The Nativity - Luke 2:1-7

Mary and Joseph are living in Nazareth, Mary pregnant and Joseph working as a carpenter. Luke describes their relationship in chapter 2 verse 5 as being “espoused,” which would make sense about how they knew about the status of their relations, they hadn’t been officially married yet. Surely they weren’t the first couple to be have a child before they were married, but even today, it’s frowned upon. I find it ironic that they were probably viewed as “sinners” because they were pregnant out of wedlock, when in fact they were probably some of the most righteous people on earth at the time, which is a lesson to all of us on outside judgment. While Mary was pretty far long “there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.” The whole world in this sense is the Roman world, which was extensive but clearly didn’t cover the Nephites, so it’s not the entire world as we know it. The IM tells us that the “taxing” “was an enrollment of persons for future taxation purposes, an enrolment that required the taxpayer to personally submit required information.” Apparently this wasn’t the traditional Roman way, who would typically just register the subjects where they lived, but Jewish tradition was for people to go to the place where they were born, and the Romans respected that tradition. The IM says, “Because both Joseph and Mary were descendants of King David, they were required to make the journey to Bethlehem, which was King David’s hometown… Bethlehem lay approximately 85-90 miles south of Nazareth, a trek of at least four to five walking days, perhaps longer considering Mary’s condition.” That must have been painful. We learned in JTC “Equally definite with the prophecies declaring that the Messiah would be born in the lineage of David are the predictions that fix the place of His birth at Bethlehem, a small town in Judea. There seems to have been no difference of opinion among priests, scribes, or rabbis on the matter, either before or since the great event. Bethlehem, though small and of little importance in trade or commerce, was doubly endeared to the Jewish heart as the birthplace of David and as that of the prospective Messiah.”

 We know the story, there is no room for them at the inn, so they had to stay with the animals, which wasn’t as clean or as prestigious but they stayed their none the less. The birth of the Savior is noted in only one verse saying, “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” The Savior of the world, the only hope, was born in a barn, a helpless infant, completely dependent on others, having forgotten all. The IM quotes Elder Bruce D. Porter as saying, “His birth, like his life, teaches us that there is nothing wrong with humble origins, with poverty, simplicity, and obscurity. There is nothing to be ashamed of in being outcast from society, in being forced to dwell apart from the world, literally or figuratively. Poverty is no disgrace, and a shelter for animals may be a temple of God’s spirit as surely as any more elegant dwelling… Christ’s birth and simple upbringing are a reminder to us that we must never look down on anyone because of their origins or worldly status. If we scorn the humble, we may unwittingly scorn the chosen of God’s children on the earth.” This is something that I think about at work. I used to treat patient’s really poorly, especially the ones that “looked” poor or homeless, not because I hate them or anything but because I didn’t want to be bothered. I had to realize that if that was my grandma and someone treated her like the way I was treating other people’s grandmas then I would be furious. Everything I get a patient that seems difficult or unpleasant, I ask myself how I would treat this person if it was the Savior. It’s been behavior altering and something to always think about.