The Story In A New Light – A Christmas Special Pt. 1

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn...
–Luke 2:1-7

This could be one of the most well known passages in Scripture. The beginning part of what has become known as the "Luke Account" a section of Scripture read in many homes this Christmas season. I have fond memories of sitting around the lighted tree and opening our Christmas Eve gifts– a new pair of warm cotton PJs from Grandma. Then we would sit and listen as Dad read the Luke Account and The Night Before Christmas.

The story of Christ's birth is well known, often brings warm memories and feelings to us, and brings to mind this season. And that is as it should. But, sometimes I think it's helpful to take a step back and look at the story from a new angle. As a writer, I love to do all sorts of character and plot studies, and today I want to share a few of my discoveries as I analyze the characters of this well known moment in history.

Mary – A Strong Female Character

Now, the descriptor I chose will most likely be an odd one to many of you. But, if you read my post on the "power girl" troupe here you will understand a bit more of where I'm coming from. Still, I know it can be a little surprising. When people say, "the virgin Mary" or, "Mary the mother of Jesus", many of us think of a gentle girl, soft spoken, perfectly clean and fresh as she sits and gazes adoringly upon her perfect baby in the nice, clean, sweet smelling hay. It makes a nice Christmas picture, but in reality, the real story had a lot more danger, pain, sweat, and blood than gets into the creche scenes.

So, let's start from the beginning of the story. Mary was from the house of David, the royal line. However, at this point that line was outwardly broken. She was a Galilean peasant from the town of Nazareth. She was a girl who, from what we know, was most likely in her mid teens. Mary is betrothed to a man named Joseph, and they are preparing to wed. So far so good.

Now, here's where things get sticky.

Inciting Incident– a shocking announcement and an even more shocking reply

One day the Angel Gabriel came to Mary. First off, I don't know about you, but that would be a terrifying experience for me. This is an angelic warrior, a messenger of God. But, that's not the big part. The thing that puts a major plot twist in this simple story of a peasant girl and her betrothed is what the angel says. First, he starts by saying, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!"

Mary is "greatly troubled" "deeply distressed" or, in other words, terrified, and tried to make sense of what the angel was saying, (and likely why he was there at all.)

Then Gabriel says to her; "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (A very reasonable question)

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

(Luke 1:26-38)

Now, hold on a moment. I think we read this and think of it as a sweet scene, we all have her last line memorized, and then we read the rest of the story. But this is HUGE. I mean, of course it's huge in reference to Jesus, this is the promised Son of God that the people had been waiting for since the garden of Eden! And a virgin birth is completely miraculous. But I'm referring to this being huge to our character, Mary.

So, in those days, not only was it not socially accepted to get pregnant before you were married, but it was a down right death sentence. Exodus 20:14 states “You shall not commit adultery,” with Leviticus prescribing death for both adulterer and adulteress. Biblical law called for them to be stoned, and in same cases burned, though there is some debate on what the later meant. And the only way for a girl to get pregnant was for her to lie with a man, and if she wasn't married to him, she was committing adultery.

So, Mary is now pregnant in a culture that is commanded by God to kill women who committed adultery. And Mary lives in a small town. In those days they didn't have social media or texting or phone calls, and very little letter writing, so the people you live with are the people you know. Consequently, everyone would have known her and what she was doing and what was going on in her life. They all know she's betrothed to Joseph, and they all know she's not married yet, and they're about to all know that she's pregnant! You can hide that sort of thing for a bit, and with the clothing in those days you might get some ways into the second trimester, but by the third, all's lost. And of course there's going to be a LIVE BABY at the end of this, and if you've ever been around one of those it is very clear that you can't hide them for long.

Oh, and then there's that little detail about her getting married and the fact that Joseph would have found out that she was pregnant pretty quickly. As in, their wedding night. And THAT would have been a scandal.

So, there's really no hiding this, which means that she's going to be found out, they're going to all believe she hooked up with a guy, and then end of story.

Does the thought, "unfair" come to mind? Because if I were Mary, (after I got over the angel shock) I would probably be wondering "Why me? What did I do to deserve this?" (and not in the good way either.)

So, this girl is about to face down her entire village who will most likely kill her, and even if they don't, she'll forever live with the "shame" in their eyes, and she'll also be "damaged goods" so there's little hope of her ever getting married. There is no way Joseph is going to want her now, even if he decided the baby is a result of her being abused rather than agreeing to the hook-up.

I'm not sure about you, but the more I look at all the facts, and all the ways this could go wrong, I am starting to really think of thousands of questions that I MUST have answered. RIGHT NOW. Before we go a STEP further with this baby thing. One of the top ones being, "Is God going to make sure I don't get stoned?" followed closely by, "Can He explain this to the village, or maybe have some sort of sign in public so they all know this is of Him," and, "Will Joseph still marry me?"

But what does she say? She says that very well known line, but all the sudden, in light of what we've just looked at, it is one of the bravest and most profound things ever said.

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

No but, if, please, maybe, why, can we just, etc. Just, I am God's servant, may His will be done. Now THAT is an impressive response and a powerful reflection of the kind of faith she had in God. This was a trust in His word that could very well cost her life, yet she simply obeyed.

Obedience is often looked at as a sign of weakness and oppression. But obedience is one of the most glorious acts, and submission is a thing of true and deep beauty in a woman.

Well, we got past the first plot twist, which is also our inciting incident. But there's a whole lot more to come.

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
-Luke 1:39-45

The first thing I want to look at is the words, "went in haste". The Bible is written with older language, so if this was more modern writing the sentence would run something like, "Mary packed her things and escaped to her cousin Elizabeth" or, "Throwing together her things, Mary fled to her cousin's house." Basically, she ran for her life. This is just the beginning. The Roman's aren't even involved yet, and Mary is already on the run. The only place she can think to go to is her cousin, Elizabeth. Perhaps she believed Elizabeth would understand this sort of thing as the wife of a priest, and, after all, Gabriel did tell her that Elizabeth has just encountered a miracle of her own, a barren woman becoming pregnant.

Barren woman, virgin girl, both our pregnant, there was comradery and understanding there. And, Elizabeth lives in Judah, so at least Mary could get away from the prying eyes of those who know her for an unmarried woman.

So, dealing with morning sickness, (remember, just because she is pregnant with a SINless baby, doesn't mean that she's not going through it all) trying to cope with her first pregnancy, and doing so alone without a husband to help her, comfort her, and protect her, Mary escaped to her cousin's home.

There, she must have had sweet relief when Elizabeth came out to great her, and exclaimed, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

Not only is this so relieving, but so comforting. First off, Elizabeth obviously believes her story, (perhaps without being told, for there is no account of Mary sending her a message to explain what had happened) Secondly, Elizabeth blesses her for believing that what God said to her would come to pass.

Then, Mary sings a song of praise and thanks to God, and she remains with Elizabeth for some time.

Escape From The First Danger and a Reprieve

Now, the next thing we know in Luke is that Mary and Joseph are back together. A quick jump to Matthew reveals that Joseph found out about Mary's pregnancy, (probably she told him, or maybe he discovered it himself.) whatever the case, he found out and was ready to divorce her, but then the angel Gabriel told him the whole story, so he got up, went to her, and took her as his wife. (Matthew 1:18-25)

We'll get to Joseph's side of the story later. But suffice to say, he did not leave her, but took her as his wife. In Luke we find out that Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months before returning to her home. (in her second trimester)

Now, using Matthew's account to fill in the gaps, I believe it is reasonable enough to assume that from what we know of Mary, she told Joseph what had happened before she left. Joseph likely didn't believe her, and it was no unreasonable of him to believe that a girl would tell a lie to save her life. Then Mary goes to Elizabeth and Joseph remains, but plans to divorce her. Gabriel comes to Joseph, tells him what happened and gives him the message to take Mary as his wife. I would argue that this is why Mary went home. Joseph went after her and got her from Elizabeth's house, brought her home, and married her. (or even married her there.)

Now, this would again be a huge relief, but also such a sweet moment for Mary. Her she is, going it alone, and being pregnant is not easy, but now she's got no husband to help her. Then, against all hope, Joseph comes and tells her that he knows what happened now and believes everything, and that he's going to marry her. She must have felt so loved and so thankful.

The two get married, and now Mary is safe for the time being to let her pregnancy show and for others to find out about it. (things would get a little sketchy when the baby was born three months early, but for now she has a moment to breathe) What a relief and what a burden off her shoulders. Now she no longer has to fear her village, and she doesn't have to worry about who would provide for her and her son, and she now has a husband to guide her through this time and be the strength and support she needs.

Of course, we've only just started. One threat has passed, but a greater one is on the way.

First, however, we're due for another plot-twist.

Rescue and a wedding

Plot Twist– The Census

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his wife, who was with child.
–Luke 2:1-5

So, at this point Mary and Joseph have been married for a little while, they had some breathing room with Joseph being able to cover for the fact that she's pregnant, and now their biggest concern is 1. becoming parents, and 2. how to explain the fact that the baby was born so soon.

But then, as all stories do, just when the characters believe they have a breathing moment, another twist and the world's upended.

Enter; Rome– stage left.

Caesar gets it into his head that all the world, (at least the known world) should be registered. Now, we are told that this is the first registration in some time. Why did Caesar decide this? We don't know why he thought he decided it, but we do know the true reason why. Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem, the city of David. But as things were going, he was 70 miles in the wrong direction! (100 if you go by road). But, David and Mary were both of the line of David, making their hometown Bethlehem, so God gave Caesar this delightful little idea of counting everyone up, and the rest is history.

But back to Mary. So, we all know what happens, she gives birth in Bethlehem the day they arrive. Which means, she's in the third trimester. Now, enough of my friends have been there that I know a good deal of what that's like, (second hand anyways). I can tell you one thing for sure, walking is NOT what you want to be doing. Riding a Donkey? No way. She's going to feel sick and tired and sore... there is NO reason why a girl would be up for this sort of thing in the few weeks before she gives birth. Plus, mama's get nesting instincts and want to settle down in one spot at this time to prepare for the baby. Traveling like this is also mentally NOT what they want.

So, up she gets for the 100 mile trek, (possibly donkey ride) to Bethlehem. At this point she would have been so, so thankful for Joseph.

But this is one of the places where my statement of a "strong woman" comes into play. This is physically and mentally one of the worst things that could go on for her right now, yet we know she makes it. There was no lying down on the side of the road and giving up. She may have cried, she may have felt snappish, she would have been miserable, uncomfortable, most likely feeling sick, and to top it all she would be starting to deal with braxton hicks and contractions.

But this girl made that journey and she arrived in Bethlehem. Just in the nick of time too.

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
–Luke 2:6-7

Many people have in their mind the sweet scene from paintings, children's books and nativities. Mary having the baby in the stable, all is calm, all is bright, round yon virgin, mother and Child.... (Okay, i do love the song Silent Night) Or a line that I always shake my head about, "The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus no crying He makes...." Yeah right! SIN-less baby. Not China doll baby.

But anyhow, we're jumping ahead.

So, Mary and Joseph have reached the end of the journey. She made it to Bethlehem, it's time to find a room, figure out this registration thing... but most importantly, deliver the Baby. If the baby is born when they arrive, that means Mary has been having some pretty bad contractions. She's in pain, she needs to rest, she's thirsty... they need a room fast. So, they go to the inn, only to receive some really bad news. There is NO ROOM. Mary is actively about to have this baby, labor may or may not have started at this point (it most likely has) and they have no rooms! So, the two go to the next inn and then next. They knock on doors, they look everywhere. This baby is about to be born in the street, and at this point I wouldn't be surprised if Mary is panicking, which in turn is going to make this worse.

Finally, they find a place. A stable belonging to the inn. (now, people argue on what this would have looked like. Is it the wooden stable we imagine? Was it a barn? Was it a cave? We don't know, but the point is, this is what they had) So, Joseph gets Mary inside and lays her down, probably in the hay. But this isn't our more commonly romanticized scene. He would have laid her in the hay because that would have been the most comfortable spot. Maybe he had a cloak on that he laid down on it first, maybe he had a blanket, but they didn't have much. She is giving birth to her first child ever (the Savor of the world, by the way) and she didn't even have a bed!

Now, have you ever played in hay on a hot day, (or worked hard with it) either way, it sticks to you, it scratches and itches... it can get miserable. So, Mary is in a lot of pain, as in, the WORST pain she has EVER been in, in her life. Again, I cannot stress enough, Jesus was SINLESS, that didn't make the birth easy, or taking care of him, or any of it. So, Mary is in A LOT of pain, she's crying, she's super sweaty, she's laying in hay, she's smelling animals and breathing whatever unpleasant air is in there... this has to be ranked up with one of the more stressful and miserable births ever. It would have taken a lot out of her.

After laboring hard for between 4-8 hours most likely, (that is the range that is widely accepted, though first time babies can go a lot longer, and stress can really play into this as well) the baby is finally born. Exhausted, Mary would have fallen back in the hay and held him to her. She would have been so worn out, yet there would have also been that beautiful moment that every mother experiences when she first holds her baby. A moment often described as Golden Hour.

After a time, Baby Jesus would have started moving, waking up, and becoming aware of the world around him. Mary would most likely have fed him, and then he was wrapped in swaddling cloth. Now, Mary would have needed sleep and also to move to a better place. Joseph most likely was the one to prepare the manger, and they laid Jesus in it to sleep.

Now, I'll not go into all the details, but childbirth is really messy. Thee would have been a lot of blood (among other things) on the hay and possibly Mary's clothes if she didn't take them off first. At this point Joseph would most likely have helped her to change into a clean-ish outfit (they've been traveling a long time so who knows how fresh they really are), and then he would have made her a new bed of hay to lay on, most likely close to the baby, and the very exhausted Mary would have gone to sleep.

The baby was born, it was a wild run, but they made it. They were safe and at peace... for now.

Climax– A Stable and a Baby

Midnight Visit

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear [...] When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds 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.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this Child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
–Luke 2:8-9, 15-20

We all know the story, but lets pause a moment and think of what that would have been like. Mary has just given birth, she's still exhausted and in pain, plus they just finished this huge journey. She must have been so tired. But just as things finally seem to calm down, in come these men smelling of sheep, sweat, and campfire smoke. That must have been a bit of a shock to find herself suddenly in the midst of a crowd of guys. And they aren't lost or here by accident. And angel of the Lord sent them here to come see her baby.

At this point, I doubt anything could surprise Mary again. But she wasn't rude to them, and she didn't order them off either, (something that no one could have blamed her for doing.) We are told they were able to see the baby, and we also know that Mary heard their story and treasured the words up in her heart, pondering them. She must be both confused and excited. All the plans she may have had are turned upside down, she is a virgin mother and then a wife, she is the mother of the Savior of the world, and now men sent by angels are coming to see her baby and tell all they meet what has happened.

The shepherds leave, and Mary is once again able to get some rest, perhaps nurse the baby, and most definitely sleep.

Luke tells us that Jesus was taken to the temple after 8 days to be circumcised. Mary and Joseph would have been exploring the life of new parents, Jesus didn't sin, so that would have taken the discipline part out of that, (which would have been a HUGE thing, by the way) but they still had to teach him to eat, to crawl, to speak and talk... it would have been a very interesting time and one I wish we knew a little more about. Joseph and Mary had more children who are mentioned in the Bible, two by name– James and Jude. The next thing Luke tells us about is when Jesus was 12 and went to the temple.

However, a quick flipping of the pages to Matthew reveals something important that happened when Jesus was around one or two. A lot of people think of wisemen in the stable along with the shepherds. However, we are told that this was actually some time after his birth. They were coming a long way, and it seems to have taken them quite some time to arrive. But when they did, they came into the house where they found Mary and Jesus. There they worshiped Him and gave their kingly and very symbolic gifts. Then they left. [Matthew 2:1-11]

Again, this had to have been a shocking visit, perhaps even more so than the shepherds on that fateful night. The wisemen are often described as three kings. They would have been very wealthy and very revered. And they are coming to see this peasant girl of Nazareth and her baby. Just try to imagine what Mary would have said, done, and felt when she opened the door to find these men and their servants and animals on her step!

Her life must have been a very, very interesting one. From entertaining shepherds, the lowest and despised men of the culture, to entertaining kings and men of wisdom.

But there is one twist yet to come... a second climax that is far darker and more violent than the first...

Some Time Later....

Zero A.D.– the beginning was almost the end

Now, all was well for Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. They were safe, and though they weren't well-off they were doing alright. But there was a catch. As it so happened, when the Wisemen were seeking the child they were looking for a Prince, so the obvious place to look would be a palace... right? The only problem is, that's not how God was telling this story, and the palace they happened to go to was the palace of a very wicked king. Once they told him of their quest, he knew that there was a threat, but he played it cool and actually made a rather smart move. He sent them on to do the work of finding the Baby, and then he would pounce when the time was right. He sent them to find the Baby and then bring back word so that he might "worship" Him too.

The Wisemen did indeed find the Baby, but being warned in a dream they did not tell Herod. Upon discovering that he had been tricked, Herod was furious, but he wasn't ready to be offset that easily. So, he ordered the death of every boy within the age range of newborn to two years old in the region that Jesus was rumored to be. [Luke 2:7-12, 16-18]

This is among the more horrifying and bloody events in history. These soldiers are going through the town murdering all these children, many of whom are firstborns and heirs to family lines they way or may not have been wiped out because of this. Many of the fathers would have fought back, and the Romans would have killed them for resisting.

But before this took place, Joseph was warned in a dream to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt. So, in the middle of the night Mary woke to her husband telling her that there's been yet another message from an Angel, and this time it's an order to flee. Once more, Mary finds herself on the run, but this time soldiers are out to murder her Baby.

You can imagine the terror of that flight. They are being hunted by Rome, a nation that rules over them and is known for it's cruelty and the skill of it's soldiers. They have a child of two or younger on this flight with him, so hopefully they have a donkey to ride, but if not, Mary and Joseph are most likely taking turns carrying him. Again, Mary is on the road and this time the stakes are higher than ever. They are most likely on foot, and they have 100 miles to go to get to Egypt.

Now, once they make the journey, everything in Mary's life has been upended. She has been forced to flee her home, leave her family, flee her country itself. She is a refugee in a foreign land with her new Baby and her husband. She has to start over completely and she has no idea how long she'll be here.

Of course, as we know they do return after Herod's death, and then the story continues to get crazier as Jesus grows up, begins his ministry, dies and is raised to life again.

Conclusion

I think that even after doing this character study it is still hard to grasp what this girl went through. Being the mother of Jesus was not easy. It was hard emotionally and physically. Yet Mary had strength– the kind of strength that comes from trusting God and obeying him. The kind of strength that simply says: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

Submission is beautiful, it is glorious, and it is triumphant. Jesus Christ Himself saved the entire race of man by submitting to the will of His Father.

So, this Christmas season as you set up your nativities, decorate your homes, and read the Luke Account, I encourage you to pause a moment and think of a girl, hot and dusty from the road, in pain and scared as she labors in the stable, sweaty and tearful as she lies in the hay and holds onto her husband, the blood and dirt, the exhaustion and the smell of animals, and then that glorious moment when it was all over and the Savior of the world was born to a girl and her husband in a stable in the little town called Bethlehem.

God Bless and a Mary Christmas!

Join me next time as we delve into the story from Joseph's perspective.

Enjoy one of my favorite Christmas songs!