Birth of Jesus

We are in Bethlehem, in Judea, part of the Roman Empire. That’s Mary and Joseph. They’ve come from the city of Nazareth and are looking for a place to sleep. Mary is pregnant, but Joseph isn’t the father. Mary is actually a virgin.

How is that possible? Well, one day, an angel visited Mary. The angel, Gabriel, told Mary that she would give birth to the son of God. And that it would be by God’s spirit, called the Holy Spirit, that she would get pregnant. If you hear the expression the virgin birth, that refers to Mary becoming pregnant without having had sex.

When Joseph sees that Mary is pregnant, he grows suspicious. How can she be pregnant when we haven’t even... He thinks about leaving her. But one night when Joseph is sleeping, an angel visits him in a dream. The angel says that Mary is telling the truth, and that Joseph shouldn’t leave her.

Joseph also finds out what the child should be named: Jesus. But he still isn’t born, yet. Why don’t they have a place to spend the night? Because the Roman emperor has decided that all citizens should be registered in a census, so that they can pay taxes. And you can only be registered for the census in your home town.

In Joseph’s case this is Bethlehem. When Joseph and Mary arrive in Bethlehem it’s late at night. And there is no more room available in any of the town’s inns. But look over there! A manger!

Maybe they can sleep there. And it is in this manger that Jesus is born. To this day Christmas is celebrated in honour of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. Look over there! A star shining!

There’s a well-known prediction, or a prophecy, that claims that a king will be born in Bethlehem. These men predict the future by looking at the stars, they are astrologers. And that is a pretty big deal at this time: only educated people get to do it. You could say that these are wise men. The wise men see this star as a sign that the king has been born.

So they travel east to meet the newborn king. When they see Jesus in the manger they give him three gifts that they’ve brought: Gold, Frankincense, and a valuable balm, Myrrh. They tell Joseph and Mary that Jesus is the king chosen by God that they had been waiting for: the Messiah. This is Herod the Great. He is the king of Judea.

He also knows of the prophecy about the new king. And he's not happy. I’m the king! Herod thinks. He feels threatened by the rumour about the Messiah.

Herod summons his soldiers. You will kill all newborn boys in Bethlehem and the surrounding areas or, actually, all boys who are under the age of two! But before the soldiers are able to make it to Bethlehem the angel reappears in Joseph’s dream. The angel tells Joseph that Herod wants to murder Jesus. They should flee to Egypt.

Herod’s soldiers won’t be able to reach them there. The family lives in Egypt for many years. Until one day, they hear that Herod has died. What shall they do now? Joseph decides to move back home, to the city of Nazareth.

There Jesus grows up, learns how to read and write, and works as a carpenter with Joseph. What happens next will not only change Jesus’s life, but will also be the beginning of a whole new religion.