The Christmas Story

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There are numbers of Christians, and non Christians alike, whose knowledge of Jesus and his family is pretty much limited to greeting cards, television specials, Hollywood movies, Broadway & school plays, fragmentary information, and folklore. Well; I think we can do better.

Hello; and welcome to a series of comments that address specific details relative to Jesus' mom, Jesus' dad, the Shepherds, the Star, the Taxation, Herod, Mary's atonements, Jesus in yeshiva, and Jesus' tribal affiliation.

Buen Camino
(Pleasant Journey)
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Jesus' Mom

● Luke 1:31-33 . . Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus . . and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever.

Jesus' genealogy is relatively unimportant to the average Gentile, whereas very important to Jews because only David's biological posterity qualify to ascend his throne and govern the people of Israel.

● Ps 132:11 . .The Lord has sworn in truth unto David; and He will not turn from it: "Of the fruit of your body will I set upon your throne"

The New Testament alleges Jesus' biological connection to David.

● Acts 2:29-30 . . Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne.

● Rom 1:3 . . . His son; descended from David according to the flesh.

FAQ: From whence did baby Jesus obtain a Y chromosome for his male gender?

REPLY: In the beginning, Eve's entire body-- inside and out, front to back, top to bottom, and side to side --was constructed with material taken from Adam's body. (Gen 2:21-22) So if God could construct an entire woman from material taken from a man's body, then it shouldn't be too difficult for Him to construct a teensy little chromosome from a woman's body.

Seeing as how Eve is the mother of all women (Gen 3:20 & Acts 17:26) then any material taken from Mary's body to construct a Y chromosome for baby Jesus would be owed to Eve's body; and by construction: to Adam's body.

The beauty of it is that a Y chromosome constructed with material taken from Mary's body wouldn't be an alien substance created ex nihilo; but would be 100% natural, and easily traceable all the way back to Eve, and from thence to the very dust that was used to construct Adam's body.

I sincerely believe that what I suggest herein actually took place when the power of the Most High overshadowed Jesus' mom per Luke 1:35; and if my suggestion is true, then little Jesus was thoroughly a Jew-- biologically descended not only from David and Abraham as all other Jews, but also from the Man that God created in the book of Genesis.

● Heb 2:17 . . He had to be made like his brethren in every way.

FAQ: You say Jesus was David's biological descendant. How is that possible if he had God's blood in his flesh.

REPLY: According to Lev 17:11, the life of the flesh is in the blood. Well then, in order for Jesus to be David's bona fides biological posterity, he had to have human blood in his flesh due to the fact that his biological ancestor David was human. In point of fact, according to Acts 17:16, all truly human men descend from one and the same human ancestor.

One of the oldest creeds in the book states that Jesus is fully God and fully Man. Well that creed would be grossly mistaken if something other than Adam's life was in Jesus' blood. Plus: on numerous occasions Jesus referred to himself as "son of Man" which, likewise, would be patently false were Adam's life not in his blood.
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Jesus' Dad

Joseph had no part in Jesus' conception. (Matt 1:18-19 & Luke 1:31-35)

Even so; Mary's boy is positioned in Joseph's genealogy. (Matt 1:1-17)

It's sometimes assumed Jesus was Joseph's foster child. But foster kids have no place in a man's family tree. Seeing as how Jesus wasn't Joseph's biological progeny, then the only way he could be legally placed in Joseph's genealogy was by adoption, and it came about like this:

Joseph was instructed give Mary's baby the name Jesus. (Matt 1:21)

Joseph complied. (Matt 1:25)

In ancient Israel, when a man stood with a woman to name her child, it became officially his (cf. Luke 1:13 & Luke 1:59-63). So from then on the neighbors, and Jesus' mom, knew him as Joseph's son. (Luke 2:27-28, Luke 2:41, Luke 2:48, & Luke 4:22)

FAQ: Why make an issue out of Jesus' association with Joseph?

REPLY: Because Jesus was selected of God to inherit David's throne. (Luke 1:32-33)

The thing is: David's throne never passes down to his posterity via women; it always passes down via the men in his line, viz: Mary was able to give her son a biological connection to David, but she couldn't give him the throne.

Also: the throne has to come down via David's son Solomon. (1Kings 1:13 & 1Chron 22:9-10) Joseph is related to Solomon. (Matt 1:6 and Matt 1:16)

Long story short: it was necessary for Joseph to adopt Mary's boy in order to place the lad in Solomon's genealogy and thus validate him as a rightful heir to the throne.

FAQ: Since when did the Jews begin placing men in positions of power by adoption?

REPLY: Jacob was the first. He took possession of Joseph's two sons Manasseh & Ephraim, and installed them as tribal heads equal in position to Jacob's eldest sons Reuben and Simeon. (Gen 48:5-6)
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Registration In Bethlehem

● Luke 2:1-6 . .In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governing in Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

. . .So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

The distance from Nazareth, north of Jerusalem, to Bethlehem south of Jerusalem; is about 68 line-of-sight miles, and roughly 93 road miles.

I don't know why artists always depict Mary traveling those 93 miles on donkey-back when the mode of transportation isn't mentioned. Personally, I don't think Joseph and his fiancée traveled to Bethlehem alone anyway, but rather, in the company of their kin just as they did when Jesus was 12 years old. (Luke 2:41-45) Seeing as how Mary and Joseph were of the house and lineage of David, then their kinfolk would've been too.

Mary was in her third trimester and ready to deliver. In her condition, the padded bed of a wagon makes far more sense than the back of an animal; and no doubt Joseph's and Mary's relatives pooled their resources and made sure she was comfortable.

Mr. Quirinius (a.k.a. Cyrenius) is an historical figure. His name is mentioned in Res Gestae (The Deeds of Augustus, by Augustus) placing Quirinius as consul as early as 12 BC.

The Roman historian Tacitus mentions that Quirinius was appointed by Augustus to be an advisor to his young son Caius Caesar in Armenia.

Although Quirinius wasn't seated as a head of state at this time, he was actively governing in Syria in a capacity that we today might call a bureaucrat.

The first century historian Josephus wrote: "Quirinius, a Roman senator who had gone through other magistracies, and had passed through them all until he had become consul, was appointed governor of Syria by Caesar and was given the task of assessing property there and in Judea."

Webster's defines a consul as: an official appointed by a government to reside in a foreign country to represent the commercial interests of citizens of the appointing country.

NOTE: It's handy to know something about Quirinius' political status because critics are fond of using him to challenge the Bible's historical accuracy. They are correct in that he wasn't a head of State at the time, nevertheless, he was active in government; and was apparently quite proficient.
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Bethlehem's Shepherds

● Luke 2:8-12 . . Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of The Lord appeared to them, and the glory of The Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.

. . .The angel said to them: Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.

The angel announced the birth of a savior. Webster's defines a "savior" as one who rescues.

Rescuing is what the Coast Guard does when boats capsize. Rescuing is what Firemen do when people are trapped inside burning buildings. Rescuing is what mountaineer teams do when climbers are in trouble. Rescuing is what EMT paramedics do when someone needs to get to a hospital in a hurry; and kept alive till they arrive. Rescuing is what surgeons do when someone needs an organ transplant.

I could go on and on giving example of rescuer after rescuer; but I think we get the idea. The New Testament's Jesus is like that: he rescues people from the wrath of God-- people who not only fully deserve it, but definitely in line to get it; and with no humanly possible way to avoid it.

Now; of what real benefit would the savior of Luke 2:8-12 really be to anybody if he couldn't guarantee a fail-safe rescue from the wrath of God? He'd be of no benefit to anybody. No; he'd be an incompetent ninny that nobody could rely on.

But, if a savior were to be announced who guaranteed anybody who wants it a completely free of charge, no strings attached, guaranteed fail-safe, sin proof, human nature-proof, Ten Commandments-proof, bad behavior-proof, apostasy-proof, reprobate-proof, back-sliding proof, Sermon on the Mount-proof, God-proof, Devil-proof, irrevocable rescue from the wrath of God, and full-time protection from future retribution; wouldn't that qualify as good news of great joy?

I think just about everybody concerned about ending up on the wrong side of things would have to agree with me that news like that would not only most certainly be good; but also cause for celebration, and ecstatic happiness.

FAQ: Why did the angel appear to only the shepherds?

REPLY: One possibility is that the date of Messiah's appearance was accurately predicted in advance by the prophet Daniel to occur on what we know as Palm Sunday (a.k.a. the Triumphal Entry) but the date of Messiah's birth in Bethlehem wasn't predicted. Consequently, those sheep guys were the only audience at hand instead of the thousands that one might expect at such a significant event.
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The Wise Men And Their Star

● Matt 2:1-2 . . Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, 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.

Personally I think the wise men fully expected to find the new king quartered right there rather than elsewhere; so their inquiry "where is he" was probably not meant for asking directions to another town.

● Matt 2:9 . . After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them.

They likely thought they had seen the last of that star back home, so it must've been very reassuring to see it again; and this time as a guiding light rather than a sign.

● Matt 2:10 . . When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

NOTE: As the planet turns, stars appear to move across the sky from the east towards the west. Their star moved directly south, and also came to a stop; which should alert planetarium managers that it wasn't an astronomical object.

● Matt 2:9 . . It stopped over the place where the child was.

Normal celestial objects are so far out in space that it is nigh unto impossible to tell the exact spot on the ground where one of them is directly overhead without special instruments; so I think we can be reasonably confident that this star was low enough that there was no mistaking the exact house where young Jesus was lodged. In other words; this star wasn't a star, rather, it was a God-given apparition.

Now this is curious. The shepherds were given no guide. They had to conduct a house to house search for baby Jesus; and their target was different too. The shepherds went looking for a religious figure whereas the wise men were seeking a political figure

FAQ: How did the wise men know their star was associated with the Jews?

REPLY: Matt 2:12 strongly suggests their entire odyssey was supervised from start to finish so that when the men spotted the star back home in the east, they were at the same time informed by God as to its purpose and urged to pack up and head for the land of Israel; specifically the city of Jerusalem because that's always been a sort of Washington DC for David's dynasty.

I think the wise men fully expected to find the young king there because they didn't inquire as to where he'd be born, rather: where is he that "is born" because they were sure in their own minds that he was already out and about even before they left home.

● Matt 2:11 . . On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

As visitors completed their registration and returned home, the inn would become available for moving Joseph's family out of the stable into better accommodations.

The shepherds would've been absent because they were only on hand the night of Jesus' birth whereas the wise men came later.

The wise men revered Jesus not as a deity, rather, as a Jewish monarch. (Matt 2:1-2)

The Greek word for "worship" in that verse is a very general word depicting adoration, obeisance, homage, and/or submission relative to one's betters, superiors, and/or folks we admire; either human or divine.

The gifts they gave Jesus were common trade items of that day, and the kinds of things we'd expect to be offered a king as tribute. No doubt all three items came in very handy to finance the family's temporary residence in Egypt; especially the gold. (Matt 2:13-15)
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Herod

● Matt 2:7-8 . .Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.

Well; the visitors might've returned had not God intervened.

● Matt 2:11-12 . . And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

That was likely a safety measure to prevent Herod from knowing where to find the lad because rulers in that day were typically Machiavellian, tyrannical, and despotic-- they didn't just crush potential threats to their power; they utterly annihilated it; and as subsequent events demonstrate, ol' Herod had neither conscience nor concern for child welfare.

** Saddam Hussein's first order of business upon taking control of Iraq was to order the executions of some of his closest supporters because they weren't totally onboard with his ideals. North Korea's Kim Jong-Un is suspected of ordering the murder of his uncle for similar reasons.

● Matt 2:16a . .Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth

There's really nothing in the story to even remotely suggest that the wise men made a fool out of Herod and/or jeered him. They simply failed to comply with his wishes; which in his mind wasn't merely refusal of his request, but a failure to take him seriously. (cf. Gal 6:7)

● Matt 2:16b . . He sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

The Greek word for "coasts" is a mite ambiguous. It technically indicates borders, but can also indicate regions and/or environs and surrounding areas.

That verse is commonly appropriated to calculate Jesus' age relative to when the wise men visited him and his mother. But the verse merely indicates the passage of time since Herod interviewed the men; which is quite useless for calculating Jesus' age seeing as how he was already born before the men even left their country-- how long before they left their country, nobody knows for sure.

● Matt 2:17-18 . .Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." (Jer 31:15)

Ramah was roughly six miles north of Jerusalem, while Bethlehem is roughly the same distance south in the opposite direction.

Ramah was settled by the people of Rachel's son Benjamin, so that any weeping done by the mothers in that area would be reckoned, by heritage, to be Rachel's weeping.

Anyway; what this suggests to me is that the slaughter of the innocents extended beyond the community of Bethlehem. Were we to set a draftsman's compass to a radius equal to the distance between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and scribe a circle with Jerusalem at the center, it would yield a pretty good idea of the area covered by Herod's death squads-- roughly 113 square miles.

But Herod's efforts were futile. Jesus wasn't even in the country; Joseph had moved the child and his mother down into Egypt before all the killing began (Matt 2:13) and in time, Herod died and his danger to Jesus' survival died with him. (Matt 2:19-23)
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Mary's Atonements

● Luke 2:22-25 . .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 first-born male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to The Lord" and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the law of The Lord: "A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."

The days of purification for boys is a total of 40. (Lev 12:1-4)

The dollar-value of Mary's offerings attest to her and Joseph's status as low income Israelis. (Lev 12:6-8)

Too many Gentiles are quick to assume Mary's offerings prove she was a sinner; but one of those birds was for Jesus in lieu of the lamb that the law mandates for redeeming boys; so then, if Mary's offering proves she's a sinner; then by association, the offering for Jesus proves the very same thing. (Ex 13:11-13)

Joseph's wife brought those offerings for herself and Jesus not because she and her son were sinners, but primarily because that is what the law of The Lord requires from Jewish mothers; and it doesn't matter whether a woman is a sinner or a non sinner nor whether her baby is a sinner or a non-sinner. It would have been sin for Jesus' mother to disobey that law, and would have put her baby in jeopardy of its life. She had to bring the birds for her and Jesus simply because it was the right thing for Jewish mothers to do.

Another case in point of "the right thing to do" is John the Baptist. His mission was a baptism unto repentance (Matt 3:11). Did Jesus need repentance? No; but he submitted himself to John's baptism because it was the right thing to do seeing as John's mission was God-given. (Matt 3:13-15)

This principle is applicable in a number of ways, for instance at Matt 11:28-30 where Jesus said:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

When someone is convinced that Christ came into the world on a special mission from God, then the right thing for them to do is RSVP Jesus and tell him, in so many words, that they would like to be in on that rest he spoke of.
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Jesus In Yeshiva

● Luke 2:41-50 . . Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem.

. . . But his parents were unaware of it, but supposed him to be in the caravan, and went a day's journey; and they began looking for him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for him.

. . .Then, after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

. . .When they saw him, they were astonished; and his mother said to him: Son, why have you treated us this way? Behold, your father and I have been anxiously looking for you. And he said to them: Why is it that you were looking for me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?

● Luke 2:51 . . . But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them.

Well; I don't quite understand it either, but one thing I do know is that Jesus wasn't rebellious: he was micromanaged by a higher power than his parents.

● John 4:34 . . My food, said Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me

● John 6:38 . . I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me

● John 8:28 . . I do nothing on my own initiative

● John 8:29 . . He that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.

● John 14:31 . .That the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do.

NOTE: Other than that one instance of what at first appears to be an assertion of independence; Jesus was actually a good kid.

● Luke 2:51 . .Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them

Anyway, point being: it's commonly assumed that when the Word of John 1:1-3 came into the world as the flesh of John 1:14, that he came as a divine child. And it's also commonly assumed that he came with all the wisdom of God prepackaged in his little baby skull. But no, the Word came into the world as a Jewish child; and he needed to study his people's religion just the same as any other kid on the block.

But the Word's flesh had a very large advantage over the other kids. God equipped Jesus with an unlimited measure of His spirit (Isa 11:1-2 & John 3:34) which made him not only a quick learner, but also an astute learner, i.e. young Jesus was every Sunday school teacher's dream: a kid that gets it. (Luke 2:52)
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Mary's Tribal Affiliation

It's sometimes alleged that Jesus' mom was of the tribe of Levi because of the wording of Luke 1:36 which says:

"And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren."

Whereas Elisabeth was of the tribe of Levi (Luke 1:5) Jesus' mom was of the tribe of Judah. (Luke 1:32, Rom 1:3, and Heb 7:14)

The heads of both those two tribes were Leah's offspring. (Gen 35:23)

Ergo: The women were cousins via a grandmother in common.

** Had Jesus' mom descended from Levi, her little boy would've failed to qualify as an heir in line for David's throne because all candidates must first of all be one of Judah's descendants; no exceptions.

● Gen 49:10 . .The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will obey. (cf. Dan 7:13-14)
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