There are so many Christmas traditions and styles of nativity sets. Let’s find out why a historically accurate nativity matters for your family and your children.
A historically accurate nativity matters, because children need to know Jesus is REAL.
I want my kids to know that Jesus is REAL. He’s not pretend. He’s not made up. He is fundamentally different than Santa, the tooth fairy, and Paw Patrol.
Jesus really lived in a specific place, at a specific time, with a specific culture, surrounded by people of a specific race.
Scripture tells us what happened, and historical context informs us how it happened. (Obviously there are some things about which we must make educated guesses or use our sanctified imagination informed by what we can research and discern from archeology and the original culture. But this is different from following our own cultural assumptions and ad-libbing the story.)
As our children work to figure out reality vs. pretend, God gives us parents the job of grounding the small ones around us in His truth and fact.
Confession: even as an adult, I often struggle with living my life as though Jesus is real.
Sure, I know in my mind and heart that He’s real. I even have 10 years of Bible college and seminary education about everything (almost) having to do with the reality of the Gospel and the Bible. Yet, in the day-to-day flow of life I miss the reality of God’s work in the world and around me. There are moments where I live and act as though Jesus is not real. As though my faith is a nice add-on to the rest of life.
But He’s not. Jesus isn’t an add on.
We can’t plop a nativity set next to our Christmas tree and Santa figurine and call it good.
We have to intentionally train our minds as parents first. And secondly, instill in our children the reality of who our Savior is, what He’s done, and how He still works on our behalf. A historically accurate nativity matters because it helps us train first our minds as we set it up, and then the minds of our children through play.
Children need to engage Scripture for themselves in age appropriate ways.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12, ESV)
This is why I started We Who Thirst. Because deep in our very souls, we long for something, for SOMEONE. We are incredibly thirsty for Jesus. We need Him more than we need air in our lungs.
But, my kids are 5 and 3. They can’t even read for themselves, much less study the Bible.
YET, their hearts are incredibly thirsty.
They are curious about sin and forgiveness, and they are starting to see their need for a savior. They want to know what is real and how to live their lives accordingly.
My five-year-old asks frequently, “Is this real? Or pretend?”
He’s learning to sort what he’s experiencing in life, on TV, and in play into categories: “Real” vs. “Pretend.”
A Bible Study Journal or Devotional Journal, though fabulous tools for busy parents, will not help him internalize the reality of the incarnation or the beauty of the scriptures.
Play will.
I want your children to discover that the Bible is accessible for them. They don’t have to be “big” like their Daddy and Mommy. They don’t have to have a seminary education, and neither do you!
God’s word is a power to itself. It changes all of us as we engage it.
This is why a historically accurate nativity matters. I have intentionally crafted a model of a first century Israelite home, because I want to remove the account of Jesus coming to earth as a baby as far as possible from “pretend.” The best way I know to do this is to ground the account in history.
We, as parents, get to tell our children the contextually nuanced story of Jesus’ birth (as best we can).
Since small children can’t read, and larger children still need us to help them understand what they are reading – We, as parents, get to be the ones who tell our children the story of the Gospel at Christmas.
We do this through the books we bring home, the TV shows we choose, and the nativity sets we pick. We also get to tell the story in our own words, speaking the things of God to our children over and over again.
Our telling of the story won’t be perfect. That’s ok. We don’t have to be anxious about getting it right the first time.
God will use your passion for learning and engaging His Word. Every year, we’ll learn something new, correcting old assumptions and modeling growth through engagement of the text for our children.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:1, 14a, ESV)
He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but humbled Himself by becoming a man, who died a gruesome death on the cross. (Philippians 2:6-8, paraphrase)
When he came, becoming a man, Jesus came in a very “normal” way – through childbirth.
Now, His conception was anything but normal. An angel appeared to Mary His mother and then to Joseph His father letting them know, “Jesus is coming! Mary will give birth to him, even though she’s a virgin.” (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:26-38)
But his birth itself – was a typical peasant birth. (Luke 2:7)
You see, in order to fulfill scripture, the government required every man to go and pay a tax in their hometown. So Joseph packs up his wife and travels to Bethlehem. She would likely have been between 4-8 months pregnant at this point. {1} (Luke 2:1-4)
When they get to town, they find the guest-room {2} in their host home is already occupied with someone of a higher social status than Joseph. {3} (Luke 2:7) But that’s not a problem. Their gracious hosts invite Mary and Joseph to stay with them in the main living area of the house. Perhaps the hosts even give up their own sleeping area to the visitors. {4} A self-respecting host in that culture would never make a guest sleep on the ground floor with the animals. {5}
Finally, the day comes. Mary’s labor starts. The midwife is called. The women of the house show Joseph and the other men outside. Childbirth is no place for a man! {6}
Lingering outside, Joseph can only hear Mary’s gasps and cries. The other men clap him on the back, “Don’t worry. The baby will be here soon.”
After one particularly loud scream, another more experienced father grins. “We have a new baby!” Before Joseph could ask how he knew, the infant’s cry echoes off the limestone walls. {7}
God became flesh.
The celebration that a new son of David has been born spilled out of the courtyard of the house into the streets continued long into the night as the neighbors rejoiced with Joseph. {8} No one dancing outside understood the full magnitude of what they’d just witnessed. No one got the fundamental shift in reality that they were staring, literally, in the face.
But the angels knew.
A mile or so away, shepherds {9} were watching over the temple sheep, those that were bred and raised to be sacrifices for sins. {10} Some of the men were dozing. A few were poking at the fire. (Luke 2:8)
Then suddenly, a brightness like lightning blinds them! When their eyes adjust they see a warrior clothed in light standing before them banging his sword and shield, yelling at the top of his lungs, {11}
“Don’t be afraid!!! I have the best news you’ve ever heard! He’s here! The king of heaven and earth has come down. He’s here! Go, you will find him wrapped up just like your peasant babies and lying in the same sort of place you put your babies, a manager.” (Luke 2:10-12, paraphrase)
Then, the entire night sky lit up as an innumerable army eclipsed the stars, swords raised to the heavens they shouted,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14, ESV)
Then, as quickly as they came – the angelic army vanished. The shepherds could do nothing for a long while except lay on the ground gasping for air. One by one they got to their feet, realization dawning in their hearts. “Did you hear that? Could it be? The Messiah is here?!”
Leaving the sheep they ran for Bethlehem. (Luke 2:15-16)
When they got to the outskirts of the village they could vaguely hear the sound of the celebration a few blocks over. Turning, they ran up to the crowd of merry-makers, “Where is he?! Where’s the baby who’s just been born?! We just saw… I mean, there was an army. They told us the Messiah is here. He’s been born!”
Joseph lovingly stood by his adopted son welcoming visitors as the new baby lay in the manger so that the neighbors and well-wishers could see. {5}
Mary watched everyone from the second floor of the house where she’d been taken to rest and recover. And wondered, treasuring up everything that happened. She didn’t understand the full extent of what God was doing. But deep in her heart, she knew there was something special about this child.
As we tell the Christmas story, we seek to instill both reality and wonder into our children’s hearts. Christmas is about wonder and delight – Christmas magic the unsaved world might say.
Yet, nothing is more wonderful and awe inspiring than the incarnation. We get the privilege of fleshing out the story to help our children see the beauty of Jesus walking among common people like us.
He had no pretense. He never demanded people act a certain way around him, or clean themselves up before He would engage their hearts.
He became one of us.
And yet, He is God.
A historically accurate Nativity matters because Christmas isn’t just for those who wonder, but it’s also for those who mourn.
About 18 months later, Mary looks up from the grain she’s grinding on the ground floor of the house as she hears a commotion in the street. Jesus stops playing with a lamb. Joseph, who has just returned from his day-labor at one of Herod’s building sites, goes to the gate of the courtyard, “Peace friends!”
But before he and their host could welcome the new visitors inside one of the men steps forward, “Is this where the king lives? We have been following his star and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1-10)
Coming into the house they laid gold, frankincense and myrrh at the young boy’s feet. (Matthew 2:11)
A few days later, after the Magi from the east left, Joseph woke gasping for air. Shaking Mary awake, he whispered, “Hurry! Pack up, we must leave immediately! An angel came to me in a dream. Herod wants to kill Jesus, we must run!” (Matthew 2:12-15)
The next day, stomping boots marched through the streets of Bethlehem and all the surrounding villages. The air was filled with screaming.
But this time it wasn’t shouts of rejoicing welcoming a new baby into the world. This time, these were the anguished screams of mothers clutching their dying children wondering why God would allow such misery upon them.
The people who had welcomed in a traveling family, providing for their needs with gracious hospitality, now sat wracked with pain. The shepherds who had told everyone the angels’ message buried their beautiful baby boys. (Matthew 2:16-18)
Christmas doesn’t always feel merry, so it’s a good thing the Christmas story doesn’t stop with the shepherds or the prayers of Anna and Simeon at the temple (Luke 2:8-38).
When we realize the story of the historically accurate nativity matters, we include what the Gospel of Matthew tells about the Magi and the pain of the peasant people.
Now, more than ever these people needed hope. They needed God to break into their world and make everything right.
And God will make everything right. Probably not today, or tomorrow. But the hope of Christmas is not the wonder of angels, shepherds, and miraculous births.
Christmas brings hope because when God became man, He walked right into our pain, suffering, and trauma. He chose to live that reality with us.
We want our kids to hear this part of the account (in age appropriate ways!). The goal is not to ruin the “spirit of Christmas” for their little hearts. But rather to bolster their confidence in their Savior who came and suffered both alongside us, and for us.
The historically accurate nativity matters, because His birth was is Jesus’ first step towards the cross.
To the oppressed people of Bethlehem who were mourning their sons, God didn’t send a mighty warrior. He sent a suffering servant. One who would experience pain and anguish and thereby conquer.
We celebrate the babe laid in a manger because He walked to the Cross. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, so that He could be buried in strips of linen.
This is a reality I want to instill in my children: The Christian life isn’t about escaping pain.
The people of Bethlehem did everything right, they were hospitable and generous. Yet, their gracious gift to Jesus ended with their agony.
I want my children to know Jesus is real. And He matters more than anything. No matter the pain, or the suffering we endure, we keep coming back to Him.
Christmas matters because God stepped into all the yuck and pain of life, and took it upon Himself.
Thereby, Jesus offers us something more than presents under the tree and happy, harmonious family lives. He offers us Himself.
He is to be followed and obeyed as the only true King.
Yet, how often we (like Herod) work to secure our own power and comfort. We would rather live in a reality where we are safe and in control, rather than surrendering our seat to the one who rightfully rules over everything.
We believe the lie that if we obey Jesus and follow Him rightly, life won’t hurt anymore, and everything will turn out ok.
The Christmas story shows us, this is not the case. Events surrounding Jesus’ birth are real. This isn’t a fairy tale. The scriptural account is filled with pain, sorrow, and joy.
Yet, we have hope, not in spite of Jesus’ birth, but because of it.
So dear ones, I encourage you. Bring the account of Jesus’ birth to life for your own heart and for your children. Engage the reality of the incarnation in ways that breathe hope into your souls.
God is doing something new (Jeremiah 31:22). Wait and listen, treasure it up in your heart. And wait on the Lord, even when life is confusing and scary.
You don’t have to share the hard parts with your little littles, yet. (My kids certainly aren’t ready to hear about Herod’s evil murderous ways.)
But start planting seeds, even in the youngest among us, that doing good doesn’t always turn out well, and Jesus’ hope is different than we expect. But we continue to do good in traumatic and unexpected times, because the greatest gift we get is not comfort or glee, but Jesus Himself.
NOTES:
{1} Arrival in Bethlehem: Mary was visiting her cousin Elizabeth for the first 3 months of her pregnancy. Luke 2:6 says, “And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth” which implies Joseph and Mary did not arrive in Bethlehem the night she gave birth. They were there for a while. And since it was a lengthy trip by foot or donkey, they wouldn’t have wanted to travel too close to the end of her pregnancy. Hence, we’re guessing she was 4-8 months along when she arrived in Bethlehem. (Cf. Daniel Dei, “The Manger-Birth of Jesus Revisited: A Case Against the Popular Interpretation of Luke 2:7,” Valley View University Journal of Theology 1 (2011), 85; “Retelling the Christmas Story: Where was Jesus Born? Was it in a stable, cave, or a home?” (Accessed 12/11/20)
{2} “Guest-room” vs. “Inn”: The word (Kataluma) often translated in Luke 2:7 as “inn” in our English BIbles is the same greek word as “guest room” used in Luke 22:11 where Jesus seeks a place to have His last supper. There is a separate Greek word (pandokheion) that means “inn” or “hotel” but that is not the word used here. The is the word used in the Parable of the Good Samaritan for the place that the Samaritan man takes the injured man (Luke 10:34). (cf. Kenneth E. Bailey “The Manger and the Inn: A Middle Eastern View of the Birth Story of Jesus” (published: 12/21/06; accessed 12/11/20); Daniel Dei, pp. 86-88)
{3} Primacy of Status: In today’s culture we value and ethic of “I was here first.” Whoever arrives first on the timeline gets the spot, unless someone else called ahead and reserved it. In the ancient culture, the person with the most social status gets the best seat, or room in the house. Jesus alludes to this cultural attitude when He teaches, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place” (Luke 14:8-9). If Joseph had been of the highest social standing, then the guest room would have been made available for him. The fact that “there was no room in the guest room” shows there was someone else of higher honor already staying there. (Consider: Avraham Faust and Shlomo Bunimovitz, “The Four Room House: Embodying Iron Age Israelite Society,” Near Eastern Archaeology 66:1-2 (2003), pp. 27-28)
{4} Hospitality: “Hospitality is one of the great Jewish mitzvot (commandments). Furthermore, it is absolutely forbidden to inflict or ignore suffering of others and one must do all in his or her power to resolve a distressing situation. . . . In the Jewish culture, a woman’s life was considered in danger prior to and during birth, as well as for three days after delivering. Thus if anyone, at any time, was to receive this obligatory help by another Jew, it would have been Mary. . . . Religious Jews would have readily done all they could to help Joseph and Mary, whose life was in danger. That they refused her need is unthinkable in contemporary Jewish culture. This is because such an act would have been a direct affront to God” (Dei, pp. 89-90).
{5} Manger: The ground floor of a peasant home was used for storage and a safe place for the animals to sleep at night. A manager would have been present inside the home, on the ground floor or a ledge in the wall. There was not a separate barn or stable that Joseph and Mary were forced to rest in. (Cf. Dei, p. 90; John DeLancy, “The Four-Room Israelite House”, (posted 3/2/16; accessed 12/6/20) Faust & Bunimovitz, p. 24; Elizabeth Fletcher, “Ancient Houses – What Were They Like?” (accessed 12/6/20))
{6} Delivery of Jesus by a Midwife: In the ancient world, births were handled by midwives. The obligation of hospitality combined with the danger upon the life of the expectant mother leaves us no situation in which Joseph would be left to deliver the baby by himself. (cf. Exodus 1:15-17; Claudia D. Bergmann, “Pregnancy and Childbirth in the Hebrew Bible“, (accessed 12/12/20); Laurence Totelin, “Call the (Roman) Midwife”,(published 3/26/29; accessed 12/12/20) )
{7} Building Materials: Houses in Bethlehem were likely made of limestone field stones or mud brick. (Pieter J J Botha, “Houses in the World of Jesus,” Neotestamentica 32(1), 1998 (pp. 40-41))
{8} Jesus birth was celebrated: “Furthermore, Joseph is of the ‘house and lineage of David.’ A recitation of his recent genealogy will open almost any home in Bethlehem. When a self-respecting ‘son of the village’ returns to the town of his origins in the Middle East, a royal welcome always awaits him” (Bailey, “The Manger and the Inn” (published 12/6/06; accessed 12/16/20). If a royal welcome would await a son of David returning to his hometown, how much more celebration would there be when a new son of David is born in that town!
{9} Shepherds: These shepherds were not social outcasts as usually described. “Many scholars have taught that shepherds were societal outcasts in first-century Israel. Their sources are generally many years after the New Testament time period, plus Aristotle who was from a different culture and 300 years before Jesus. Luke 2:18 appears to lean against the view of shepherds as societal outcasts. The biblical portrayal of a shepherd is extremely positive in the Old and New Testaments” (David Croteau, “Christmas Urban Legends: Shepherds and Outcasts” on the Facts & Trends website by Lifeway, excerpt from his book: Urban Legends of the New Testament. (publishied 12/17/15; accessed 12/13/20)
{10} Sacrifical sheep: The sheep raised in the area surrounding Bethlehem were used for the sacrificial system in the Temple. These are no ordinary shepherds or sheep. “That means when the angels appeared that night to the shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem, it was not just a declaration of the Good News to simple shepherds. It was a powerful prophetic sign to all of Israel. The news of that night must have spread like wildfire through the surrounding villages” (Juergen Buehler, “The Tower of the Flock,” (published 11/22/12; accessed 12/13/20))
{11} Angelic army: The words in both Hebrew and Greek that are translated in our English Bibles as “host” really means “army.” The picture of the angelic presence in Luke 2 is not of a gentle choir singing, but an army of battle ready angels shouting a victory cry that God has broken through and become a man.
{12} Joseph’s job: Joseph by profession was a stone-mason. The Greek word (tekton) commonly translated “carpenter” describes a craftsman who constructs or builds. Wood has always been a prized commodity in the land of Israel. If you ask someone in Israel, “What is the most natural resource in Israel?” The answer will usually be, “Rocks.” Houses were built from basalt, limestone, or mud-brick. While living in Nazareth Joseph could have been one of the laborers building the town of Zippori. While they stayed in Bethlehem, it’s plausible to consider that Jospeh could have gotten employment at any of Herod the Great’s building projects in the Jerusalem area. (Robby Gallaty, “Was Jesus a Carpenter of a Stonemason?” (published 4/29/17; accessed 12/13/20); Pieter J J Botha, “Houses in the World of Jesus,” Neotestamentica 32(1), 1998 (pp. 40-41); cf. Jerry Bowyer, “How Were Carpenters Like Jesus Viewed by Other Classes?” (Published 7/12/18; Accessed 12/13/20))
Jane kilko
Thanks for sharing your research . All of this makes perfect sense.
Jessica Jenkins
You are so welcome! 🙂