Nativity scenes usually depict the wise men kneeling before Jesus as He lies in His manger bed. Shepherds surround the family with gifts of lambs.
Because Herod killed baby boys two years of age and under, we assume Jesus was close to two years old at the appearance of the Magi. Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple when he was forty days old to dedicate Him to the Lord according to the Law of Moses. After this was accomplished, they went home to Nazareth.
When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. (Luke 2:39)
For the wise men to have visited Jesus in Bethlehem, they had to be there when He was a month old or less. Matthew 2:11 tells us they saw the child in a house.
10. Mary was an unwed mother.
It’s assumed Mary faced a scandal due to her pregnancy. Different words are used in various translations for the state of Mary and Joseph’s relationship, such as espoused or betrothed. But these words meant something different in biblical times than what we think about an engagement. In our day, engagements can be broken, but betrothals were binding agreements. Betrothed couples were considered married; they just didn’t live together for a year.
The verses in Matthew tell us that when Joseph found out about Mary’s condition, he thought about divorcing her. You don’t get a divorce unless you are married. The King James Version states, “put her away.” One of the definitions of Strong’s G630 is to release from bonds, to divorce.
Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. (Matthew 1:19 KJV, emphasis mine)
We don’t know the time that Gabriel appeared to Mary with the news of Jesus’ impending birth. The message could have come to her shortly before she and Joseph would have finalized their marriage agreement by living together. In this way, the public would assume Joseph was the father of her baby (John 6:42). Before Jesus’ birth, they went to Bethlehem to obey Caesar’s edict. The sequence of events could have prevented the scandal usually associated with Mary’s condition. Since Mary and Joseph’s betrothal contract meant they were married, she was not an unwed mother.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Alasdair Elmes
