An Alternate Version of the Christmas Story

 December 25, 2024

Wednesday

Luke 2:10–12 (NASB 2020) ¹⁰ And so the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; ¹¹ for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Was the story of Christ's birth really like nearly all of the Christmas plays we have seen this year? I really don't think so. The story told by these Christmas plays resemble fairy tales. They tell the story of the humble hero being honored. This is true. But they also make the story a bit inconceivable.

There is no record of people needing to go to their family origin for a census. However, there is a case for being there to see that property taxes are paid. A census could do both of these. This would mean that Joseph might have had property in Bethlehem which he needed to affirm a claim to by paying taxes. 

Joseph was not so dim-witted that he would take his nine-month pregnant wife across the treacherous terrain from Nazareth to Bethlehem. He probably would have taken off a couple of months before and stayed with relatives when he arrived. (The middle eastern people have no bounds to their hospitality. I personally have been invited to stay in a middle eastern home for a couple of months.) Naturally, other relatives would come to pay their taxes and stay in the same relative's house. It was probably packed.

Was there really a mean, ole, innkeeper who didn't make a place for a woman who was about to have a child? The word for "inn" is not the word used for a place rented for lodging. (That word is "pandoxeion." That is where the Good Samaritan took the man beaten up and robbed to recover. Luke 10:34) The word used is "kataluma." (Luke 2:7) It means spare room. So, the time came to give birth and the room where all the relatives were staying had no privacy to birth a child. They took to the stable because it was considered a part of the house and, though very humble, was suitable for a child to be born.

The shepherds would have come that very evening for they found the child in a manger. The Magi would have come much later because they found Jesus' family in a house (Matthew 2:11) One last thing, we have no idea how many Magi came. There were three mentioned gifts but that doesn't mean there were three Magi. Plural words are used to describe them so that we know that there were at least two. But three gifts doesn't necessarily mean three Magi. 

Since Herod ordered the babies two and younger to be murdered, Jesus was somewhere between birth and two. My estimation is that He is one or so. Since Herod died in 4 BC, Jesus would have been born sometime between 6 BC-4BC.

Does this change the majesty of His birth? I certainly hope not!