My wife, Jamie, collects nativity scenes. 

She has large ones and small ones, fancy ones and simple ones, homemade ones and more. They come from different countries all around the world. 

Even though I’ve always liked them, there is something about the nativities that I found slightly off-putting for a long time. As a Christian, I appreciate the use of nativities to help us focus on the true meaning of Christmas. But, I also struggle a little with what might be seen as inaccuracies in the various depictions of Jesus’ birth. 

Let’s start with the Magi, or Wise Men. They did not arrive until after the family was living in a house. This might have been as much as two years later, but that is only a guess based upon Herod killing 2-year-old children in Bethlehem. For all we know, it could also have been the next day, though I doubt that. 

So, is it “wrong” to include Magi in the nativity scenes? Some people set up their scenes with the Magi at some distance from the manger, showing that they are on the way but not present at the manger. 

Interestingly enough, the Gospel of Matthew collapses the story in a way that we read about the Magi immediately after the birth. I guess in the big scope of history, narrowing that time gap may not be very important.

Of course, we have no way of knowing what Mary and Joseph looked like or what the environment was surrounding the birth. There are some things we do know. For starters, first century Palestinian peasant Jews would not have looked like white Americans or Europeans and they would not have had fancy clothes. They would have been simply dressed, brown-skinned folk. 

The presence of a manger, an animal feed trough, implies the birth might have taken place in the lower level of a house where animals were kept, or perhaps in one of the caves in the shepherd fields outside Bethlehem. 

Were there animals present? Maybe. What kinds? We can only speculate. These sorts of details were apparently not important enough to be recorded. 

It can be a little surprising, and maybe even scandalous for some, to see Mary and Joseph depicted as Asian or Black or Eskimo, or something else that is clearly not representing the historical character of Jesus’ culture.

But perhaps for us, seeing depictions that don’t look like us reminds us that we humans all tend to create God in our own image. The visual portrayals are emblematic of what we likely do in our thinking on a regular basis. We tend to think of God in ways that are familiar and comfortable for us. 

In scholarly circles, this tendency was made famous by Albert Schweitzer in 1906, when he pointed out that the Jesus that scholars wrote about tended to look more like the scholars themselves than a first century Jewish rabbi.   

A modern example of this is how people from very different political perspectives can simultaneously believe that Jesus is on their side of the debate. 

Just recognizing this tendency can help us be a little more cautious about equating our image of Jesus with the real Jesus. When we recognize that difference, we can get a little closer perhaps to filtering out our own cultural biases that cloud our understanding of who Jesus is shown to be in Scripture.

Rather than throwing the infant out with the bath water, so to speak, I have come to see the nativities — with all their quirky depictions of this pivotal moment in human history — with more appreciation.

Jesus is called Immanuel, which means God with us. God has come to be with us in tangible human form in Jesus. Visual snapshots of Jesus’ birth in nativity scenes provide a sense of personal connection to him and provide an opportunity to reflect upon the important meaning of his arrival. 

Jesus came once physically to a very specific historical time and place. Even though we know Jesus was a Palestinian Jew born in humble surroundings half a world away, when we see a creche in our environment it reminds us that Jesus is still present today. 

He is present with us! 

That is true for people in China, Africa, Australia, Haiti, America and everywhere else. He is no longer a little baby. The specifics of his historical birth are ultimately less significant than the theological truth they convey. 

So, perhaps a Black or Asian baby Jesus is actually a helpful translation of his incarnation for people to see Jesus coming to them through that depiction. This is similar for White Americans when Jesus is depicted as White.

If a manger scene causes us to stop and reflect upon the significance and the implications of Jesus breaking into human history — our history — then it has proven itself to be a valuable gift.

Jeff Fugitt is the pastor of Cassville United Methodist Church, located at 601 Gravel Street in Cassville. He may be reached at 417-847-2328 or [email protected].