Day seven.

         It has always bothered me when someone along the way adds to or takes away from any story in the Bible. We see it in the Easter story, we see it in the Christmas story, we see it in many of the stories that people feel haven’t shed enough light on what they want to know. People give their version of the story based on their own life experiences. This is really seen in religious paintings. I became interested in this while in school. When Rembrandt painted a Biblical scene, his characters often had on wooden shoes. He was Dutch and the Dutch wore wooden shoes. All the masters painted their Biblical scenes using imagery from their own time and place. If the picture was of Jesus, he would have features of the people of the time and place of the artist. Jesus almost certainly did not have long hair. People from the time of Jesus who chronicled the events said the hair of Jesus was cut as a Roman, which would have been short. However, during the time of the masters, men all over Europe wore long hair. So now we have a long haired Jesus. I know that to many of you, that doesn’t matter. But it does bug the daylights out of me. It is very hard for me to sit and watch any Bible movie because I sit there and pick it apart.

         Now, having said all of that, I have to say that what follows is not Biblical. It is not Biblical because the Bible does not give us these specifics. But, given the culture and practices of the time, and based on what we do have in the Scripture, I do believe that this is closer to the actual events than the whole thing where the wise men are there and the animals are bowing in worship and the shepherds are young boys and there is a drummer boy. Oh, the idea of a drummer boy makes my skin crawl! Anyway……

         Mary’s time was upon her. People of the era were not like people now. We expect a nice room with clean sheets. And a coffee maker. But Mary and Joseph just needed to not have the Baby in the street. The stable would have to do, but it was much better than it could have been. Still, delivering in a stable, especially the Son of God, would concern Mary.

         But my mind goes to Joseph. In my mind’s eye I see scarred and gnarled hands. He handled sharp tools with those hands. He handled heavy pieces of wood with those arms and hands. It is likely he had smashed a few fingers along the way. Being a carpenter does not prepare you to deliver babies. And once the Baby is delivered, what then? If he had been a farmer, he would have had a better understanding. But he was not. Probably his father before him had been a carpenter or, at the very least, he would have been apprenticed out to a carpenter at seven or eight years of age. He was way out of his comfort zone. Mary might have been trying to give him instructions, but how much would that actually help in a pressure packed situation? The noise from the street would have been loud, even in the confines of the barn and stable, the straw on the floor was likely old and the old manger in the corner was probably nasty. (For those who don’t know, a manger is a feed trough. Animals eat out of it. An animal is a messy eater. They slobber and regurgitate and slobber some more. The feed trough is seldom given a good cleaning.) Joseph would have hurried to put straw in the manger, but the straw probably was not very clean. And then, Mary would have called to him. Or screamed at him. Now. This was the moment. NOW!

         Out of his depth, Joseph would have had to fall back on what little knowledge he had on the subject. Perhaps he and Mary had talked about it on the trip, maybe he had just heard stories. But whatever, Joseph got the job done. The Baby came into the world and into the rough hands of a carpenter. I would imagine Mary had brought some wraps for the Baby to be put in. Joseph would have handed the Baby to Mary and Mary, exhausted, would have cared for the Child. Joseph would have been completely wired up because he still didn’t know what he was doing.

         And then, the shepherds would have rushed into the room. They had delivered many lambs in their time. Good men, experienced men, they would have sized up the situation immediately. Probably pushed Joseph aside. The umbilical cord cut, the cleanup commenced, the mother cared for and comforted.

         Think about it. Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. But, the angel came to a girl in Nazareth and announced the coming pregnancy to her. She was not married and her promised husband was one who worked with his hands and manhandled heavy wood, and the angel came to him and explained some things. But God needed a pure hearted woman. God needed a strong man for the labors that were to come. And then the angels came to the despised of society, the least thought of in society. And they not only got the message, but they also got a killer light show and concert. These men were probably the most capable men anywhere to deal with a birth. The Child could not have been better cared for than by a tender young woman, a powerful man and several men who knew their way around a birth and a stable.

         So, that is the story of the Savior’s birth. Now, walk around the house in which you live. What do these decorations really mean? Are they traditional, or are they Godly? Most have their roots in something, but what do they mean to you? As you walk around you may come to a nativity set. Set the animals aside, and the wise men. Just leave the shepherds and Mary and Joseph. And the Baby. Now, think of that scene over 2000 years ago. Think of the pain Mary was in. Think of the desperation Joseph felt. Think of shepherds bursting into the room and taking charge. And look at the Baby. If that Baby has stayed as a Baby to you, then you have missed the whole point. He became your sacrifice.

         Enjoy the holiday. Enjoy the family. Enjoy the food. But at some point, make your way back over to that nativity scene. Look at the Child. While you do that, think of the Cross and then think of the Empty Tomb. There you have the story.

         May this be a blessed Christmas for you, and may you return that blessing to our Lord this coming year.