OPINION:
The nativity story is one of the best-known narratives worldwide, with billions of people celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ each holiday season.
But while our traditional creche displays often show shepherds and wisemen crowding around the baby Jesus swaddled in a manger, there are some shocking facts about the nativity that some might not fully realize — details that tell a deeper, more profound story.
First, the wisemen, also known as the Three Kings or Magi, likely didn’t arrive in Bethlehem the night of Jesus’ birth, despite what our nativity displays typically portray.
In fact, Matthew 2 documents the Magi going to Jerusalem to meet with King Herod and inquire about Jesus’ whereabouts. The Bible says they went to the king after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, asking Herod, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?”
The wisemen said they saw a star and wanted to worship Christ, a proclamation that really set Herod off — so much so that he hatched a plan. He told the wisemen to return and let him know where Jesus was located so that he, too, could worship him.
But after the Magi found Christ and worshipped him in a “house,” they had a dream warning them not to return to Herod.
The biggest clue that the wisemen weren’t present on the night of Jesus’ birth comes in Matthew 2:16.
“When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi,” verse 16 reads.
Herod sought to kill every child aged 2 and under in an effort to wipe Jesus out, but to no avail. The fact that Herod targeted babies 2 years old and younger — and that the wisemen didn’t even arrive to meet the king until after Jesus’ birth — shows they simply weren’t at Christ’s manger.
The second surprising fact about the nativity story surrounds the gifts the Magi brought: gold, frankincense and myrrh. We’re told the wisemen presented the child with these gifts and “bowed down and worshipped him.”
These gifts are sometimes trivialized as mere niceties to honor Jesus. And while they certainly honor him, they also carry a deeper meaning. Gold is obviously valuable and is a “symbol of divinity” in Scripture, according to GotQuestions.org.
Meanwhile, frankincense, which comes from a tree, was burned in the Bible as an offering to God; it was seen as pleasing to the Lord. Numerous sources note that this is a symbol foreshadowing Christ’s decision to die on the cross for humanity.
And myrrh, which also comes from a tree, was used in embalming, again foretelling Jesus’ death and resurrection. As GotQuestions.org notes, it symbolizes “bitterness, suffering and affliction” — something the Christ child would one day come to know through his death on the cross.
The third fact worth noting is that we actually have no idea how many wisemen there were. While we’ve settled on three, that’s mostly based on the number of gifts, assuming one man was responsible for each. Yet the Bible never gives a definitive number, leaving us only a tradition that may not reflect the actual number of Magi involved.
Finally, the last surprising fact about the nativity is that Bethlehem, Jesus’ birthplace, was prophesied in Scripture hundreds of years before the nativity. The Book of Micah, written between 735 and 700 B.C., came centuries before the manger, yet it predicts the very location where Jesus would come into the world.
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times,” Micah 5:2 reads.
And don’t just take my word for it. Centuries after these words were written, Herod summoned teachers of the law and chief priests and asked where Jesus would be born. They responded as follows, “’In Bethlehem in Judea … for this is what the prophet has written,’” and then they cited Micah 5:2 word for word.
Thus, this is an example of prophecy fulfilled, with seven centuries between the initial proclamation in Micah and its fulfillment as told in the Book of Matthew. There are many other facts and details about the nativity that could be added here, though these are four of the most compelling and surprising elements worth our exploration.
As we reflect on the nativity story this Christmas season, may the deeper meaning of the gifts bestowed upon Jesus, the prophetic nature of Bethlehem as his birthplace and the Magi’s role in it all be more deeply understood.
It truly is the greatest story ever told.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” Mr. Hallowell is the author of four books.
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