{"id":302185,"date":"2010-12-24T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-12-24T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/the-very-first-christmas-part-2\/"},"modified":"2010-12-24T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2010-12-24T17:00:00","slug":"the-very-first-christmas-part-2","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/the-very-first-christmas-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Very First Christmas, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How will you help your children differentiate between an imaginary Santa and a loving, invisible God?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2010-12-24.mp3","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"25.02M","filesize_raw":"26239039","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2816],"tags":[5165],"podcast_series":[7778],"cwp_profile":[],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-302185","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christmas","tag-holiday-ideas","podcast_series-the-very-first-christmas","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/302185\/the-very-first-christmas-part-2","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/302185\/the-very-first-christmas-part-2","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"VoG1GG1oA3\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/the-very-first-christmas-part-2\/\">The Very First Christmas, Part 2<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/the-very-first-christmas-part-2\/embed\/#?secret=VoG1GG1oA3\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;The Very First Christmas, Part 2&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"VoG1GG1oA3\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"spectra_custom_meta":{"_wp_page_template":["default"],"transcript_url":["https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2010-12-24.pdf"],"audio_file":["https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2010-12-24.mp3"],"transcript_content":["<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u00a0Have you ever stopped to wonder why God chose to announce the birth of His Son to shepherds on a Judean hillside?\u00a0 Here is some thinking on that subject from historian Dr. Paul Maier.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 The shepherds might have been regarded as your common blue collar laborers today in terms of probably having what might be regarded at the time as a menial occupation.\u00a0 Yet, these shepherds may have had a rather special responsibility because the sheep that were used for Temple sacrifice had to be out on the range all year long and they preferred sheep from the Bethlehem area.\u00a0 It could have been they were training up the sheep for Temple use later on.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Friday, December 24<sup>th<\/sup>.\u00a0 Our host is the President of FamilyLife Dennis Rainey, and I\u2019m Bob Lepine.\u00a0 Here on Christmas Eve, we\u2019ll look at what the real Silent Night must have looked like.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWelcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>; thanks for joining us on the Friday edition.\u00a0 Does your family do anything special on Christmas Adam?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Christmas Adam?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 You don\u2019t celebrate Christmas Adam?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 We don\u2019t.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Christmas Adam\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Is that the 23<sup>rd<\/sup> and Christmas Eve is the 24<sup>th<\/sup>?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes, because Adam came before Eve: Christmas Adam on the 23<sup>rd<\/sup>, Christmas Eve on the 24<sup>th<\/sup>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 We have no traditions\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 You don\u2019t have anything related to that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 For Christmas Adam.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 We have Shepherds\u2019 Meal at our house.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Do you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 On Christmas Adam night, we get together, and we have potato soup.\u00a0 We have homemade bread.\u00a0 We eat by candlelight.\u00a0 There is some fruit, some grapes, usually a cheese, grape juice that we drink for our meal.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I\u2019m over at your house.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 It is a pretty good deal.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 We have a Christmas Eve celebration.\u00a0 We have a feast.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Do you and the girls still make that?\u00a0 Back in the day, you guys used to cook that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Whoever is at the house with us, that is who cooks it with me.\u00a0 Barbara is shooed away from the kitchen.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u00a0She doesn\u2019t mind that, does she?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 She doesn\u2019t.\u00a0 We destroy the kitchen.\u00a0 We have a lot of fun.\u00a0 We put on a feast that is designed for a king because it is a welcoming the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 With you making plans for your family celebration and me making plans for what our family is going to do tonight, we thought it would be nice if our listeners had an opportunity to hear from a history professor today.\u00a0 We have Dr. Paul Maier joining us.\u00a0 Dr. Maier is professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.\u00a0 He\u2019s been with us before on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\u00a0 Welcome back.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the reasons that you wrote a children\u2019s book on Christmas is because a part of your assignment as a history professor, a part of your burden, is to see children understand the story of Christmas in a historically accurate way.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 It really is.\u00a0 When you look at children\u2019s Christmas books, you find a common theme that is in nearly all of them.\u00a0 The theme is, instead of focusing on what happened at the original nativity, there is usually a character who\u2019s very grumpy or who hates townspeople\u2014whether he is a wood carver or whatever else or a merchant.\u00a0 Then, he is affected by the spirit of Christmas; and he converts to joy at the end of it.\u00a0 Now, this is what\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 You are talking about <em>How The Grinch Who Stole Christmas<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 <em>The Grinch Stole Christmas, A Christmas Carol<\/em> by Charles Dickens.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 There you go.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 He had the original idea.\u00a0 Nearly all these children\u2019s Christmas books focus on that theme.\u00a0 It is a great theme, alright; but there are other themes, for instance, what happened truly in terms of the original Christmas account.\u00a0 That\u2019s the reason why I wrote <em>The Very First Christmas<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 As we talked yesterday, there is a lot of mythology that has grown up throughout the years about Christmas.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Tinsel all over the place.\u00a0 You bet.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Right.\u00a0 We may have come to the point where we think some things are canonical; yet, they\u2019re really just a part of the tradition.\u00a0 Even we, biblical, Bible based Christians, don\u2019t know where the tradition stops and where the Bible account starts, do we?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 That is right.\u00a0 We pointed out yesterday again that Jesus, really, was born in a cave not a wooden constructed stable above ground.\u00a0 Probably, the cover of this, my Christmas book here, shows for the first time what it really looked like.\u00a0 It was a cavern where He was born.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I might add that the illustrator who worked on this book with you, Francisco Ordaz, worked with George Lucas.\u00a0 This guy is\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Industrial light and magic, indeed.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 <em>E.T.<\/em> and that sort of thing.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 That is why it is beautifully illustrated.\u00a0 I feel guilty that my name is larger than his because I spent much less time; and he spent, obviously, much more.\u00a0 It is a beautifully, beautifully illustrated book.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Let\u2019s walk through the Christmas story and help parents gain some fresh insights; so, that this Christmas Eve or Christmas morning when they review the Christmas story, they may have some things, Bob, to wow the kids like the number of wise men who\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u2019s right, which we don\u2019t know.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 All we know is there were more than one.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 These were men from the Orient?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 They\u2019re either from Babylonia or Persia according to our best calculation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Who\u2019s the guy we need to file a lawsuit against for writing \u201cWe Three Kings of Orient are\u2026.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Not bad.\u00a0 He made three mistakes in one line.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t kings; they were magi, wise men literally.\u00a0 They were more than\u2014we don\u2019t know if there were three or not.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t come from Japan or China, the Far East.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 One line\u2026.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 One line, but it\u2019s alright.\u00a0 Continue to sing it just explain it correctly.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 What does it mean wise men?\u00a0 What is that?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 The magi were a very famous caste of very well educated, doctors of the law, history, medicine.\u00a0 They were\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 They were college professors, weren\u2019t they?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 This would be the equivalent of ancient college professors, indeed.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 In all humility, you want to\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 In all humility, yes.\u00a0 We\u2019re not Renaissance people as they were.\u00a0 They had to be specialist in quite a few different fields.\u00a0 Among those fields would have been history in religion; so, they would have been rather well equipped with Jewish predictions of the Messianic figure and the star symbol.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo often, critics come across to the Christmas story, and they say, \u201cIt is impossible.\u00a0 They wouldn\u2019t have traipsed across the desert after a star.\u00a0 How did they know it had any religious significance?\u201d\u00a0 They knew Numbers and Daniel and the reference to the Star rising out of Jacob.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tTo prove that Matthew didn\u2019t invent that, I give you the case of Bar Kokhba.\u00a0 This was the last Jewish rebel in 132 A.D.\u00a0 Even after the destruction of Jerusalem, Bar Kokhba was led through the streets of Jerusalem on a white horse by the great Rabbi Akiba at the time.\u00a0 He said, \u201cThe Messiah, The Messiah has come!\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe guys name was not Bar Kokhba.\u00a0 It was Shimon Bar Kosiba, but they changed it to Bar Kokhba.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Son of the Star.\u00a0 The star motif was very big among the Jews at the time.\u00a0 The magi would have known this.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Let\u2019s talk for a moment about astronomy.\u00a0 Not to be confused with astrology, okay?\u00a0 Let\u2019s talk about where the star came from.\u00a0 You have some beliefs about that star they followed, don\u2019t you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 The term in the New Testament aster can mean star or planet or conjunction or nearly anything that\u2019s happening in the sky aside from the sun or moon.\u00a0 The best explanation, I think, was by Johannes Kepler back in the 1600\u2019s.\u00a0 He found a rare phenomenon in the sky.\u00a0 It happens every 800 years.\u00a0 That is the triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt happened at the time of the first Christmas.\u00a0 It happened in 800.\u00a0 It happened in 1600 in his time.\u00a0 This time not going to happen for us until 2400; so, don\u2019t wait around for that one anyway.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt is a fascinating thing because Jupiter was regarded as the King\u2019s planet in antiquity.\u00a0 It is the brightest, biggest, and so on.\u00a0 Saturn was deemed the shield or the defender Palestine.\u00a0 The Book of Amos tells us that.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, the conjunction came within one moon diameter; and so, three times Jupiter approaches Saturn.\u00a0 Translate that into ancient astrology.\u00a0 I don\u2019t believe in astrology, obviously.\u00a0 I hope your hearers don\u2019t, but the magi did.\u00a0 So, never underestimate God\u2019s ability to use whatever He wants.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Translate it.\u00a0 Jupiter approaches Saturn: a king is coming to Palestine.\u00a0 Happened three times.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 It didn\u2019t have to be a natural phenomenon?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 I think it was, personally.\u00a0 It could have been a natural phenomenon that they interpreted this way because God can use whatever He wants.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Let\u2019s talk about the shepherds.\u00a0 What do we know about them?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 The shepherds might have been regarded as your common blue collar laborers today in terms of probably having what might be regarded at the time as a menial occupation.\u00a0 Yet, don\u2019t forget King David started out as a shepherd.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThese shepherds may have had a rather special responsibility because the Talmud tells us that the sheep that were used for Temple sacrifice had to be out on the range all year long and they preferred sheep from the Bethlehem area.\u00a0 It could have been they were training up the sheep for Temple use later on.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 They obviously had the night shift.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 They had the night shift.\u00a0 That\u2019s right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 They\u2019re out watching.\u00a0 Would they have been acquainted with astrology the way the magi were or did they just see something bright in the sky?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 The star of Christmas had nothing to do with them.\u00a0 It was primarily the angelic appearance and so on as you recall.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 They\u2019re on the hillside; the angels pop up and deliver a message to them.\u00a0 By the way, I just have to throw this in because this is kind of interesting.\u00a0 The Bible doesn\u2019t say that the angels sang.\u00a0 It says the angels said, \u201cGlory to God in the highest.\u201d\u00a0 All the singing angels, well, we have just romanticized that a little bit.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 That is exactly right.\u00a0 Let\u2019s take those angels for a few moments and just see what our historian knows about that.\u00a0 Is there any additional data that we know about these angels that appeared to the shepherds there in the field?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 No.\u00a0 When we come to something like, it\u2019s beyond the bounds of historical research.\u00a0 I\u2019m not trying to say that this never happened; what I am saying is I don\u2019t see any references in ancient sources or in any archaeological evidence that is going to guarantee that this happened.\u00a0 Not denying it at all.\u00a0 The nearest we can come to is that well in Nazareth where the Annunciation may have taken place because the well is still flowing.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yesterday on the broadcast we talked about Mary and what we know about her.\u00a0 Joseph, we know even less about him, don\u2019t we?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Maybe more, in the sense of his genealogy.\u00a0 What is so interesting is that both Matthew and Luke give the genealogy of Joseph and not Mary.\u00a0 It is very important, of course, that Mary be involved.\u00a0 She was also certainly a member of the House of David because David married ten wives about every third person in Palestine would have had some kinship, I think, to the great King David.\u00a0 So, she was also of the Davidic house.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhat\u2019s interesting are the genealogies between Matthew and Luke.\u00a0 They don\u2019t coincide perfectly; but there is an easy explanation for that, that\u2019s given to us by the 300 A.D. church historian, Eusebius.\u00a0 He points out that one would be the legal parentage of Jesus\u2019 in the genealogy.\u00a0 The other would be the biological line because you know you had to marry your brother\u2019s widow if your brother died and so on.\u00a0 Which was the legal marriage and which was the biological marriage, those are the two explanations.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Of course, Joseph was not biologically connected with the Messiah.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Joseph was not biologically connected, no.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I\u2019ve heard you refer to Joseph as the foster father of Christmas.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Step-father, foster father, I think, is appropriate.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Interesting.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 As a carpenter, he didn\u2019t build houses, did he?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Could have.\u00a0 What is interesting is the New Testament term in Greek is tekton.\u00a0 Now, this is anybody involved in the construction industry.\u00a0 Therefore, yes, he could have worked with wood\u2014no question about that\u2014built doors, boats, and that sort of thing.\u00a0 He could have also been a stone cutter, anybody involved in construction.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 We do know that Joseph and Mary travelled from Nazareth to Bethlehem.\u00a0 Give us some idea, historically, of what that journey would have been like.\u00a0 Is there any evidence that she was on a donkey?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Interestingly enough, Dennis, there is not.\u00a0 It is a good presumption, however, only because the donkey is the Model A Ford, you might say, all over Israel and Jordan at the present day yet.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I\u2019ve got to stop you there and say the reason I\u2019m interested in this is every Christmas when our children were little I was always the donkey, Bob.\u00a0 I\u2019m really looking for an out here as our kids get older.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 You may have found it right here.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 I may have found it no doubt about it.\u00a0 How far was it, then, from Nazareth to Bethlehem?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 It is about ninety miles.\u00a0 In terms of transportation speed in those days, we figure it was a six to eight day trip.\u00a0 Probably, they would have taken the water level route.\u00a0 Otherwise, they would have to go over the hilly, Samaritan territory.\u00a0 The Samaritans were regarded as unclean as far as the Jews were concerned.\u00a0 I think Mary in her advance pregnancy would have done better with this water level route.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, they would have gone down to the Sea of Galilee, Jordan River depression, and then headed up from Jericho up to Jerusalem and Bethlehem is probably the route they took.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Would they camp out each night as they came to a stopping place?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Either that or come to a caravansary or the equivalent of the ancient motels or something.\u00a0 They had those also.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Okay.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 What were those tents or were they permanent facilities?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 The tent colony for protection\u2014they wouldn\u2019t simply pitch a convenient tent along the roadside somewhere because you do have bandits and highway men and so forth.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 When they got to Bethlehem, about how long did they stay for the census?\u00a0 Do we know?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 We don\u2019t have that information.\u00a0 By the way, it is not automatic that Mary would have had to come along.\u00a0 Joseph could have done it for the family, but there are two reasons why she came along.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne, you have all heard of, that is, of course, she was of the house lineage of David.\u00a0 The Davidic Messiah had to be born with the census there in Bethlehem, I should say, rather than Nazareth.\u00a0 The other reason is that in a sense there\u2019s a hurry-up baby on the way.\u00a0 How do you explain that to the nosy neighbors in Nazareth, you see?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u2019s right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 It\u2019s a very human, beautiful explanation of why it was very simple then to get out of town, as it were.\u00a0 You really kill two birds with one stone.\u00a0 That is the reason she came along.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Joseph\u2019s taking her to Bethlehem may have saved her life?\u00a0 As a young lady, could they have stoned her because she was pregnant?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 If the news would have gotten out, they would have counted up to nine or something like that or less than that.\u00a0 That could have been a danger for her.\u00a0 That is right, especially if some conservative rabbis got in the act.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Our listeners may not know why that is the case.\u00a0 It was because the marriage had not been consummated; she was betrothed, right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Because there was a baby on the way for which Joseph was not the father.\u00a0 That would have been deemed adultery, of course, by normal standards.\u00a0 Therefore, she could have been stoned to death.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 The reason they knew it wasn\u2019t Joseph\u2019s baby was because during the betrothal there was to be no sex.\u00a0 Right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u2019s right.\u00a0 Exactly.\u00a0 Joseph certainly would have known that, that was not his baby.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Do you have any idea what Joseph would have to have done in Bethlehem to register for the census?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 We have a very good idea, Bob, because one of the census documents has been discovered.\u00a0 That is the one I referred to yesterday up the Nile in Egypt in which the fellow registers with the city clerk. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe introduces himself and says, \u201cI am Horace the son of Horace,\u201d that\u2019s the falcon god in Egypt, \u201cwith the scar over my right eyebrow.\u201d\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have a social security number.\u00a0 He had a scar by way of identification.\u00a0 \u201cI herewith register myself and my wife, Tepakuzis,\u201d was her name, \u201cwith no identifying marks and our son Horace.\u201d\u00a0 They love that name\u2026 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2026and so on.\u00a0 He says, \u201cIn accordance with the census of Hadrian Caesar I hereby record these as members of my family.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 You go to the city clerk, you fill out the documents, and you\u2019re done.\u00a0 Now you can go back home.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 This comes in a scrap of papyrus, by the way, which you can see at the University of Michigan.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Is that right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Indeed. Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Next time I\u2019m in Ann Arbor, I\u2019m stopping by.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong> There you go.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Alright.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Your book here <em>The Very First Christmas <\/em>begins with the first person of Christmas.\u00a0 It is tied to this census, isn\u2019t it?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Augustus.\u00a0 \u201cAnd it came to pass in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world,\u201d the Roman world, \u201cshould be enrolled for the census.\u201d\u00a0 Absolutely.\u00a0 The whole idea is to tie it into fact and to point out that although we call it the Christmas story it is not a fairy tale.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Do we know anything about Quirinius?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Quirinius.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 He was the governor at the time?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Governor of Syria according to Luke at the time.\u00a0 There is a problem there that hasn\u2019t been completely solved yet in terms of\u2014we do know that a Quirinius was a governor ten years later in Syria.\u00a0 So, that is one of the few remaining problems that still has to be solved in biblical scholarship.\u00a0 It is probably the worst of the problems.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think that the solution to it is this: that what Luke is really telling us is this census was first completed when Quirinius was governor of Syria.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Paul, you\u2019ve done a masterful job here of giving us a\u2014I don\u2019t know\u2014kind of beautiful, historical backdrop of Christmas and helping us feel the humanity which surrounds this story because Jesus did become a human.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 I want to know if I can audit your class next semester.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Come aboard, Bob.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Absolutely.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got one last question for you Paul.\u00a0 Let\u2019s say that our Savior was seated right across the table here.\u00a0 Here you are a professor of Ancient History; you\u2019ve studied stories of many men who have come and gone; and you wanted to tell Him what Christmas and His birth and life and death and resurrection meant to you.\u00a0 How would you answer that question to Him right now?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Fascinating challenge.\u00a0 I think I would say thank you, Lord, for finally showing us God.\u00a0 Mankind has been searching for the ultimate ruler of the universe through many different religious systems at all times in all of a history.\u00a0 It is a futile search because God reveals Himself to us; we don\u2019t climb up to Heaven to find God.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think this is the ultimate cosmic meaning of Christmas that God crossed the Great Divide.\u00a0 That is why of all the miracles that Jesus did the greatest is the Incarnation in the sense of the Infinite becoming finite.\u00a0 That plus Easter are the two book ends, the cornerstone of the Christian faith.\u00a0 Again, this is not just a story.\u00a0 This is history or as you might even re-pronounce it \u201cHIStory\u201d.\u00a0 Same spelling.\u00a0 This really happened; this is the point.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Galatians 4:4 says, \u201cBut when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His son born of a woman, born under the law; in order that He might redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons.\u201d\u00a0 It is indeed the greatest story that has ever been told.\u00a0 I\u2019m so grateful, Paul, for your ministry, your discipline of study, and for bringing Christmas to life here in some fresh and new ways.\u00a0 Thanks for being on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Thank you, Dennis, Bob.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 We hope that story is told well around the tree today or tomorrow or in churches tonight or this weekend as families really focus together and focus their hearts on what it is we come together to celebrate.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe joy of this Season is only found in part because families gather and because there are lights on a tree and presents and good food.\u00a0 The real joy of this Season comes because of the good tidings of great joy that are for all men that unto us is born in the City of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.\u00a0 We hope that as your family is together this year at Christmas that will be your theme.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you\u2019re not able to be with your family this year at Christmas, we hope that your joy can be found and realized in the relationship that you have with God through His son Jesus Christ.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think it is appropriate for us, Dennis, here on Christmas Eve to just say to listeners: if you\u2019re headed into the celebration of this holiday and you don\u2019t have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ; you are not walking with Him in obedience; you\u2019re not following Him as your Lord and your Master either because you have slipped away from the commitment that you once made to follow Him or because you\u2019ve never made that commitment; you\u2019ve never declared to God your surrender and your obedience.\u00a0 This would be the day for you to head toward Christmas with either a renewed commitment to your Master or with a first time commitment.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhat we have on our website at FamilyLifeToday.com, a link that says \u201cTwo Ways to Live.\u201d\u00a0 It really outlines the difference between walking with God and walking, well, apart from God.\u00a0 That really is the question that we face this year at Christmas.\u00a0 How are you walking?\u00a0 Are you walking with God or are you walking apart from Him?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOur hope is that this would be a season and a time when if you are walking apart from Him you redirect your steps.\u00a0 You come back to Jesus or you come to Him for the first time, and you surrender your life to Him.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAgain, go to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com; click on the link that says \u201cTwo Ways to Live\u201d to find out more about what it means to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.\u00a0 If we can help you with that in any way, we want to do that.\u00a0 We want you to have a Merry Christmas no matter what your circumstances or where you find yourself this year at Christmas.\u00a0 Again, our website is FamilyLifeToday.com.\u00a0 We\u2019d love to have you stop by, and we hope you have a wonderful Christmas celebration.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHope you enjoy the weekend.\u00a0 I hope you can join us back on Monday when Pastor Tommy Nelson and his wife, Teresa, are going to join us.\u00a0 We are going to hear about a season that Tommy went through\u2014I guess this was about four years ago now\u2014when he sank into a deep depression.\u00a0 He\u2019ll tell us all about it: what it was like and how it derailed him from ministry for a period of time.\u00a0 That comes up Monday, and I hope that you can join us for that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team.\u00a0 On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine.\u00a0 We will see you back Monday for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today.\u00a0 Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you've benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t2010 Copyright \u00a9 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>www.FamilyLife.com<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>"],"_seopress_titles_title":[""],"_seopress_titles_desc":[""],"_seopress_robots_index":[""],"duration":["00:"],"show_notes":[""],"_thumbnail_id":["294104"],"filesize":["25.02M"],"filesize_raw":["26239039"],"_uag_css_file_name":["uag-css-302185.css"],"_uag_js_file_name":["uag-js-302185.js"],"_uag_page_assets":["a:9:{s:3:\"css\";s:82560:\".wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f 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will you help your children differentiate between an imaginary Santa and a loving, invisible God?","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2010-12-24.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u00a0Have you ever stopped to wonder why God chose to announce the birth of His Son to shepherds on a Judean hillside?\u00a0 Here is some thinking on that subject from historian Dr. Paul Maier.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 The shepherds might have been regarded as your common blue collar laborers today in terms of probably having what might be regarded at the time as a menial occupation.\u00a0 Yet, these shepherds may have had a rather special responsibility because the sheep that were used for Temple sacrifice had to be out on the range all year long and they preferred sheep from the Bethlehem area.\u00a0 It could have been they were training up the sheep for Temple use later on.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Friday, December 24<sup>th<\/sup>.\u00a0 Our host is the President of FamilyLife Dennis Rainey, and I\u2019m Bob Lepine.\u00a0 Here on Christmas Eve, we\u2019ll look at what the real Silent Night must have looked like.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWelcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>; thanks for joining us on the Friday edition.\u00a0 Does your family do anything special on Christmas Adam?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Christmas Adam?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 You don\u2019t celebrate Christmas Adam?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 We don\u2019t.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Christmas Adam\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Is that the 23<sup>rd<\/sup> and Christmas Eve is the 24<sup>th<\/sup>?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes, because Adam came before Eve: Christmas Adam on the 23<sup>rd<\/sup>, Christmas Eve on the 24<sup>th<\/sup>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 We have no traditions\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 You don\u2019t have anything related to that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 For Christmas Adam.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 We have Shepherds\u2019 Meal at our house.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Do you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 On Christmas Adam night, we get together, and we have potato soup.\u00a0 We have homemade bread.\u00a0 We eat by candlelight.\u00a0 There is some fruit, some grapes, usually a cheese, grape juice that we drink for our meal.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I\u2019m over at your house.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 It is a pretty good deal.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 We have a Christmas Eve celebration.\u00a0 We have a feast.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Do you and the girls still make that?\u00a0 Back in the day, you guys used to cook that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Whoever is at the house with us, that is who cooks it with me.\u00a0 Barbara is shooed away from the kitchen.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u00a0She doesn\u2019t mind that, does she?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 She doesn\u2019t.\u00a0 We destroy the kitchen.\u00a0 We have a lot of fun.\u00a0 We put on a feast that is designed for a king because it is a welcoming the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 With you making plans for your family celebration and me making plans for what our family is going to do tonight, we thought it would be nice if our listeners had an opportunity to hear from a history professor today.\u00a0 We have Dr. Paul Maier joining us.\u00a0 Dr. Maier is professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.\u00a0 He\u2019s been with us before on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\u00a0 Welcome back.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the reasons that you wrote a children\u2019s book on Christmas is because a part of your assignment as a history professor, a part of your burden, is to see children understand the story of Christmas in a historically accurate way.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 It really is.\u00a0 When you look at children\u2019s Christmas books, you find a common theme that is in nearly all of them.\u00a0 The theme is, instead of focusing on what happened at the original nativity, there is usually a character who\u2019s very grumpy or who hates townspeople\u2014whether he is a wood carver or whatever else or a merchant.\u00a0 Then, he is affected by the spirit of Christmas; and he converts to joy at the end of it.\u00a0 Now, this is what\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 You are talking about <em>How The Grinch Who Stole Christmas<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 <em>The Grinch Stole Christmas, A Christmas Carol<\/em> by Charles Dickens.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 There you go.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 He had the original idea.\u00a0 Nearly all these children\u2019s Christmas books focus on that theme.\u00a0 It is a great theme, alright; but there are other themes, for instance, what happened truly in terms of the original Christmas account.\u00a0 That\u2019s the reason why I wrote <em>The Very First Christmas<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 As we talked yesterday, there is a lot of mythology that has grown up throughout the years about Christmas.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Tinsel all over the place.\u00a0 You bet.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Right.\u00a0 We may have come to the point where we think some things are canonical; yet, they\u2019re really just a part of the tradition.\u00a0 Even we, biblical, Bible based Christians, don\u2019t know where the tradition stops and where the Bible account starts, do we?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 That is right.\u00a0 We pointed out yesterday again that Jesus, really, was born in a cave not a wooden constructed stable above ground.\u00a0 Probably, the cover of this, my Christmas book here, shows for the first time what it really looked like.\u00a0 It was a cavern where He was born.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I might add that the illustrator who worked on this book with you, Francisco Ordaz, worked with George Lucas.\u00a0 This guy is\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Industrial light and magic, indeed.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 <em>E.T.<\/em> and that sort of thing.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 That is why it is beautifully illustrated.\u00a0 I feel guilty that my name is larger than his because I spent much less time; and he spent, obviously, much more.\u00a0 It is a beautifully, beautifully illustrated book.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Let\u2019s walk through the Christmas story and help parents gain some fresh insights; so, that this Christmas Eve or Christmas morning when they review the Christmas story, they may have some things, Bob, to wow the kids like the number of wise men who\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u2019s right, which we don\u2019t know.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 All we know is there were more than one.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 These were men from the Orient?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 They\u2019re either from Babylonia or Persia according to our best calculation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Who\u2019s the guy we need to file a lawsuit against for writing \u201cWe Three Kings of Orient are\u2026.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Not bad.\u00a0 He made three mistakes in one line.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t kings; they were magi, wise men literally.\u00a0 They were more than\u2014we don\u2019t know if there were three or not.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t come from Japan or China, the Far East.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 One line\u2026.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 One line, but it\u2019s alright.\u00a0 Continue to sing it just explain it correctly.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 What does it mean wise men?\u00a0 What is that?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 The magi were a very famous caste of very well educated, doctors of the law, history, medicine.\u00a0 They were\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 They were college professors, weren\u2019t they?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 This would be the equivalent of ancient college professors, indeed.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 In all humility, you want to\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 In all humility, yes.\u00a0 We\u2019re not Renaissance people as they were.\u00a0 They had to be specialist in quite a few different fields.\u00a0 Among those fields would have been history in religion; so, they would have been rather well equipped with Jewish predictions of the Messianic figure and the star symbol.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo often, critics come across to the Christmas story, and they say, \u201cIt is impossible.\u00a0 They wouldn\u2019t have traipsed across the desert after a star.\u00a0 How did they know it had any religious significance?\u201d\u00a0 They knew Numbers and Daniel and the reference to the Star rising out of Jacob.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tTo prove that Matthew didn\u2019t invent that, I give you the case of Bar Kokhba.\u00a0 This was the last Jewish rebel in 132 A.D.\u00a0 Even after the destruction of Jerusalem, Bar Kokhba was led through the streets of Jerusalem on a white horse by the great Rabbi Akiba at the time.\u00a0 He said, \u201cThe Messiah, The Messiah has come!\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe guys name was not Bar Kokhba.\u00a0 It was Shimon Bar Kosiba, but they changed it to Bar Kokhba.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Son of the Star.\u00a0 The star motif was very big among the Jews at the time.\u00a0 The magi would have known this.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Let\u2019s talk for a moment about astronomy.\u00a0 Not to be confused with astrology, okay?\u00a0 Let\u2019s talk about where the star came from.\u00a0 You have some beliefs about that star they followed, don\u2019t you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 The term in the New Testament aster can mean star or planet or conjunction or nearly anything that\u2019s happening in the sky aside from the sun or moon.\u00a0 The best explanation, I think, was by Johannes Kepler back in the 1600\u2019s.\u00a0 He found a rare phenomenon in the sky.\u00a0 It happens every 800 years.\u00a0 That is the triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt happened at the time of the first Christmas.\u00a0 It happened in 800.\u00a0 It happened in 1600 in his time.\u00a0 This time not going to happen for us until 2400; so, don\u2019t wait around for that one anyway.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt is a fascinating thing because Jupiter was regarded as the King\u2019s planet in antiquity.\u00a0 It is the brightest, biggest, and so on.\u00a0 Saturn was deemed the shield or the defender Palestine.\u00a0 The Book of Amos tells us that.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, the conjunction came within one moon diameter; and so, three times Jupiter approaches Saturn.\u00a0 Translate that into ancient astrology.\u00a0 I don\u2019t believe in astrology, obviously.\u00a0 I hope your hearers don\u2019t, but the magi did.\u00a0 So, never underestimate God\u2019s ability to use whatever He wants.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Translate it.\u00a0 Jupiter approaches Saturn: a king is coming to Palestine.\u00a0 Happened three times.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 It didn\u2019t have to be a natural phenomenon?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 I think it was, personally.\u00a0 It could have been a natural phenomenon that they interpreted this way because God can use whatever He wants.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Let\u2019s talk about the shepherds.\u00a0 What do we know about them?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 The shepherds might have been regarded as your common blue collar laborers today in terms of probably having what might be regarded at the time as a menial occupation.\u00a0 Yet, don\u2019t forget King David started out as a shepherd.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThese shepherds may have had a rather special responsibility because the Talmud tells us that the sheep that were used for Temple sacrifice had to be out on the range all year long and they preferred sheep from the Bethlehem area.\u00a0 It could have been they were training up the sheep for Temple use later on.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 They obviously had the night shift.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 They had the night shift.\u00a0 That\u2019s right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 They\u2019re out watching.\u00a0 Would they have been acquainted with astrology the way the magi were or did they just see something bright in the sky?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 The star of Christmas had nothing to do with them.\u00a0 It was primarily the angelic appearance and so on as you recall.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 They\u2019re on the hillside; the angels pop up and deliver a message to them.\u00a0 By the way, I just have to throw this in because this is kind of interesting.\u00a0 The Bible doesn\u2019t say that the angels sang.\u00a0 It says the angels said, \u201cGlory to God in the highest.\u201d\u00a0 All the singing angels, well, we have just romanticized that a little bit.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 That is exactly right.\u00a0 Let\u2019s take those angels for a few moments and just see what our historian knows about that.\u00a0 Is there any additional data that we know about these angels that appeared to the shepherds there in the field?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 No.\u00a0 When we come to something like, it\u2019s beyond the bounds of historical research.\u00a0 I\u2019m not trying to say that this never happened; what I am saying is I don\u2019t see any references in ancient sources or in any archaeological evidence that is going to guarantee that this happened.\u00a0 Not denying it at all.\u00a0 The nearest we can come to is that well in Nazareth where the Annunciation may have taken place because the well is still flowing.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yesterday on the broadcast we talked about Mary and what we know about her.\u00a0 Joseph, we know even less about him, don\u2019t we?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Maybe more, in the sense of his genealogy.\u00a0 What is so interesting is that both Matthew and Luke give the genealogy of Joseph and not Mary.\u00a0 It is very important, of course, that Mary be involved.\u00a0 She was also certainly a member of the House of David because David married ten wives about every third person in Palestine would have had some kinship, I think, to the great King David.\u00a0 So, she was also of the Davidic house.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhat\u2019s interesting are the genealogies between Matthew and Luke.\u00a0 They don\u2019t coincide perfectly; but there is an easy explanation for that, that\u2019s given to us by the 300 A.D. church historian, Eusebius.\u00a0 He points out that one would be the legal parentage of Jesus\u2019 in the genealogy.\u00a0 The other would be the biological line because you know you had to marry your brother\u2019s widow if your brother died and so on.\u00a0 Which was the legal marriage and which was the biological marriage, those are the two explanations.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Of course, Joseph was not biologically connected with the Messiah.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Joseph was not biologically connected, no.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I\u2019ve heard you refer to Joseph as the foster father of Christmas.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Step-father, foster father, I think, is appropriate.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Interesting.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 As a carpenter, he didn\u2019t build houses, did he?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Could have.\u00a0 What is interesting is the New Testament term in Greek is tekton.\u00a0 Now, this is anybody involved in the construction industry.\u00a0 Therefore, yes, he could have worked with wood\u2014no question about that\u2014built doors, boats, and that sort of thing.\u00a0 He could have also been a stone cutter, anybody involved in construction.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 We do know that Joseph and Mary travelled from Nazareth to Bethlehem.\u00a0 Give us some idea, historically, of what that journey would have been like.\u00a0 Is there any evidence that she was on a donkey?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Interestingly enough, Dennis, there is not.\u00a0 It is a good presumption, however, only because the donkey is the Model A Ford, you might say, all over Israel and Jordan at the present day yet.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I\u2019ve got to stop you there and say the reason I\u2019m interested in this is every Christmas when our children were little I was always the donkey, Bob.\u00a0 I\u2019m really looking for an out here as our kids get older.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 You may have found it right here.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 I may have found it no doubt about it.\u00a0 How far was it, then, from Nazareth to Bethlehem?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 It is about ninety miles.\u00a0 In terms of transportation speed in those days, we figure it was a six to eight day trip.\u00a0 Probably, they would have taken the water level route.\u00a0 Otherwise, they would have to go over the hilly, Samaritan territory.\u00a0 The Samaritans were regarded as unclean as far as the Jews were concerned.\u00a0 I think Mary in her advance pregnancy would have done better with this water level route.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, they would have gone down to the Sea of Galilee, Jordan River depression, and then headed up from Jericho up to Jerusalem and Bethlehem is probably the route they took.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Would they camp out each night as they came to a stopping place?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Either that or come to a caravansary or the equivalent of the ancient motels or something.\u00a0 They had those also.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Okay.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 What were those tents or were they permanent facilities?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 The tent colony for protection\u2014they wouldn\u2019t simply pitch a convenient tent along the roadside somewhere because you do have bandits and highway men and so forth.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 When they got to Bethlehem, about how long did they stay for the census?\u00a0 Do we know?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 We don\u2019t have that information.\u00a0 By the way, it is not automatic that Mary would have had to come along.\u00a0 Joseph could have done it for the family, but there are two reasons why she came along.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne, you have all heard of, that is, of course, she was of the house lineage of David.\u00a0 The Davidic Messiah had to be born with the census there in Bethlehem, I should say, rather than Nazareth.\u00a0 The other reason is that in a sense there\u2019s a hurry-up baby on the way.\u00a0 How do you explain that to the nosy neighbors in Nazareth, you see?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u2019s right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 It\u2019s a very human, beautiful explanation of why it was very simple then to get out of town, as it were.\u00a0 You really kill two birds with one stone.\u00a0 That is the reason she came along.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Joseph\u2019s taking her to Bethlehem may have saved her life?\u00a0 As a young lady, could they have stoned her because she was pregnant?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 If the news would have gotten out, they would have counted up to nine or something like that or less than that.\u00a0 That could have been a danger for her.\u00a0 That is right, especially if some conservative rabbis got in the act.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Our listeners may not know why that is the case.\u00a0 It was because the marriage had not been consummated; she was betrothed, right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Because there was a baby on the way for which Joseph was not the father.\u00a0 That would have been deemed adultery, of course, by normal standards.\u00a0 Therefore, she could have been stoned to death.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 The reason they knew it wasn\u2019t Joseph\u2019s baby was because during the betrothal there was to be no sex.\u00a0 Right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u2019s right.\u00a0 Exactly.\u00a0 Joseph certainly would have known that, that was not his baby.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Do you have any idea what Joseph would have to have done in Bethlehem to register for the census?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 We have a very good idea, Bob, because one of the census documents has been discovered.\u00a0 That is the one I referred to yesterday up the Nile in Egypt in which the fellow registers with the city clerk. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe introduces himself and says, \u201cI am Horace the son of Horace,\u201d that\u2019s the falcon god in Egypt, \u201cwith the scar over my right eyebrow.\u201d\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have a social security number.\u00a0 He had a scar by way of identification.\u00a0 \u201cI herewith register myself and my wife, Tepakuzis,\u201d was her name, \u201cwith no identifying marks and our son Horace.\u201d\u00a0 They love that name\u2026 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2026and so on.\u00a0 He says, \u201cIn accordance with the census of Hadrian Caesar I hereby record these as members of my family.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 You go to the city clerk, you fill out the documents, and you\u2019re done.\u00a0 Now you can go back home.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 This comes in a scrap of papyrus, by the way, which you can see at the University of Michigan.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Is that right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Indeed. Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Next time I\u2019m in Ann Arbor, I\u2019m stopping by.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong> There you go.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Alright.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Your book here <em>The Very First Christmas <\/em>begins with the first person of Christmas.\u00a0 It is tied to this census, isn\u2019t it?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Augustus.\u00a0 \u201cAnd it came to pass in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world,\u201d the Roman world, \u201cshould be enrolled for the census.\u201d\u00a0 Absolutely.\u00a0 The whole idea is to tie it into fact and to point out that although we call it the Christmas story it is not a fairy tale.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Do we know anything about Quirinius?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Quirinius.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 He was the governor at the time?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Governor of Syria according to Luke at the time.\u00a0 There is a problem there that hasn\u2019t been completely solved yet in terms of\u2014we do know that a Quirinius was a governor ten years later in Syria.\u00a0 So, that is one of the few remaining problems that still has to be solved in biblical scholarship.\u00a0 It is probably the worst of the problems.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think that the solution to it is this: that what Luke is really telling us is this census was first completed when Quirinius was governor of Syria.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Paul, you\u2019ve done a masterful job here of giving us a\u2014I don\u2019t know\u2014kind of beautiful, historical backdrop of Christmas and helping us feel the humanity which surrounds this story because Jesus did become a human.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 I want to know if I can audit your class next semester.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Come aboard, Bob.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Absolutely.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got one last question for you Paul.\u00a0 Let\u2019s say that our Savior was seated right across the table here.\u00a0 Here you are a professor of Ancient History; you\u2019ve studied stories of many men who have come and gone; and you wanted to tell Him what Christmas and His birth and life and death and resurrection meant to you.\u00a0 How would you answer that question to Him right now?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Fascinating challenge.\u00a0 I think I would say thank you, Lord, for finally showing us God.\u00a0 Mankind has been searching for the ultimate ruler of the universe through many different religious systems at all times in all of a history.\u00a0 It is a futile search because God reveals Himself to us; we don\u2019t climb up to Heaven to find God.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think this is the ultimate cosmic meaning of Christmas that God crossed the Great Divide.\u00a0 That is why of all the miracles that Jesus did the greatest is the Incarnation in the sense of the Infinite becoming finite.\u00a0 That plus Easter are the two book ends, the cornerstone of the Christian faith.\u00a0 Again, this is not just a story.\u00a0 This is history or as you might even re-pronounce it \u201cHIStory\u201d.\u00a0 Same spelling.\u00a0 This really happened; this is the point.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Galatians 4:4 says, \u201cBut when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His son born of a woman, born under the law; in order that He might redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons.\u201d\u00a0 It is indeed the greatest story that has ever been told.\u00a0 I\u2019m so grateful, Paul, for your ministry, your discipline of study, and for bringing Christmas to life here in some fresh and new ways.\u00a0 Thanks for being on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Paul:<\/strong>\u00a0 Thank you, Dennis, Bob.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 We hope that story is told well around the tree today or tomorrow or in churches tonight or this weekend as families really focus together and focus their hearts on what it is we come together to celebrate.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe joy of this Season is only found in part because families gather and because there are lights on a tree and presents and good food.\u00a0 The real joy of this Season comes because of the good tidings of great joy that are for all men that unto us is born in the City of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.\u00a0 We hope that as your family is together this year at Christmas that will be your theme.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you\u2019re not able to be with your family this year at Christmas, we hope that your joy can be found and realized in the relationship that you have with God through His son Jesus Christ.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think it is appropriate for us, Dennis, here on Christmas Eve to just say to listeners: if you\u2019re headed into the celebration of this holiday and you don\u2019t have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ; you are not walking with Him in obedience; you\u2019re not following Him as your Lord and your Master either because you have slipped away from the commitment that you once made to follow Him or because you\u2019ve never made that commitment; you\u2019ve never declared to God your surrender and your obedience.\u00a0 This would be the day for you to head toward Christmas with either a renewed commitment to your Master or with a first time commitment.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhat we have on our website at FamilyLifeToday.com, a link that says \u201cTwo Ways to Live.\u201d\u00a0 It really outlines the difference between walking with God and walking, well, apart from God.\u00a0 That really is the question that we face this year at Christmas.\u00a0 How are you walking?\u00a0 Are you walking with God or are you walking apart from Him?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOur hope is that this would be a season and a time when if you are walking apart from Him you redirect your steps.\u00a0 You come back to Jesus or you come to Him for the first time, and you surrender your life to Him.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAgain, go to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com; click on the link that says \u201cTwo Ways to Live\u201d to find out more about what it means to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.\u00a0 If we can help you with that in any way, we want to do that.\u00a0 We want you to have a Merry Christmas no matter what your circumstances or where you find yourself this year at Christmas.\u00a0 Again, our website is FamilyLifeToday.com.\u00a0 We\u2019d love to have you stop by, and we hope you have a wonderful Christmas celebration.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHope you enjoy the weekend.\u00a0 I hope you can join us back on Monday when Pastor Tommy Nelson and his wife, Teresa, are going to join us.\u00a0 We are going to hear about a season that Tommy went through\u2014I guess this was about four years ago now\u2014when he sank into a deep depression.\u00a0 He\u2019ll tell us all about it: what it was like and how it derailed him from ministry for a period of time.\u00a0 That comes up Monday, and I hope that you can join us for that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team.\u00a0 On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine.\u00a0 We will see you back Monday for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today.\u00a0 Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you've benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t2010 Copyright \u00a9 FamilyLife. 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