Selected Scriptures
Paul Harvey (September 4, 1918 – February 28, 2009) was a conservative American radio personality well known for his “News and Comments” broadcast and his “Rest of the Story” segments. To this day I can still hear his distinctive voice as he enunciates, “And now, for the rest of the story.”
There’s a renewed need for us to tell the entire Christmas story with all its details so that we have the “rest of the story” in our holiday celebrations. It’s easy to skew the story and miss the deep hues and colors of the narrative of Christ’s coming to earth.
For that reason, I want us to consider some of the details that are too often passed over to focus on the more familiar aspects of His coming. Let’s get a clearer picture of what it was really like for Mary, Joseph and Jesus!
1. Consider Nazareth
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. (Luke 1:26-27)
Nazareth was the small, isolated town of Mary and Joseph. It is the place where Jesus spent a major portion of His life (Matthew 2:23; Luke 2:39 - this is the reason Jesus is called a Nazarene) as He worked alongside Joseph in the trade of carpentry. This city was so insignificant in the broader scheme of Israel (or so people thought) that when Jesus began calling His disciples, Nathanael asked, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? (John 1:46)
Throughout Jesus’ ministry He was referred to as a resident of the city: Jesus of Nazareth (cf. Mk 10:47; Jn 18:5, 7; Acts 2:22). There is only one New Testament reference to Jesus returning to His boyhood town after He had begun His public ministry and He was rejected by the townspeople (Lk 4:16–30; cf. Mt 13:54–58; Mk 6:1–6). Even the followers of Jesus were derisively referred to as “Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5).
Nazareth is not mentioned in the OT, the Apocrypha, or intertestamental Jewish writings. There are sixty-three (63) villages of Galilee listed in the Talmud (an important text in Rabbinic Judaism), but Nazareth is not among them. Of the forty-five (45) towns mentioned by the Jewish historian Josephus you don’t find the name of Nazareth mentioned.
The city was located fifteen (15) miles west of the Sea of Galilee, about twenty (20) miles east of the Mediterranean Sea, and about seventy (70) miles north of Jerusalem. It has been estimated that the population of the town was only a few hundred, if that many actually lived there. Some surmise that it may have been as small as one hundred (100) residents.
The name of the city is from a Hebrew root meaning “a shoot” or “a branch” that grows out of a tree trunk that is thought to be dead. It is from such an obscure place that the prophecy of Isaiah declares the Messiah will come.
There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist. (Isaiah 11:1-5)
The Hebrew word for “Branch” (Isaiah 11:1) is the very word that gives us the name “Nazareth.” Symbolically, God is declaring that out of something seemingly dead will come the Life of God!
Though Nazareth is an important Christian center in present day Israel, that was not the case when Mary, Joseph or Jesus lived there and it’s part of the “rest the story” that few people consider at Christmas.
2. Consider Mary
Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus...Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God...For with God nothing will be impossible.” Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:30-38)
Some religious groups venerate Mary far beyond what is scripturally allowed. However, Mary is someone that we should respect and admire (Luke 1:42) for her willingness to be used by God to deliver the Messiah to the world. She was just a teenage Jewish virgin that had submitted herself to the Lord in total humility (Luke 1:38).
We have the privilege of the historical narrative that informs us of the angel’s visit to announce to Mary what God was going to do through her. But, other than Joseph, it doesn’t appear that anyone else had this kind of divine insight that might have alleviated some of the rejection Mary had to experience. Who would have believed her story about being “with child” of the Holy Spirit? No one, at least until Joseph was convinced by the same angel himself.
It is possible that her own family turned against her in Nazareth. In ancient Israel a girl expecting a baby and not married would have been, at a minimum, shamed by the community. The Law of Moses allowed for a much worse punishment for someone considered immoral. Leviticus 20:10 even seems to demand the punishment of death for someone found to be “with child” when the marriage had not even been consummated. Unlike engagement today, a couple was legally married when they entered into the betrothal period.
This rejection she experienced in her hometown may have played a part in why Mary traveled a considerable distance (even in her condition) to visit her cousin and husband in the hill country of Judah (Luke 1:39-40). By the time she leaves there nearly three months later (Luke 1:56), her pregnancy would have been unmistakable and no one could have ignored her condition. And, just as a reminder, this was all before she and Joseph had “come together” (Matthew 1:18). Her predicament would be even worse now in Nazareth and there was no way to escape the looks she received from the townspeople.
When you consider how she was likely treated at home, it may well partially explain why she travelled with Joseph to Bethlehem. She certainly wasn’t required to go such a great distance (approximately 80 miles), especially in her delicate condition. She had no possessions or money and therefore owed no taxes. It was only men that were to be counted in the census anyway. But, she may have had few other options open to her in this small community. It’s even possible that her own parents refused to let her stay at their home and consequently, had nowhere else to go but with Joseph to Bethlehem.
Doesn’t it seem strange that her own mother is completely absent from the narratives about her daughter’s pregnancy or the birth of the Christ child? If she was still alive, that speaks volumes about how she may have felt toward Mary.
We usually think of Jesus being “despised and rejected” (Isaiah 53:3), but even His earthly mother felt some of His pain.
Christmas was anything but a time of joy, peace and calm for Mary. And it is part of the “rest of the story” that seldom gets considered at Christmas.
3. Consider Joseph
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18-20)
It’s clear that Joseph was a good and “just man” (Matthew 1:19) that wanted to do right after learning about Mary’s condition. He loved her and had planned to spend the rest of his life with her and now those plans were in turmoil. What was he supposed to do with the woman that had been so precious to him?
He could have her used as a public example and allowed the townspeople to stone her to death so that others would learn the hard lesson of the price you pay for immorality (though she had never been immoral - Matthew 1:18).
As he pondered his choices (Matthew 1:20), it was just too painful to bear the thought of this young woman he still loved being treated so harshly, so he opted for a private “divorce” proceeding (Matthew 1:19).
This whole process was pure agony for him as is indicated by the Greek word translated, “thought” (Matthew 1:20). The word used by Matthew is a strong compound word in the Greek text. The root noun, “thumos” (θυμός) indicates strong emotion, anger, wrath, and indignation. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (BDAG) defines it as an “...intense expression of the inner self.”
In other words, the emotions churning within his heart were tearing him apart. His dreams had been crushed (so he thought) and his life stood at an impasse. He was dealing with fears, worries, consequences and decisions he had never imagined he’d have to face this early in his life.
It was by God’s mercy that He dispatched an angel to deliver the same message previously delivered to Mary when she learned that she was to be God’s chosen vessel. There is no reference to the relief that Joseph must have felt that night awakening from his dream, but it says that he obeyed the Word of the Lord without reticence (Matthew 1:24-25).
Now, two people knew God’s plan, but it still wasn’t easy since no one else believed their story. He and Mary were inseparably bound together not only in holy matrimony, but in the knowledge that the Holy One to be born through Mary was the long awaited Jewish Messiah.
Very few people consider the “rest of the story” concerning the anguish Joseph endured to be obedient to the Lord’s will.
4. Consider Bethlehem
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. (Luke 2:1-6)
When the census was issued, Joseph began making his plan to journey to his hometown of Bethlehem (Luke 2:4) as the law required. Even though the trip would be hard with his “betrothed” wife in such a delicate condition he knew he couldn’t leave her in Nazareth where no one believed her (now, their) story. He probably wanted to be nearby when the Baby was born, but usually these things were handled by midwives anyway. Not in Mary’s case...no midwives are ever mentioned offering their assistance to her in Nazareth or in the distant city of Bethlehem.
It’s hard to imagine the discomfort she must have endured on the rugged roads that led the nearly 100 miles to the city of Bethlehem. Maybe she walked at times, but probably most of the journey was made on the back of a mule or a horse.
It was Bethlehem that had been prophesied to be the birthplace of the Messiah (Micah 5:2), but even Mary and Joseph couldn’t imagine the circumstances (an animal stall and feeding trough) in which He would be born.
This was the city of Joseph’s ancestors and you would assume that he would have some relatives living in the city. It might have been that they were distant relatives, but surely one of them would provide a family member a place to stay.
As far as we know, there were no motels (“inns”) as we think of them in the city. Even the prophecy of Micah 5:2 seems to infer that the town of Bethlehem was too small to warrant such an establishment. Consequently, Mary and Joseph were totally dependent on distant family or family acquaintances to provide them with a place in the city. That was the common custom of their day and the reason the Bible speaks so often to Christians about hospitality.
There were some cities that had official “inns.” In the story of the Good Samaritan he takes the wounded Jewish man to an “inn” (Luke 10:34)...sort of a first century motel. But that’s not the kind of arrangements that could be found in Bethlehem. When it says that there was “no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7 - a different Greek word than 10:34) it is referring to a “guest room,” as the Greek word is sometimes translated.
The common first century house generally consisted of two floors. Upon entering the house there was a ground level floor where the animals were brought in at night and fed. At the back of the house was an upper level where all of the family living took place. It’s on the first floor of the house where Mary and Joseph were given a place to stay, not where the rest of the family and guests would normally be housed. (It’s possible that a cave was the place where Christ was born. Archeologists have discovered that in the Judean hill country some houses were located in caves or built on caves, and some of these homes had levels or terraces. They could have an upper room that served as a guest chamber and a raised area in the lower level where the family lived and ate their meals. The lowest level of the home is where the animals were brought in at night, perhaps four feet lower than the family room.)
Why wouldn’t they be given a “guest room” as a place to stay? Certainly it was crowded all over the city with the many visitors in town for the census. Still, couldn’t someone make room for a woman who’s about to deliver? Surely, a child, young person or adult somewhere in the city could have slept outside or made a palate with the animals to make room for a baby to be born. This is family that has come to town, after all!
But, there is more going on in this story than first meets the eye. Rumor has it that Mary is pregnant even though she and Joseph haven’t completed the marriage process yet. This cloud of suspicion followed them all the way to Bethlehem. People of such reputation weren’t welcome in a respectable town, among respectable family members. That is likely the primary reason they could find no other place than a poor animal stall to give birth to the Christ child and had to utilize a feeding trough as a place to lay Him.
Mary endured a lot to follow the Lord and be the vessel through which the Messiah would be delivered into this world. And when the “rest of the story” is told you see the much darker hues added to the Christmas story adding new meaning to the text that says, “there was no room for them in the inn.”
5. Consider Herod
Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. (Matthew 2:16)
After the Wise Men arrive in Jerusalem (Matthew 2:1-18: this would have been within two years of the birth of Christ) looking for the young child Who is born King of the Jews, Herod is filled with angry rage and jealousy. He sent the men from the east to find the One whose star they had followed and instructed them to return to him with the location of this child. When the Magi didn’t return, Herod took matters into his own hands and ordered all the babies in Bethlehem two years of age and under (Matthew 2:16) to be destroyed causing unimaginable pain among the residents of the city.
In light of what we have experienced in this country when we hear of innocent children harmed or killed we can imagine how quickly the mood in Bethlehem became dark and foreboding. There is no record of how many children lost their lives that night to Herod’s rage, but even if it was only one, the pain would have been excruciating. And, it seems reasonable to think that dozens of children may have died...possibly hundreds.
Put yourself in the first century for a moment. Just imagine a Roman soldier breaking through your front door and taking your precious baby or young child off into the night. Look at the arms of the outstretched children crying and reaching for their parents who are knocked to the floor by the shove of the soldiers’ arm while trying to rescue their child. Everybody in the city can hear the cries and screaming of the children, as well as the agony of the families as the lives of their children are lost. There’s not a place anywhere in the city where you can escape the cloud of pain and anguish or the wails of crying family members.
Matthew quotes the Prophet Jeremiah not as a direct fulfillment of his words, but as an application of them to the present context of Herod’s massacre (Matthew 2:18):
Thus says the Lord: “A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more.” (Jeremiah 31:15) [When Jeremiah spoke these words they were words of hope that the nation would return to the land even though they wept when they were carried away into captivity. Matthew uses them to give Bethlehem’s families hope because the Messiah had escaped Herod’s massacre and would return to reign one day.]
Dr. Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, writes, “Jesus was not born into a gauzy, sentimental winter wonderland of sweetly-singing angels and cute reindeer nuzzling one another at the side of his manger. He was born into a war-zone. And at the very rumor of his coming, Herod vowed to see him dead, right along with thousands of his brothers. History in Bethlehem, as before and as now, is riddled with the bodies of murdered children.” (saved in Evernote)
Since the fall of man, Satan has been trying to destroy God’s plan and in the Christmas story he’s trying to destroy God’s Son. Were it not for an angel warning Joseph (Matthew 2:13-15), Jesus would have died that night, as well. He’s ultimately going to die, but the time is not to be at His birth. He’ll grow up, live perfectly according to God’s Law and then He’ll be crucified. But, His death will accomplish at that time something the death of no other person could ever accomplish...mankind’s eternal salvation.
When the “rest of the Christmas story” is told you can’t ignore the pain of the families that lost a child or children that night.
6. Consider Simeon
And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God...Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2:25-28, 34-35)
After Mary’s purification from the birth of her child, which meant Jesus was forty (40) days old (Leviticus 12:1-4), she and Joseph brought Him to the Temple to dedicate Him to the Lord. They were met there by a pious Jew named Simeon that uttered words no mother ever wants to hear about her child (Luke 2:35).
Usually when a newborn baby comes into the world there are nothing but gifts and congratulations given to the new parents. But, something is different about this baby!
It had been revealed to Simeon that he would not see death until he had seen the “Lord’s Christ” (Luke 2:26). Directed by the Holy Spirit he stood in the Temple that day when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus for dedication. As he takes Jesus in his arms and blesses the Lord, he warns Mary about what is to come (Luke 2:34-35).
He explains that, “a sword will pierce through your own soul also” and then he disappears from the biblical record. This is the announcement of tragedy to come even before Jesus has had opportunity to live His life. Presumably, Simeon was announcing to Mary that the child she held so gently in her arms would have a life troubled by His enemies, be rejected by His own people, and ultimately die a cruel death. Without question, this would pierce the soul of Mary as she saw it all unfolding years later before her very eyes.
The “rest of the Christmas story” is told when you see Mary at Calvary watching her beloved Son nailed to a cross dying for the sins of all mankind. As the darkness overtakes the skies, it must surely have long since overtaken her heart.
But, this One that had lived to change the world would rise from the dead and offer the pardon of sin and eternal salvation to all that would receive it.
That’s the real story of Christmas...the story of the One who left Heaven’s glory to make us His own so we could enjoy eternity together with Him!
