The story of the birth of Jesus is an interesting one, but can be difficult to understand and appreciated to the fullest because of the huge cultural difference that separates us from the events. There is a great deal of scandal embedded in the original nativity scene, and it translates into great news for us today. Before exploring the idea, it’s important to understand that sanitizing the shocking elements of the story is more an accident of history than an act of deception. For example, when you hear about the shepherds watching their flocks by night being, invited by angels to witness the birth, it’s easy to see these shepherds in a glowing light. Nativity scenes typically show these men as clean, curious onlookers. In reality, shepherds were people of very low position in 1st century Jewish culture. They were generally seen as dishonest and looked upon with suspicion. Shepherds had such a poor reputation that they weren’t allowed to testify as witnesses in court, because it was generally assumed that they would lie. Further, because their work of watching sheep was a 24/7 job, shepherds generally never attended worship services, leading some 1st century teachers to question whether or not they could even go to heaven. This lead to the later practice of burying shepherds with a handful of wool, so they could present it as a sort of excuse to God for missing church. Finally, shepherds spent most of their lives living outside. They were often dirty and smelly. The Bible depicts the shepherds as not only witnessing the birth of Jesus, but actually receiving a formal announcement from the heavenly choir. The message behind this account is simple: God is announcing a new era in which the dishonest and the losers of the world will find themselves welcomed and accepted by God through Jesus.
The other often misrepresented group that appears in nativity scenes is the 3 kings. There are a few problems with this. For starters, the Bible never specifies that there were 3 of them. In reality, there was probably quite a crowd. Second, they weren’t kings. Matthew describes them as magi, which is an ancient word that could refer to magicians, astrologers, fortune tellers, or pagan priests amongst other things. The guys who showed up were likely astrologers and pagan priests. In Jesus’ day, magi and foreigners were not well thought of. The inclusion of these guys in the story of the birth of Jesus points us to an Old Testament prediction that Jesus would be the Savior of the whole world, not just the chosen few who were born in the right families.
For an ancient reader, the nativity story was shocking because it was an announcement of the amazing extent of God’s willingness to love and forgive. The good news behind this event is hard to overstate. Christmas is the celebration that God flings the doors to heaven wide open and invites EVERYONE in. The message is only amplified by Jesus’ life and teachings. As we celebrate Christmas, its meaning and significance is best understood in light of this great news for everyone. God gives us the gift of redemption, regardless of our background or history.
