The History behind the Birth of Jesus in the Christmas Story The census that was ordered by Caesar Augustus was the first of its kind. It was done because the Roman government wanted to make sure that everyone in the Empire was paying their taxes correctly. The census was carried out all over Empire (most of Europe): but in Palestine, it was carried out in a Jewish way rather than a Roman way. This meant that families had to register in the their historical tribal town rather than where they lived. This also meant that Joseph and the very pregnant Mary would have had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, as this was town that Joseph's family (the royal family of David) originally came from - a journey of about 70 miles (112 kilometres).
Some people think that Bethlehem could also have been Joseph's actual home town and he'd traveled to Nazareth to collect Mary once they were betrothed/married to take to his home town to initially live.
The journey would have taken about three days and they might well have arrived in the evening, because if they had arrived earlier in the day, it is more likely that they would have found somewhere to stay.
In those times, there weren't really such things as motels or inns, you normally would have stayed with some extended family or relations. A more accurate translation of 'inn' would be 'guest room'. You would normally stay with extended family in their ‘guest room’ but as it was a busy time the guest room was already full.
Most houses would have been shared with the animals that the family kept. Houses had two levels, the upper/mezzanine level where people slept and the ground floor where the animals slept at night and the family lived during the day. The animals were a kind of 'central heating' at night keeping the house warm! The 'guest room' was often an area on the upper/mezzanine level or even a hut put on the flat roof of the house!
As many people would have traveled to Bethlehem for the census, all the houses, or certainly upper levels were full. Many people think that Jesus was probably born in September or October during Sukkot, the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, rather than during December. During the festival, Jews live outside in temporary shelters (the word 'tabernacle' come from a latin word meaning 'booth' or 'hut').
So Joseph and Mary probably had to sleep with the animals on the low level (where it’s common to have a manger cut into a wall where you put the animal food) or possibly (but unlikely) out in a stable, cave or even a covered market stall that sold animals (these stalls could be rented during tabernacles).
It was the custom in those times to wrap a new born baby very tightly in long bandages called swaddling clothes. The arms and legs of the baby were also wrapped, so they couldn't move. This was done because they thought it helped the baby to grow strong, straight limbs! And as no proper crib was available, the new baby boy was placed in a manger, or feeding trough.
There's a theory that Jesus might have been born a couple of miles outside of Bethlehem where there was a special shepherds' watch tower called the Migdal Eder. So Jesus might have been born out with the shepherds.
The birth of Jesus probably didn't happen in the year 0 but slightly earlier, in about 5, 6 or 7 BCE/BC. The dates that we use now were set by Monks and religious leaders in the Middle Ages and before. It's also quite likely that Jesus was actually born in the autumn (during Tabernacles), not in the winter! It can get very cold in the winter in Israel and it is thought that the census would have most likely taken place during the spring or autumn, at a when many pilgrims, from all over the country, came to visit Jerusalem (which is about six miles from Bethlehem).
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This is the story of how Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, was born.
The story begins in a place called Nazareth.
Nazareth was a quiet, sleepy little town, where most people were farmers and shepherds.
In this town there lived a young Jewish woman named Mary.
She was a very obedient and God-fearing woman.
She helped her parents in the field and did her chores in the house.
She was kind and helpful to everyone and people liked her very much.
Mary was going to get married soon, to a good and honest man named Joseph.
A few days before Mary's engagement, she had a visitor.
He was a very special guest, an angel sent by God from heaven.
The holy angel Gabriel visited her in her room and called her in her sleep.
When Mary opened her eyes, she saw a heavenly figure bathed in a pool of white light floating
beyond her window.
It wore bright white robes and had big silver wings fluttering behind him.
At first she thought she was dreaming, but later when she heard the angel's voice, she
realized this was no dream.
Mary, do not be afraid.
I am Gabriel.
God has sent me to you.
He loves you and you have been chosen for something very special.
Your kind heart and pure soul is of great value to the Lord.
You are fortunate that God has chosen you above everyone else for this special task.
I am not afraid.
I am honored to know that God has chosen me to carry out his wish.
I am lucky to be of favor to God.
Bless you, Mary.
God is pleased with you.
I have come to tell you that soon you will have a son.
He will be a great king one day and he will be loved by everyone.
He will be called the Son of God.
Mary was at first shocked at what Gabriel had to say.
However, she remained calm and listened to everything that the angel had to say.
Then she spoke to Gabriel.
But how is this possible?
I am not yet married.
Do not be afraid, Mary.
The Spirit of the Lord will take over you and you will be blessed with a son.
He will be called the Son of God.
He will do great things for the people.
He will be hailed as the King of Jews and the Savior of mankind.
I am grateful for whatever the Lord has done for me.
I am happy to have his wish come true through me.
The Lord is with you, Mary.
You are blessed.
Go in peace.
Gabriel then left the house of Mary and returned to heaven.
In a few days, Mary became pregnant.
In those days, it was very unusual for a girl to become pregnant before marriage.
However, Mary explained everything to Joseph about the angel and God's wish
and the son they were going to have.
Joseph was a good man and he accepted everything.
He married Mary in a few days.
In those days, the king of the land announced a census.
He wanted every citizen of his country to be counted and documented.
Since Joseph was actually from Bethlehem, he had to go there to be counted.
Bethlehem was a long way from Nazareth.
Joseph and Mary had a long and difficult journey ahead to Bethlehem.
There were no cars or other means of transportation except for a donkey.
The whole journey had to be made by foot.
Mary sat on a donkey and Joseph walked behind them.
It was even more difficult for Mary since she was going to give birth to her baby.
After many, many days of walking through the desert,
Joseph and Mary finally reached Bethlehem.
It was getting very dark when they reached the town.
They desperately needed a place to rest and spend the night.
But all the inns were full and nobody would give them space to spend the night.
Joseph walked all over the town knocking at the doors of houses and shops,
one after the other, but nobody would allow them to come in.
Mary was about to give birth and it was important that she had a safe
and comfortable place for the baby and herself.
Joseph and Mary kept feeling hopeless.
After searching for a while, Joseph found an empty barn built for cows.
There was plenty of fresh straw there.
Joseph used the straw and managed to make a bed for Mary.
Later in the night, something magical happened.
Mary gave birth to a beautiful baby boy.
Joseph made a small bed of fresh straw in the manger and laid him there.
It was warm and comfortable and the baby slept happily in the manger.
Mary was happy that the predictions of the angels had come true.
Jesus Christ, the Savior of this world, was born in a humble manger.
That same night, while Joseph and Mary were looking for a place to stay the night,
not very far away, two shepherds were out looking for their sheep on a hill.
Suddenly they were blinded by a bright light from the sky.
They opened their eyes to find a beautiful angel in front of them,
with long golden hair and silver wings.
She wore a shimmering white and gold dress which sparkled in the moonlight.
The shepherds did not know how to react and were amazed.
Then the angel spoke to them.
Do not be afraid. I have come to give you good news.
Tonight, in the town of Bethlehem, a baby boy has been born.
His name is Jesus. He will be known as the Savior of the world.
You will know it is Jesus when you see a baby boy wrapped in clothes in a manger.
Go to the villages and let everybody know of this happy news.
Let everybody know that Jesus, the Savior of the Jews, was born today.
Go in peace now and spread the good news.
The shepherds were happy and shocked at the same time.
They were overjoyed at the fact that a Savior was born
and they ran towards Bethlehem to find baby Jesus,
the King of the Jews who had been born in a humble manger.
When they eventually found the baby in the manger in Bethlehem,
they praised him and bowed down in worship.
On the night that Jesus was born,
three wise men were traveling on their camels across the desert.
Suddenly, there felt a flash of light come down on them.
They looked up at the sky and they saw a bright star.
It was a kind of star that they had never seen before.
The three wise men were aware of the prophecy of Jesus.
They were waiting for the star of Bethlehem to appear
and when they saw it, they were overjoyed.
It meant that the Savior of the world and the King of the Jews was born.
At the time of Jesus' birth, the country was under the rule of King Herod
who was a very selfish and evil king.
When the three wise men informed King Herod of the star they had seen in the sky
and what it had meant,
King Herod was worried that he would lose his kingdom to this baby boy.
He told the wise men to find the baby Jesus and let him know where the baby was.
Although the king informed the wise men that he wanted to find the baby
so he could go and worship him,
Herod was actually plotting to kill the child.
He feared that Jesus would grow up to overpower him someday.
The three wise men followed the star for several days
and found baby Jesus in the manger.
They were surprised to find the future king of Jews lying in a barn.
They found the barn in which Jesus was born a few days after he was born.
Finally, the star stopped right over the manger.
They smiled at Mary and bowed down in reverence to the new baby.
They had brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the baby.
These were very valuable gifts and only given to kings.
It was highly unusual for anybody to give these precious things to a newborn baby.
However, this was no ordinary baby
and the wise men fully understood the purpose of Jesus' birth.
And so, now you know the story of Christmas
and how the mighty savior of the world started his journey on earth.
The story shows us that great things can have small and humble beginnings.
