Biblical Insight Today

Everyone loves to see the Nativity set. Each year, like many people, you may pull yours out of storage, dust it off and set it somewhere in your home. The decorative Nativity Scene has become one of the staples of Christmas. No scene would be complete without the three figures at the center. Obviously, Jesus Christ is front and center, in a manger. But two other indispensable figures are those of Mary and Joseph. As we look at a Nativity scene, it’s hard to ignore that the Christmas story is wrapped around people – around real life men and women we think we know, but who have never taken on much of a life of their own. How well do we really know Joseph and Mary? Our aim today is to get to know Mary and Joseph more personally so that we can see Christmas from their point of view. When Mary was born, the golden age of Israel’s proud history was past. No king of David’s family had ruled in Jerusalem for over 500 years. But the Jews were still waiting for the Messiah, the ruler p...