Reconstructing Christmas

It's time for the Christmas story once again, how Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem to pay their taxes and couldn't find any room in the local inn so they had to suffer the indignity of spending the night with the animals - and that's why the Messiah was literally born in a barn.

But that's not really the way it happened. In some ways the reality wasn't as bad as we think; in other, more important ways, it was worse; and in all ways, it is a more human tale that we usually realize.

First, let's be clear - we are trying to piece together the details of what happened long ago by reconstructing life in first-century Judea and using that to fill in the gaps in the biblical record. Our knowledge is fragmentary, there are lots of gaps, and at times we must simply make our best guess. But we can certainly get closer to the truth than the usual sanitized nativity story bathed in the rosy glow of tradition.

First, Joseph did not go to Bethlehem just to pay his taxes, but to register for a census. Scripture says that everyone went to his own town to be registered as part of a Rome-ordered census. But while history records a number of times that the Romans took a census, there is no record of anyone having to travel to their ancestral homes to be counted. It is possible that Joseph still owned property in Bethlehem and so had to be counted there. Or perhaps because of the Jewish pride in ancestry, this was a local Jewish custom. Especially the descendants of David would want to go to David's hometown to be counted for the census.

Second, why did Mary accompany Joseph? She was certainly not required to do so by law, and it seems unlikely that even local custom would have required a woman to accompany her almost-husband for a Roman census. Again, we are left to make our best guess as to the reason that Mary went to Bethlehem with Joseph, and there are two possibilities. First, she almost certainly knew the prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, and perhaps she insisted on going with Joseph in order to fulfill this prophecy. Or there is a darker possibility - Joseph was her betrothed, not her husband. A betrothed woman remained a member of her father's household until the wedding. Once she was "found to be with child," the natural assumption would have been that it was Joseph's child, and the fact that Joseph chose to marry her anyway made this certain - at least in the eyes of her family and neighbors. Might Mary have been banished from her father's home and chosen to accompany Joseph because there was no other real option for her? At least going with Joseph would have provided an escape from the local gossip surrounding the pregnancy.

Once they arrived in Bethlehem - whether they traveled by foot, donkey, or cart, we just don't know - we run into the next big question. What was the "inn"? Several factors suggest that it wasn't actually an inn at all. First, the word traditionally translated "inn" has a variety of uses ranging from "inn" to "guest quarters" or even "dining room," but it's definitely not the usual word for "inn." Second, as far as we know, Bethlehem at the time was an unimportant village of just a few families - not the sort of place that would need an inn. Third, Joseph had relatives in Bethlehem - that's the reason that he went there. Given the strong cultural emphasis on family and hospitality, there's no way that Joseph and Mary were left to fend for themselves at the local inn. So, putting all the pieces together, it's likely that Joseph and Mary were staying with Joseph's relatives, and since there was no room for them in the living quarters, they had to spend the night at the home's stable.

Actually, staying with the animals was probably not that big a deal, especially when away from home. The poor of that day lived as best they could, their houses were generally strong but simple shelters, and they spent most of their time outside anyway. In many houses, the animals lived on the ground floor, with the living quarters above. So rather than being alone in a secluded stable, Mary likely gave birth in or very near a house, with relatives to assist her.

But that brings up another question. It's easy to understand a harried innkeeper turning Joseph and Mary away from his door, but relatives? Especially in light of that culture's hospitality expectations, it's almost inconceivable that Joseph's relatives would not make room for them in the living quarters of the house, even if it meant the owners sleeping with the animals. The situation only makes sense when we understand the stigma that was on Mary as an unwed mother. No doubt in the minds of many, she (and Joseph) should have been stoned for adultery. After bringing such a blight on the family name - David's family! - being granted any lodging at all was more than should be expected.

If this reconstruction is correct, then when newborn Jesus was laid in the manger, it was not because He was ignored, but because, along with Mary and Joseph, He was rejected, deemed unfit to be with the family. The first Christmas, then, was not heartwarming or peaceful, but cruel and cutting. No wonder that Mary "treasured up" the shepherd's visit as the single shining moment of that bitter night, the one reminder that God still remembered her and her Child.

So this year as you celebrate the coming of the Savior, remember the reality of the first Christmas: in the midst of darkness, pain and confusion, Christ enters, faith endures, and God is still in control.

What's your worth?

“Jesus loves me, this I know

For the Bible tells me so…”

Many of us have sung this song since we learned to talk. We’ve heard it so much that it sounds trite. But sometimes it can be hard to actually accept, to truly believe in the depths of your soul.

Maybe you struggle with really believing that God loves you. Maybe you accept it in your head, but it doesn’t actually seem real in your life. Or maybe feeling unloved or unwanted is so ingrained in who you are that you don’t believe that even God could love you. You’d like to believe it, but you just can’t. Not really.

The world will tell you that you have to be thin, beautiful and successful to be worth loving. But even the most successful and glamorous often struggle with feeling unloved and worthless.

God tells you something different. He wants you to understand that your value is based on four absolute truths.

Know who you are: you are created in God’s image. You are literally a small picture of God. And just like the image on a $100 bill is what gives it value, so God’s image on you gives you value. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done, or what’s been done to you. You have enormous value.

Remember what Christ did: He was tortured to death for you. Jesus knows you. He knows every sin you commit, every secret you hide, every weakness you cover. And He still thinks you are worth dying for.

Find where you fit: you are a member of God’s family. Find people that show that God’s acceptance and love. Develop those friendships that build you up, that draw you toward God. Cut those relationships that tear you down and pull you away from God. God already accepted you and received you into His family. This is where you belong.

Learn what you have: God gave you talents and gifts. It’s easy to look at others and think that you don’t have anything to offer compared to them, but God has given you a way to make a difference. Maybe you can sing, or you can make people laugh, or you are a good organizer or a great listener. Everyone wants to be significant, to make a difference, and God has given you your own way to do just that.

Everyone feels unloved or rejected sometimes. When you find yourself there, hold on to these four truths:

You are valuable.

You are loved.

You belong.

You contribute.

God's plan and conflict

I've been studying the Gospels and the life of Jesus in preparation for teaching a course on the Life and Teachings of Jesus. Part of the background of Mark dates back to Paul and Barnabas. For those of you who are not familiar with the connection, it goes like this.

• Mark was not an apostle of Jesus, but may have been around during Jesus' ministry.

• Mark's cousin Barnabas was the one who first vouched for Paul and introduced him to the apostles in Jerusalem (Acts 9:26-27). Barnabas later joined Paul and they ministered together in Antioch (Acts 11:25-26). Paul and Barnabas apparently became very close, and God called them to go on a major missions trip together (Acts 13:2). This trip is usually known as Paul's first missionary journey.

• Mark accompanied Paul and Barnabas on this journey, but left them early in the trip, presumably under a bit of a cloud (Acts 13:13).

• Later, Barnabas and Paul decided to embark on another missions trip. Barnabas insisted that they take Mark, but Paul refused. After a sharp disagreement, they chose to work separately, Barnabas taking Mark and Paul taking Silas (Acts 14:37-41).
• Mark later travelled with Peter (1 Peer 5:13).

• Clement of Alexandria (an early church historian) tells us that Mark took notes on Peter's preaching. While in Rome, the people who heard Peter asked Mark to put his notes on Peter's preaching together into a single document. Mark did so, called it a "gospel," and so we have the Gospel of Mark.

A couple of things are notable in this tale. First, there's no indication that Paul and Barnabas' conflict was personal or vindictive. Rather, they faced a clear, strong disagreement on procedure and chose to work separately. There is no indication that either "side" attacked or undermined the other. In fact, Paul later asked for Mark to come to him, giving him a high commendation (2 Tim 4:11).

Second, this division between Paul and Barnabas, handled properly as it was, may have indirectly led to the writing of the Gospel of Mark. Had Mark stayed with Paul, would he have had the opportunity to travel with Peter and so produce the Gospel of Mark? Yes, God could have worked it out differently, but the point remains: even conflict, when handled in the right way, can further God's plan and help spread the Gospel.

Let me repeat that with proper emphasis: even conflict, when handled in the right way, can further God's plan and help spread the Gospel.

There is always a way to glorify God - even in conflict. 

Self-image and spirituality

We have often heard that self-image and self-confidence are just the world's substitute for trusting God. News flash: it's not true.

Yes, self-confidence can be misused as a very poor substitute for faith. But there's much more to it than that. How can a young lady trust God when deep down, she is privately convinced that she is simply not worth being loved by God or anyone else? What good does it do to tell a young man to trust God when, in the deepest recesses of his soul, he senses that he is rejected and valueless? How can I trust God to take care of me if I'm privately certain that I'm simply not worth being taken care of?

I don't know if this has been prevalent throughout church history, but it's a real problem in today's church. While I am not a great fan of a lot of contemporary Christian music, CCM is often more in touch with the Christian world today than many churches are. They have to be, in order to write and perform music that resonates with Christians, especially young Christians. And there is a lot of CCM that talks about struggling with feelings of worthlessness and being unloved.

There's a girl in the corner 

With tear stains on her eyes 

From the places she's wandered 

And the shame she can't hide 

She says, "How did I get here? 

I'm not who I once was. 

And I'm crippled by the fear 

That I've fallen too far to love" 

Well she tries to believe it 

That she's been given new life 

But she can't shake the feeling 

That it's not true tonight 

She knows all the answers 

And she's rehearsed all the lines 

And so she'll try to do better 

But then she's too weak to try 

     from "You Are More" by Tenth Avenue North

Setting aside the anecdotes and lyrics, though, is the idea of having a good self-image Scriptural? The fact is that Scripture warns us repeatedly against taking too high a view of ourselves. For example, one should not "think more highly of himself than he ought to" (Rom 12:3); "everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD" (Prov 16:5). And there are many more such passages. Throughout history, the usual problem has been that people's self-image has been too inflated.

But there is another side to it. Romans 12:3 (quoted above) also tells us to "think [of ourselves] soberly." (The word "soberly" here means "realistically" or "honestly.") And Hebrews 11:6 says, "He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." So when a person's self-image makes it difficult to believe that God would reward them for seeking Him, that is a huge problem spiritually. I've recently come to realize that often people seeking God during altar services are struggling with issues related to their self-image.

If the best we have to offer is some platitude like "get your eyes off yourself and onto God," the battle is lost before it's begun. We are dealing with very deep issues here, and they take time. But there are ways to offer real help.

First, encourage the seeker to trust God in spite of their conviction that they aren't worth His help. It's hard, but it's possible. And that is where they have to start. God knows the struggle they are having deep in their soul, and He'll walk them through it step by step.

Second, work to create and maintain an atmosphere of acceptance and caring. Because, like it or not, God uses us. God communicates His love through you and me. That means that if we want people to experience God's love, we have to show that love in very practical ways. Frankly, that sounds more difficult - and more touchy-feely - than it is.

• It's just being genuinely connected with one another.

• It's actually listening to people.

• It's caring, and letting others know that you care.
• It's taking time to talk with the kid that no one hangs around.
• It's a text saying "I'm praying for you" to the friend who is going through a rough time.
• It doesn't have to be extensive or time-consuming, but it does have to be consistent and sincere.

Third, realize that you do not know who is in the middle of this struggle. It could be the shy withdrawn girl, or it could be the popular guy whom that everyone looks up to. That means we have to be there for everyone around us. And (surprise, surprise) that's exactly what Scripture says we should do anyway. It's called "fellowship," koinonia, sharing life. And it's how the Christian life is supposed to work every day.