THE REALITY OF THE NATIVITY SCENE

Google Maps Tour of the Bible: Christmas Edition – Module 2

by Johann Quisumbing

Click here to go to Module 1

Welcome to Module 2 of the Google Maps Tour of the Bible: Christmas Edition. Here, we will continue to follow the Christmas timeline. We will take a better look at familiar holiday scenes that we grew up with and explore the unadulterated version based only on what the Bible describes. We will also cover the darkest part of the Christmas story, however, I promise that we will end the tour with a joyful scene.

When I mention Nativity, what images come to your mind?

In every Nativity display I have ever seen whether on top of a building, a public square display, in a school/church production and even as miniatures on your own table top, we will always find the Holy family in a humble stable flanked by shepherds on one side and the wise men on the other; at least a cow, a donkey and a few sheep here and there; and an angel as well as the star of Bethlehem. I grew up with this display and I even collected miniatures of the nativity.

It is very interesting to note that tradition’s version of this event was established not back in 1AD. Believe it or not, Christmas was not celebrated by early Christians. You can almost say that the first Christmas celebration was celebrated in 1223 AD led by St. Francis of Assisi, according to legends, of course.

1: FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Francis of Assisi, originally known as Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, was a mystic Italian Catholic friar. He founded the Franciscan Order, and was one of the most venerated figures in Medieval Christianity. He was inspired to lead a life of poverty and itinerant preaching. Pope Gregory the 9th canonized him in 1228. He was usually depicted in a brown homespun robe with a rope as a belt.

Link 1 – SANTUARIO DI GRECCIO

Welcome to Santuario di Greccio, a mountainous area in the heart of Italy. Francis of Assisi longed to do something to help the people of nearby small Italian town of Greccio to feel close to the infant Jesus who was born for them in a stable in Bethlehem. The Saint knew these good folks would never have a chance to visit the Holy Land so he wanted to  make the Nativity a real and personal experience for the faithful.

Before this church was built, in this spot was an open cave where Francis of Assisi orchestrated his Christmas tableau. 

Link 2 – CAVE CHAPEL

I must admit that I had always found all those Nativity pageant versions quite magical but were they biblical? I mean, was it presented the way the Lord God intended? Let us see…

2: THE RIDE, THE INN & THE STABLE

So, we pick up the Christmas story where we stopped in Module 1. Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem. Let us eliminate a myth right now – a very pregnant Mary riding on a donkey. 

Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was betrothed to him, and was pregnant.  (Luke 2:4,5)

The verses above only narrated the journey of Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem with no other clear description on what was their mode of transportation or the conditions of the journey. It may be that they did travel by donkey as tradition suggests. Afterall, this was a common way of traveling at the time and donkeys were popular among all classes of people. However, there are other considerations found in Scripture that may add to their journey story.

Nazareth is found in the region of Galilee which is about 60 miles as the crow flies to Bethlehem. At most traveling there by donkey using the established roads would take about 2 days. But Joseph and Mary being Jews were faced with a more arduous journey. Why? Let’s look at this map of Israel at the time of Jesus’ birth.

Joseph and Mary could not take the shorter and more direct route because to do so, they would have to travel through the region of Samaria. Jews avoid traveling through Samaritan territory. Why? The people of Samaria were hated by the Jews. [To fully understand the enmity between these two people, you can open your Bible in several books of the Old Testament.]

So, what would be their route? As Jews, they would have skirted the Samaritan territory by taking the much longer and risky route. This would mean at least a week’s journey time through a hazardous country. To give you an idea of the environs that they went through, take a look at the link below.

Link 3 – JORDAN RIVER VALLEY

Considering this, I really doubted that Mary could have ridden on the bony back of an ass 20 miles a day for a week or so. More than likely, she rode on a cart accompanied with other folks making the same trek to Judea.

So, they arrived at Bethlehem.

Link 4 – CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY [exterior]

Welcome to the plaza just outside the Church or Basilica of the Nativity. This basilica is located in the center of Bethlehem in the West Bank, Palestine. This place holds a prominent religious significance to Christians of various denominations as the birthplace of Jesus.

While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  (Luke 2:6-7)

In all the stories told, Mary and Joseph always arrived in desperation to find lodgings because of extreme labor pains. But if you consider closely the words of Luke 2:6, ‘While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.’ I believe that what was implied was that they were already in Bethlehem for at least a day or so and that they were already lodged. 

What about that there was no room for them in the inn (v7)? In modern way of thinking, an Inn is a country hotel, in the business to rent out rooms. But in first century Bethlehem, the inn just meant a lodging place or a spare room. Besides Joseph, who was born there, would not have to rent a room because culturally he would have stayed with family. But because of the census, Joseph’s ancestral home would have been already crowded with kin including the spare room which would have been located on the second floor.

Link 5 – CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY [interior]

Link 6 – GROTTO

The Nativity Grotto is thought to be the cave in which Jesus was born. Around AD 248, Greek philosopher Origen of Alexandria wrote the following about the grotto:

In Bethlehem the cave is pointed out where He was born, and the manger in the cave where He was wrapped in swaddling clothes. And the rumor is in those places, and among foreigners of the Faith, that indeed Jesus was born in this cave who is worshiped and revered by the Christians.  [wikipedia.com]

Such as tradition believes but was Jesus really born in a stable? 

And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  (Luke 2:7)

Of course, people got the idea of the stable mainly because the baby was laid in a manger. Tradition was half right. Where the Bible only offered conjecture, archaeology may shed some light.

Based on archaeological digs in Bethlehem, the average houses looked almost like the image below.

Most Judean houses had two levels. The upper level comprised of an open area where the household would sleep under the stars during hot nights and an extra room (aka the inn) reserved for guests. The main floor is divided into two areas. The entire family occupied an elevated living area 3 feet off the ground where they did chores, supped and slept. The living area was about two-thirds of the ground level. The other third, that is the sunken area, was where animals like sheep were kept especially during the winters.

Because the upper room or inn and the main living were already occupied, Mary (with the help of a midwife & other household women) would have given birth in that lower level. She would have wrapped Jesus in swaddling cloths and placed Him in a stone manger just like below.

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5 – SHEPHERDS

On that very same night, on the hills surrounding the sleeping village, were flocks of sheep tended by shepherds.

Link 7 – CHURCH OF SHEPHERDS FIELD

The Shepherds’ Field Chapel or the Sanctuary of the Gloria in excelsis Deo is a Roman Franciscan chapel built in 1953. Located in the area of Beit Sahour, southeast of Bethlehem, this chapel marks the place where, according to Catholic tradition, angels first announced the birth of Christ. It is known for biblical murals & topped by a glass dome & bronze angel.

Link 7a – CHURCH OF SHEPHERDS FIELD [PHOTOS]

Originally, this is one of two locations of the Annunciation to the shepherds. The other site is the Greek Orthodox Der El Rawat Chapel on the other side of the valley.

Link 8 – ORTHODOX CHURCH

Link 8a – ORTHODOX CHURCH [PHOTOS]

Let us put one other myth aside. Tradition says that Jesus was born in December, that is, during winter time. December is the first month of winter in Bethlehem. Temperatures in Bethlehem can reach an average highs in the region of 57.2 degrees Fahrenheit (14 degrees Celsius) while the lows hover around 44.6 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celsius). December is also the first month Bethlehem sees snow. That means that the sheep & shepherds would be in-doors than out in the fields. Bible scholars agree that Jesus may have been born around September.

Why would God send the angels to appear to shepherds? Why not the religious leaders of the day – the Pharisees, Essenes, Sadducees, and Rabbis?

God has a history of using ordinary people and at times, even less than ordinary. 

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek (gentle), for they will inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:3,5)

Shepherds can relate to being poor in spirit, for Jewish society considered them as having the lowest of jobs. Interestingly enough though, only the shepherd had the right skills and gentleness to raise unblemished lambs which were highly valued by the priests for sacrifices. It is no wonder that the Lord God trusted to them (whom society considered foolish) the sacred privilege to reveal the advent of the Lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world. 

…God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  (1 Corinthians 1:27)

According to the traditional way of telling this story, the shepherds would always knowingly head to a stable to find the Christ child, but picture this. First century Bethlehem probably had a population of about 15-20 thousand (double that during the census). What were the chances that Mary was the only one giving birth that night? Not likely. There must have been several hundred babies born at that time. So, how were the shepherds able to find the baby Jesus. Remember this?

And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. (Luke 2:12)

The shepherds more than likely searched every household with a newborn babe in it until they beheld Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloths lying snuggly in bed of hay in a manger.

6 – SIMEON & ANNA

According to tradition, as part of the Nativity pageantry, the Holy family had other important visitors besides the shepherds and they brought 3 significant gifts. In other words, all of the Christmas events occurred that same night of the birth. Again, was it all biblical? Apparently, NOT! 

God’s story shows us a lot more. Let us pick up the story in Jerusalem…

Link 9 – WESTERN STAIRCASE TO TEMPLE

You are standing at the Wailing Wall of Jerusalem. The name “Wailing Wall” or “Place of Weeping” stemmed from the Jewish practice of coming to the site to mourn and bemoan the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 AD and the loss of national freedom it symbolized. The wall is in actuality an ancient limestone wall; a relatively small segment of a far longer ancient retaining wall, known also in its entirety as the “Western Wall”. It was originally erected as part of the expansion of the Second Jewish Temple begun by Herod the Great, which resulted in the encasement of the natural, steep hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount. 

And when the days for their purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “EVERY FIRSTBORN MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what has been stated in the Law of the Lord: “A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG DOVES.” (Luke 2:22-24)

It is important to note that after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph could not bring the baby Jesus to the temple until after 40 days, which was the required time of purification.

Do you see the covered walkway at the far end of the wall? It leads up to the mount. At the time of Jesus’ birth, some 2000 years ago, there was a grand stair-case that went up to the south-west corner of the Temple mount. It was so wide that 10 men-abreast could have climbed it. The holy family would have used these stairs and when they reached the top, the Lord God wanted them to meet 2 persons.

Link 10 – SOUTH-WESTERN CORNER OF TEMPLE MOUNT

7 – THE MAGI 

Again… in every Nativity movie and Christmas Pageant I have seen, the Three Kings or Wise men from the East would arrive in their lumbering camels just right after Jesus’ birth in the stable. 

On the golden screens, they followed a visible and very bright star in the night sky. That same star would also send down a single ray of golden sparkling light to pinpoint the spot of where the babe was born. The movies always made it look so magical. That’s Hollywood for you. But what does the Bible really say?

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”  (Matthew 2:1-2)

Who were the magi from the east? To answer this, we go to the middle of modern day Iraq to where once existed an ancient city next to the great river Euphrates.

Link 11 – BABYLON

Welcome to where, once upon a time, stood the ancient city of Babylon. Babylon was the capital city of the ancient Babylonian Empire. What you see are the remains of the city are in present-day Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq, about 53 miles south of Baghdad.

On 14 February 1978, Saddam Hussein began the “Archaeological Restoration of Babylon Project”: reconstructing features of the ancient city atop its ruins. These features included the Southern Palace of Nebuchadnezzar, with 250 rooms, five courtyards, and a 30-meter entrance arch. The project also reinforced the Processional Way, the Lion of Babylon, and an amphitheater constructed in the city’s Hellenistic era. In 1982, the government minted a set of seven coins displaying iconic features of Babylon. A Babylon International Festival was held in September 1987, and annually thereafter until 2002 (excepting 1990 and 1991), to showcase this work. The proposed reconstruction of the Hanging Gardens and the great ziggurat never took place. [wikipedia.com]

Why in Babylon? The obvious answer is that the wise men did come from the east and of course, Babylon is east of Jerusalem. But that is not the reason why we are starting here. In Matthew 2, we have to ask, how did they know to come to Jerusalem? How did they know about the King of the Jews? Well, the answer to that can be found in the Old Testament, especially when I researched the word magi or magician. The result eventually led me to the time of the Judean exiles in Babylon in the book of Daniel. The reigning king was the famed Nebuchadnezzar. In a nutshell, the Lord had orchestrated one of His chosen prophets, Daniel, to become the trusted minister to the Babylonian king. Daniel was strategically placed to head the court of the magi and he retained this position under several kings up to the Persian Empire. Scholars have speculated that the magi of the New Testament were more than likely descendants of that same order of wise men. 

Since the magi were meant to find the King of the Jews, then it is not hard to conclude that the Lord had installed in His plan a way for them to get guidance from the written word of the prophet Daniel. 

8 – THE STAR 

Do you remember the Christmas carol, “A Star, A Star… Shining in the Sky”.

The Bethlehem Star is represented in practically every Christmas decoration throughout the world. Just look at most Christmas trees and you’ll find at its crown a sparkling star. In nativities, you’ll find a star above. In the Philippines, the ornamental lantern parol which can be found outside every building and house represent the star of Bethlehem.

Some say that the Bethlehem Star was a comet or a distant supernova. There are many theories. But was there really a single star that the Magi followed?

Let’s go to…

Link 12 – MOUNTAINS OF PERSIA

This view is from an undisclosed location somewhere in the mountains of modern day Iran. I actually found this spot accidently. I chose it because if I was a first century Persian astronomer, then being in these mountains would give me the perfect way to study the signs in the stars. This would be their view.

Link 13 – STAR FIELD

And the Magi did read signs in the night sky. Guess who placed those signs in the heavens.

So, when the Magi of Jesus’ time read the signs in the night sky, they connected the signs to Daniel’s writings and understood the timing of the Messiah’s birth and the sign that would lead them to the place where He would be born.  So, months or even a year after Jesus was born, the Magi arrived in Judea. 

How did I know that the wise men were not following a bright star in the night sky?

Some may argue that the star they followed was visibly spectacular. All I can say is that the Bible says otherwise.

Look at the reaction of Herod in Matthew 2:3 when the magi asked “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” (vs2).

vs3 – When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

If there was a comet or any cosmic spectacle in the night sky, Herod and his own wise men of Jerusalem would have taken heed. But instead he was quite surprised and troubled mainly more because they inquired about another King of the Jews.

I wish we could spend more time in exactly what the magi saw in the night sky. However, if you click on this Youtube video link: THE BETHLEHEM STAR where an astronomer will guide you on what the Magi actually saw in the night sky. I invite you to watch it. It will blow your mind away.

Meanwhile, let us get back to Bethlehem and pick up the story when the Magi left Jerusalem.

Link 14 – CHAPEL OF ST. CATHERINE

Chapel of Saint Catherine is a religious building that is affiliated with the Catholic Church and is located adjacent to the northern part of the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the West Bank in the Palestinian territories. It works as a parish church and Franciscan monastery. Underneath this chapel is a complex of caves and ruins that may also mark the birthplace of Jesus. In the chapel is this beautiful stained glass window depicting the magi presenting their gifts to the King of kings.

And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary; and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11)

Based on the Bible, when the Magi came before Jesus, he was not a baby anymore. The Greek word used for ‘Child’ here was PAIDION which means an infant between the age of 6 months and older. Clearly, upon their arrival, Joseph and Mary had upgraded their living situation from the animal pens to a house of their own. It made sense. The census would be over by then and the population of Bethlehem would decrease back to normal. Joseph decided to stay in Bethlehem and moved his family to an available house or he built one. Afterall, he was a carpenter and mason. Either way, they were in a house.

So, when the Magi laid their eyes on the Child Jesus, they being from the eastern kingdoms of Persia, Medes and Babylon prostrated themselves before someone considered as a Great One worthy of divine worship.

Gift of GOLD

In those days, Gold had the greatest monetary value among the rare elements of the earth and was mostly given exclusively to royalty. And Jesus is royal enough! Afterall, He is Lord of lords and King of kings (Revelation 17:14).

Gift of FRANKINCENSE

What exactly is frankincense? It is an aromatic resin used in incense and perfumes. More importantly, it was the incense used by the priests of Israel in the Holy Temple. A few times in the year, a priest was chosen to enter ‘the Holy Place’, the biggest chamber of Israel’s Temple, to burn incense on the Altar of Incense as a way of presenting the prayers of the people to God. So, why did the Magi present frankincense?

Jesus is not just the King of kings, He is also the Priest of all priests (Zechariah 6:13; Hebrews 5:6).

Gift of MYRRH

Myrrh has been used throughout history as a perfume, incense and medicine. Its monetary value was high, but you have to wonder what is its connection to Jesus in this context? It will be interesting to note that as Jesus was being buried after his death on the cross, his body was prepared for burial with spices and myrrh.

Was Myrrh given to honor His death? Well, not so much his death but more to honor His sacrifice. Remember, He was the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)

Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)

9 – HEROD 

We come to the hardest part of the Christmas story. It is rarely told around the Christmas tree for it depicts a dark event. But I believe it must be told. To do this, let us go to…

Link 15 – TOWER OF DAVID

Welcome to the Tower of David. It is the northeast tower of the Citadel of Jerusalem. Other towers named Phasael, Hippicus and Mariamne were situated in the northwest corner of the so-called First Wall, the Hasmonean and Herodian city wall protecting the Western Hill of Jerusalem. They were situated close to where the Jaffa Gate is today and were built by Herod the Great at the same time he built his immediately adjacent royal palace.

Link 16 – HEROD’S PALACE

Like in every story, there is always a BAD guy. In our Christmas story, the bad guy was Herod the Great.

Though Herod was king of Judea, he was not a Jew. He was actually a puppet-king of Rome. Herod was not loved by the Jews but he gained their grudging respect mostly because he renovated their Temple. One other thing about him was that he was extremely power hungry and not willing to share it. So, when the Magi from the east came looking for the new King of the Jews, the despot in him wanted Jesus dead and he’d do anything to get it done.

Now, the Magi found the Christ child and we will pick-up the story from here.

When it was time to leave, the Magi returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. (Matthew 2:12)

So, when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent his mercenary soldiers to kill all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. This horrendous event was actually foretold.

Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE.”  (Matthew 2:17-18)

Ramah, by the way, is the area of Bethlehem.

But God knew what was to come…

Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.” So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.  (Matthew 2:13-14)

So, let’s get back to why I believe this part of the story should be told around the Christmas tree; yes… even to little kids. How can kids and adults really appreciate the light unless they realize that darkness affects them.

What Herod did was an aftereffect of the original sin. Our history is filled with it. We are constantly surrounded by the darkness of sin.

One thing about darkness though, it cannot stand up to light. For several years, that light… our hope was kept safe in Egypt.

Link 17 – RUINS OF ALEXANDRIA

Welcome to the ruins of the ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria. This city was built on the coast of the Mediterranean and had a fair sized Jewish Quarter. The Bible is silent on where the Holy family hid in Egypt, however it can be speculated that they would easily find refuge here especially since they have financial means due to the gifts of the magi.

But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord *appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.”  So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, and came and settled in a city called Nazareth. This happened so that what was spoken through the prophets would be fulfilled: “He will be called a Nazarene.”  (Matthew 2:19-23)

That light grew and 33 years later, He said…

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Christmas Season is the time to show that the light of Jesus is there. All you have to do is walk in it. How?

B E L I E V E

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