Late last night as I slowly got high off paint fumes, I watched “The Nativity Story.” First thing first, I have to say that I do not like the way they portrayed Mary. The movie made Mary to appear as a brat before the angel spoke to her and afterwards an arrogant righteous woman. This part of the movie sickened me. Mary barely spoke but only half smiled or gave no expression at all. Is that the way people see her? It just doesn’t make sense to me. Why would God want His son to be raised by that type of women? God would only want the best for His son. You would think right? Maybe I’m just looking into it too much. Or maybe the paint fumes really were getting to me. But overall I did not like the interpretation of Mary. There were a few moments in the movie that Mary appeared to be compassionate but there weren’t enough of these scenes to fulfill my expectations of her.
With that out of the way, I do have to say that the story was well done. I loved how the story of King Herod was intertwined throughout the movie to show the historical importance of Jesus’ birth. The King made living conditions unbearable for many with his outrageous taxes and then his silly census. And to top it, at the end of the movie he had his troops slaughter all the male children under the age of two in Bethlehem. Thanks to the whisper of an angel, Joseph and Mary escape just in time to save baby Jesus.
And then there was the fact that Mary was pregnant out of wedlock. All the nasty looks she received in Nazareth. Joseph was frowned upon by his friends. He easily could have denounced her and had Mary stoned to death. With the King out to kill her baby and her own people rejecting her, it wasn’t just a virgin birth. It was a miracle. There were so many road blocks along the way that could have easily terminated His birth. But God willing it happened. And thank God!
As much as I complained about the portrayal of Mary, I do have to say, the whole time Mary remained calm. Maybe that’s what really bugged me. Mary is my role model and obviously I am far away from being like her. If I were in her shoes I would be a nervous wreck. Yelling at Frank to get the pistol and shot those bloody soldiers! (I don’t own a gun so this would never happen.) It’s as if she knew that everything was going to be alright. She had a peaceful calm about her throughout the film. When Joseph is walking around Bethlehem looking for an open inn, Mary is in labor on the donkey and is trying her hardest to keep it together. Again I would have been screaming, “Hurry the heck up before this baby pops!” The bravery of Mary amazes me. And she was only 15. I’m nearly twice her age and I can’t imagine being so composed.
Maybe it wasn’t that Mary was emotionless in the movie. Maybe it was that she was content and quiet. So many times I have to talk or get in the middle of things. I need to learn from Mary to just sit back and wait. It will all be taken care of the way God wills. I need to learn this lesson.
I love how the movie showed Joseph and Mary working together throughout their journey to Bethlehem. They barely knew each other and were traveling approximately 100 miles through a desert with little food and water. Mary put all her trust in Joseph, a man she was forced to marry and barely knew. And Joseph did not fail her. Weeks earlier he learned of her pregnancy and was nearly in tears. But with the grace of God, Joseph led her to safety. Amazing.
There was a very touching scene when Mary looks down from the donkey and sees that Joseph’s feet are bloody and beaten from all the walking. She is obviously concerned for his well-being and ends up washing them in the river. (Symbolic to Jesus washing the feet at the Last Supper?) At that moment you can see that she finally realizing how much Joseph loves her and the unborn baby. It brought tears to my eyes. God brought two strangers together and made them one for his baby.
That scene reminded me a lot of my own marriage. At one time, Frank and I were perfect strangers. And then God brought us together to become one. I think of all the little things he does for me to make my life easier. It makes me grow closer to him and appreciate my marriage more. And I know its God working through him for me. For us. Just like Joseph and Mary, someday we will be doing the same for our own child. But our journey will be much different then theirs.
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