The Nativity Story
A rare feat in film-making
Posted
Saturday, December 02, 2006
by
Brian Beers
Tonight my wife and I were greatly impressed by The Nativity Story, the new movie with Keisha Castle-Hughes of Whale-Rider as Mary. The movie was well done. It was done with believable, sepia-tone realism, portraying the poverty of Mary’s family and Joseph, the threat posed by Rome’s oppressive taxation, and the difficulty of their journey to Bethlehem.
My knowledge of the nativity led to several suspenseful moments in the film when it could have turned into a farce, but it remained plausible throughout. Even the miraculous conception was shown to be implausible in the tight-knit village of Nazareth. The appearances of the angel were appropriately intimidating, and Herod was ominously paranoid, a man who could order the execution of babies in order to protect his throne.
This superb drama includes a few moments of humor, but the humor, like the rest of the movie is both reverent and true to human nature. Two pre-teen boys witnessed John's circumcision. It quickly became evident that it was the first circumcision they had ever witnessed for their snickering commentary turned to blanched, horrified expressions as John’s cry rang out. I am sure I did not need to hear the sound of the moil’s knife, but as I mentioned before, the movie strove for realism. The appearance of the wise men in Bethlehem would have once been a sticking point for me, a plot alteration for the sake of drama, except for an email I received from a pastor friend from Alaska.
Mark alerted me to “an interesting ‘bomb’” that a professor from Moody had brought up: the possibility of the presence of the magi at the manger. For many years I have held to the idea that the wise men had probably shown up approximately two years after the birth of Jesus. This is why Herod ordered his men to kill very male child two years or younger. I thought that Joseph and Mary would have returned to Nazareth, and the wise men found Jesus there. But reread Matthew’s account as I was challenged to do, and you may also see why a late date for the visit of the wise men is untenable.
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” Matthew 2:1-8 ESV The wise men arrived in Jerusalem, looking for the Messiah, and Herod sent them on to Bethlehem. This is not Nazareth, Joseph and Mary’s home. Instead it is Bethlehem, the home of Joseph’s ancestors. The portrayal of Herod in The Nativity Story helped me recognize that such a paranoid man would not think twice about murdering hundreds of boys unnecessarily—that “two years old” would ensure that this potential usurper would not be missed by his pediatrically-challenged troops
Again, I recommend that you go see this movie. It is true to both Scripture and human nature, a rare feat in theater.
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