is very likely that she would have sat upon it. So instead of picking at details, realize that there are some good reasons to believe that they had a donkey.

I have also heard people say, “Mary and Joseph did not go to an inn.” Now, while it is true that the word translated “inn” in Luke 2:7 (KJV) is different from the word for inn used in the parable of the good Samaritan — and could be translated as “house” or “guest room”— we should never read cultural definitions of an inn into the text. The oldest continually operating inn in the state of Ohio began operation in 1807. It looks like a house and has only five rooms. During World War II when many men were moving into towns to work at factories, homeowners who had a vacant room would sometimes rent it out to make a little extra money. Would that be called an inn? One of my aunts rented out an attic room on a regular basis. At the time of Christ, would that sort of arrangement be called an “inn” or a “boarding house”? Frankly, it does not matter. Some also claim that Mary and Joseph would have stayed with relatives. However, the Bible says nothing about them staying with relatives. All such assertions rest on assumptions.

The claim is also made that, Mary and Joseph were not in a stable at all but were in a house. Now, while there is evidence that animals were kept in the lower level of some homes from that era; the fact that a manger was present tells us that animals were stabled there. So why call it a house? According to tradition, the stable where Mary and Joseph stayed was in a cave, and that cave is still shown to tourists in Israel. I have a commentary from the 1930s that cites archeological evidence indicating that the stable was built onto the side of a house. I have also seen a picture of a house from that era (artist’s reconstruction) that had a walled in courtyard in front of the house, where animals were kept. We need to realize that because God is in control, it was part of His plan for Jesus to be born in a stable. And, if the man who rented them space in the stable also rented rooms, his house could be called an inn.

Some are also quick to point out that there may have been several “wise men,” not just three. And, while that is possible, and every student of Scripture knows that the number three is inferred from the fact that there were three gifts, the Bible nowhere says that there were more than three, so why nit-pick.

It is also often pointed out that that the “wise men” did not come to the stable, but came later. And, while every student of scripture knows that fact; wise men are included in nativity scenes because they are part of the Christmas story, and it would be impractical to have nativity scenes divided into two different places, one for the shepherds and one for the wise men.

Swallowing One Huge Camel

While I have addressed some of the details included in our popular remembrance of Christmas that are not explicitly stated in Scripture, those who are quick to point out those details are usually totally blind to the blatant misrepresentation of Mary and Joseph’s relationship. To put it bluntly: Mary and Joseph were not just engaged. They were man and wife! Mary was Joseph’s “espoused wife,” not someone who was not yet his wife (Luke 2:5).

Even though the relationship of Mary and Joseph would have been described by others in their community as a “betrothal,” according to Jewish law a betrothed couple were legally man and wife. Or as Lenski put it, “The Jewish betrothal was the marriage itself. But the Jewish custom placed an interval, longer or shorter, between the betrothal and the bringing home of the bride to her husband’s house [R.C.H. Lenski’s commentary on The Gospel of Matthew, page 40.]

Unlike the Jewish espousal, our modern engagement is an agreement to enter marriage at a future date, not an agreement to be man and wife. And, because Mary and Joseph were legally man and wife, those who describe their relationship as a betrothal or engagement mislead others by leading them to believe that Mary and Joseph were living together out of wedlock. And, those who tell engaged couples that being engaged is the same as being married wind up encouraging immorality.

Having said this I will point out that there is no word in the English language for the relationship that Joseph and Mary had before Christ’s birth. I use the archaic term, “espousal,” in order to emphasize the difference between their relationship and a modern engagement. [To espouse is to embrace or “take as a spouse”.]

The website, “My Jewish Learning,” describes the espousal this way, “Until late in the Middle Ages, marriage consisted of two ceremonies that were marked by celebrations at two separate times, with an interval between. First came the betrothal [erusin]; and later, the wedding [nissuin]. At the betrothal the woman was legally married, although she still remained in her father’s house. She could not belong to another man unless she was divorced from her betrothed. The wedding meant only that the betrothed woman, accompanied by a colorful procession, was brought from her father’s house to the house of her groom, and the legal tie with him was consummated.” www.myjewishlearning.com

Another Huge Camel

Another totally unbiblical claim is that that Mary had to endure shame and ridicule because of her pregnancy. That claim does not come from the Bible, but from the carnal imagination of those who stress obedience by works. There was never any shame connected with Christ’s birth.

While Mary was legally Joseph’s wife, those who stress works obedience love to go on and on about how “obedient” she was to endure the “shame” of being pregnant with Christ. However, none of it is true! It is all just something they made up! God brought the custom of espousal into existence so there would never be any shame connected with Christ’s birth, and there never was. Mary was legally Joseph’s wife. And, soon after she became pregnant she went into the hill country to stay with her cousin Elisabeth who was six months pregnant (Luke 1:36-39). There she would have been introduced as the wife of Joseph. She then remained with Elisabeth for three months, and left before her pregnancy was obvious.

We do not know how Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant, but, after being told by the angel “Do not be afraid to take unto you Mary your wife,” he took her to himself (Matt. 1:20, 24). Moreover, just as some weddings today are large and some are small, so it was then. Joseph could have taken her to his house without a big celebration, or at three-months no one may have noticed. So there was no shame! Nor was there any reason for shame. Zacharias, Elisabeth and Joseph all knew that Mary was pregnant with the messiah. Joseph took her to live with him before her pregnancy was obvious. And, they both left for Bethlehem before she gave birth. That was all according to God’s plan so that there would never be any shame connected with Christ’s birth. And, the fact that she was still Joseph’s “espoused wife,” when they arrived in Bethlehem tells us that the marriage had not yet been consummated (Luke 2:5).

Conclusion

For serious Christians, celebrating Christ’s entry into the world is an important part of teaching the Gospel. And, the traditional reenactment of a manger scene by the children is a way of helping those children understand how Christ entered the world, and why He is both True Man and True God. Let’s keep that in mind, instead of picking at the details. God wants Christ’s birth to be remembered! Satan does not.