(Note:  The following article was written 10 January 1984 as a fun mental study and writing exercise.  I tried to place myself in the minds of the participants.  No matter how plausible I’ve made things sound, these ideas are suppositions and not to be taken as gospel truths.)

Exactly two thousand years ago in the land of Judea there lived two families.  They both probably lived in the town of Nazareth.  One family was presided over by a man named Jacob.  The head of the other family was a man named Heli.  They were brothers, both being sons of Matthan (or Matthat).

These were to all appearances just ordinary families.  The families also considered themselves to be ordinary except for one detail of which they were aware.  The Jews at this time kept very particular genealogies.  Matthan, therefore, had been told by his father that if Judea had not then been under foreign rule, and if David’s line had continued on the throne, Matthan would in his turn have sat upon the throne of Judea as king.  This family was the royal line.  The oldest son in each generation thus became the legal and lawful heir to the throne.

Matthan was also taught, as were all Jews, that at some time in the future a Messiah would be born to save the Jews and all mankind, and that the Messiah would be born in David’s line.  Centuries had passed since the time of David.  He had thousands upon thousands of descendants, and the possibility existed in each of their minds that the Messiah, the Savior of the world, might prove to be one of their very own descendants.  This possibility was also implanted in Matthan’s mind.

Matthan in turn passed his knowledge to his sons, Jacob and Heli.  He told them they were princes.  He told them about the promised Messiah, and, more importantly, he taught them the ways of righteousness.

The two young men married.  In time a daughter was born to one, probably Jacob.  He was probably the elder of the two, and I doubt that he ever had a son.  To Heli was born a son.  This boy became the new heir to the throne.

The little girl and the little boy were raised in righteousness and taught in their respective families as all Jewish children were.  Their upbringings were effective, for when the boy reached young adulthood the scriptures say that he was “a just man” (Matt. 1:19).  The girl is referred to as “A virgin, most beautiful and fair” (1 Ne. 11:15).  The boy’s name was Joseph.  The girl’s name was Mary.  They were first cousins.  (See Jesus the Christ, pp. 85-87, and note 5 on pp. 89-90).

The Lord from the beginning had His eye on this line.  Through four millennia He had willed that certain individuals should meet and marry certain other individuals.  He even told a few of these that they would be progenitors of the Messiah, but most lived out their lives never knowing in mortality that theirs was a special position and that they were fulfilling special missions.

Thus was Eve given to Adam.  For this reason was Methuselah (among others) left on earth while his father, Enoch, and all his righteous city were translated.  For this reason did Sarah bear Abraham a son in her old age.  For this reason was Rebecca chosen to be the wife of Isaac, and Leah the wife of Jacob.  Many of the individuals who were in this line, both men and women, were among the pre-existent “noble and great” ones that Abraham saw in vision—Boaz and Ruth, Jesse, David, Matthan, Jacob, and Heli, and many others.

The focus of the centuries was upon Joseph and Mary.  From the beginning it was intended that Mary would be the mother of the Savior.  She was chosen for that purpose before she was born, and even before the foundations of the earth were laid.  Thus it was that Nephi could behold her in vision nearly 600 years before she was born into mortality.  (1 Ne. 11:13-20).  She had already been called and set apart to that purpose.

Let us place ourselves in her mind.  She was probably a teenager, perhaps only 15 years of age.  She had a great desire to be pure and virtuous; and because she actively tried to be worthy, she was very successful.  She was, however, afflicted with all the self doubts and worries that have been common to teenage girls down through the centuries.

Did she know that there was anything special about her?  Not at all.  Yes, she knew that one of her near or distant relations would someday become the mother of the Messiah.  She had doubtless entertained the thought that that privileged person could even be her.  That thought to her, however, was like the thoughts that each of us has in our youth that we might grow up to be president.  We dream of being great heroes and heroines, but in our hearts we know that we’ll be just ordinary individuals of whom history will take no note.

So it was with Mary, and so it was with Joseph.  Joseph was probably a little older than Mary.  Jewish girls married young, but the boys generally waited until they were older.  Joseph and Mary were espoused to each other.  This was akin to an engagement.  A formal ceremony had been performed.  Though they were not yet married, yet they were promised to one another, and a marriage would be performed when the time was deemed right.

It would seem reasonable to me that perhaps the espousal and eventual marriage were arranged by the parents of the young couple.  After all, this was a royal line.  They would be anxious to preserve the purity of that line.  Jacob, especially, would have been anxious for this marriage to take place if, as I suppose, he was his father’s oldest son and if he had no sons of his own.  He is listed in the genealogy given by Matthew, which is thought to be the royal line, showing how the throne of Israel should have been occupied.  With no sons of his own the succession would thus have passed to the eldest son of his next brother.  That individual was Joseph.  (Luke’s genealogical listing shows Joseph as the son of Heli.  This list is thought to be the literal line of descent given without regard to royal succession—see pp. 89-90 of Jesus the Christ.

It was early July 1,985 years ago.  Mary had many things on her mind.  Chief among these was her espousal to Joseph.  One day an angel appeared to her.  I would not be surprised to learn in the future that Mary was in the attitude of prayer when the angel made his appearance.  (I think it is probably a rare thing for heavenly visitors to simply appear without the recipient of the vision first humbling himself in prayer.  I cite all of the major visions Joseph Smith had as evidence.)

Mary was probably in her house, for “the angel came in unto her.”  “Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee:  blessed art thou among women,” the angel said.  (Luke 1:28).

Mary was startled.  A heavenly visitor was about the last thing she expected.  And what could he possibly mean by such a salutation?  “She was troubled at his saying.”  (Luke 1:29).

Gabriel, for such was his name, quickly announced the reason for his visit.  (What he did not tell her was that he was her own ever-so-great grandfather.  That relationship was not a coincidence.)  He informed Mary that she was that long-prophesied virgin who would become the mother of the Lord.

Mary was bewildered.  She asked, in essence, “How can this be?  I’m not even married yet.”

Gabriel explained that it would be done by the power of the Holy Ghost.  Great and grave were the implications in this earth-shaking announcement.  It was impossible to weigh the consequences because she couldn’t even tell what they would be.  This humble, pure, frightened teenage girl simply answered, “Be it unto me according to thy word.”  In other words, “I’ll do whatever the Lord wants.”

One other bit of information was given to Mary by the angel:  “And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age:  and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.”  (Above quotes from Luke 1).

The angel departed.  Mary was amazed.  What should she do now?  She had just received the greatest compliment any woman would ever receive, yet the practical aspects of it were staggering.  She was going to be pregnant!  She wasn’t married.  Could she tell Joseph?  She’d have to tell Joseph!  Could she tell her parents?  What would everyone think?  How would they react?  Would they believe her?  Would Joseph call off the marriage?  He’d have to.  No one in their right mind was going to be able to come to any other conclusion than that she had been guilty of the most serious moral transgression.  She was going to be brought to the greatest of shames.

Mary would have to tell her parents and Joseph and then take the consequences, trusting in the Lord to uphold her.  It must have been an emotional setting and a difficult thing as Mary told the three people who would have to know her secret.  She probably turned first to her mother.  We know nothing about their reaction.  Joseph, for one, couldn’t believe it.  Her parents would want to believe it because Mary had always been honest with them; but this story was so far-fetched that without some confirming testimony from the Spirit, they, too, would have had to react with disbelief.

The family was now in turmoil.  What should they do?  There was one person on earth who might be able to confirm Mary’s fantastic story—Elisabeth, their cousin, Elisabeth.  They had to see Elisabeth.  The scriptures record that after the angel departed, “Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.”  (Luke 1:39-40).

Young girls did not travel about the countryside alone in those days.  It was dangerous for anyone to travel alone due to the robbers that infested the roads.  Perhaps Mary was put with a group of travelers going toward the hill country, but I would not be surprised to learn that her parents, also, accompanied her.  They could have reacted with total disbelief and thrown her out of the house and disowned her; or, because she had been a good daughter, they may have wanted to believe her.  I prefer to think the latter situation was the case.  If so, they would be just as anxious to have some confirming evidence about the story as Mary would be.  It’s likely, therefore, that they accompanied her on the trip.

The party arrived at Zacharias’ house.  Mary entered and spoke to Elisabeth.  Then came a dramatic confirmation that all Mary had said was true.  The Holy Ghost now took over the situation.  “And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb, and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:  And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.  And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.  And blessed is she that believed:  for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.”  (Luke 1:41-45).

Great was the relief Mary and anyone with her felt.  All that Mary had told her loved ones was true!  Mary had found an ally.  Here she would stay.  Besides, Elisabeth could use some help.  “And Mary abode with her about three months.”  (Luke 1:56).

Elisabeth, being in “the sixth month” was between five and six months pregnant.  Her conception and pregnancy were also miraculous.  She was the wife of Zacharias, a priest.  The scriptures record that they “were both righteous,” “they both were now well stricken in years,” “they had no child because that Elisabeth was barren” and that they both belonged to the tribe of Levi.  (Luke 1:5-6).  Elisabeth was “of the daughters of Aaron,” yet Gabriel, in speaking to Mary, referred to her as “thy cousin Elisabeth.”  (Luke 1:5, 36).

Elisabeth apparently had a mixed lineage, being descended from two tribes of Israel:  Levi and Judah.  Mary was of the line of David.  For Elisabeth to be her cousin, Elisabeth must have also been of this line.  One of her parents must have belonged to the priestly family and one to David’s family.  Just how her relationship to Mary came about we can’t be sure.  They were closely enough related, though, that she and Mary were acquainted since she apparently knew who Gabriel was talking about.

As I have tried to figure out how Elisabeth could possibly have been a near cousin of Mary’s I’ve become quite muddled in my thinking.  Using their relative ages it becomes difficult to see where Elisabeth could fit into the family as a close cousin.  However, I could feel quite comfortable about the way the bits of evidence fit together if Elisabeth was Mary’s aunt, the sister of Jacob and Heli.  Mary would thus have immediately known who Gabriel was talking about, and Elisabeth did belong to the same generation as Mary’s father.

There is some evidence to support the possibility that Elisabeth was Mary’s aunt rather than her cousin.  Gabriel called her Mary’s cousin in Luke 1:36.  A footnote to the word “cousin” in the LDS version of the Bible says that an alternate translation from the Greek for that word is “relative.”  The only other possible relative Elisabeth could have been would be an aunt.

In Jesus the Christ James E. Talmage, on page 125, says “John and Jesus were second cousins.”  The children of brothers and sisters are first cousins.  The children of first cousins become second cousins.  I feel that Elisabeth was in some way another descendant of Matthan’s.  Here are the two possible ways that I see these family relationships fitting together:

In the above genealogy Elisabeth is Mary’s first cousin, and John and Jesus are second cousins.  Luke 1:7, 18 say that Elisabeth was “now well stricken in years.”  The alternative translation from the Greek is “well advanced in years.”  Elisabeth had been barren all her life, and she and Zacharias had given up hope of ever having a baby.  She was advanced in years in the sense that her age was just about past the possible child-bearing years, yet I don’t believe she had yet left them and become an old woman.

The above attempts to fit Elisabeth into Matthan’s genealogy are strictly theoretical and academic.  I think it very possible, however, that Matthan was one of the Lord’s chosen people who, for some reason, apparently merited a double blessing in being the grandfather of both Mary and Joseph and great-grandfather of Jesus.  If he merited those blessings he certainly could have been given a triple blessing of being the grandsire of John also.

Mary must have been a welcome visitor for Elisabeth.  Life was probably quite lonely for her.  Her husband had returned from his week at the temple in a surprising condition:  He was both deaf and dumb.  (Note 3, page 88, Jesus the Christ.)  In answer to her concerned questions he doubtless wrote her notes on a “writing table” as he did later at John’s circumcision.  She must have been astounded and perplexed at his explanation of the angel, the announcement of her coming pregnancy, and the sign of dumbness inflicted upon him because of his slowness to believe.  When she realized a few weeks later that she actually was pregnant she went into seclusion “and hid herself five months.”  (Luke 1:24).

Elisabeth was in seclusion, not seeing friends or acquaintances.  Her husband wasn’t talking to her, and it did no good to talk to him.  Silence reigned in the house.  On top of all that she had a great secret, which, for the most part, she didn’t understand.  How she must have wished for someone to whom she could talk.  For five months she hid herself, and then in the sixth month Mary suddenly appeared at her door.  The baby leaped in her womb at the sound of Mary’s voice.  The Spirit came over her and testified to her that the mother of the Messiah stood before her.  Here at last was someone to whom she could talk and who would be sympathetic and understanding about her condition.  Mary was in need of exactly the same thing.  Elisabeth, therefore, urged her to stay, and Mary was only too happy to do so.

For the next three months Mary and Elisabeth helped one another.  One was in the last stages of pregnancy, and the other was suffering through morning sickness.  They helped one another in their physical needs, but more importantly, they helped one another in their emotional and spiritual needs.  Hours upon hours were spent in conversation about the miracles wrought within their bodies, strengthening one another’s faith, and discussing the roles their baby boys would play in the world.

In the last month of Elisabeth’s pregnancy Mary left and went home.  It would seem that she would have wanted to stay until the baby was born, but I suspect that two factors caused her to end her visit when she did.  The least compelling factor was that news of Elisabeth’s condition had finally gotten out.  Elisabeth, and Mary, too, became the object of much attention and rumors.  The other factor, the most compelling factor, was that Joseph either sent for her, or came for her, wanting to immediately get married.

Shortly after Mary left “Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered:  and she brought forth a son.  And her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had showed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.”  (Luke 1:57-58).  This event occurred approximately six months before the Savior’s birth.  If exactly six months, it would place the date on or about October 6th .  The Lord’s Church holds general conference as close to the Savior’s birthday (6 April) as possible.  It is interesting that it also holds general conference on or near John’s birthday as well.

Eight days after John’s birth came the event of his naming and circumcision.  It was customary that the first baby boy in a family should be named after his father.  They, therefore, naturally called him Zacharias.  Elisabeth immediately objected, and said that his name was John.

This was highly unusual.  Elisabeth was obviously out of order and making a mistake.  They turned to deaf and dumb Zacharias and made signs to him to ask him what the baby’s name should be.  Zacharias “asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John.”  (Luke 1:63).

The next line says “And they marvelled all.”  Their marveling intensified greatly when with this act Zacharias’ mouth and ears were suddenly opened and he uttered great words of praise and prophecy.  “And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest:  for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways.”  (Luke 1:76).

“Fear came on all that dwelt round about them:  and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judea.”  (Luke 1:65).  To avoid this attention and publicity was probably one reason Mary left when she did.  John’s birth was the most noteworthy thing that had happened among the Jews for hundreds of years.  Here was the fulfillment of a long-standing prophecy.  All Jews had for centuries been waiting for the coming of the Messiah.  Prior to His coming there was to be a forerunner who would prepare His way.  Apparently the time was at hand.  A baby had been born under miraculous circumstances, and his father, a priest, had prophesied publicly that the baby was the long-predicted forerunner.

The news traveled far and wide.  The Jews shortly thereafter lost track of John because of a move the family made, but from then on they were watching and waiting for the announcement that the forerunner of the Messiah had commenced his work of preparing the way.  They waited for “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”  (Isa. 40:3).

They waited 29 years.  Then “in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar” (Luke 3:1) (Tiberius reigned from 14-37 A.D., according to Gibbon) the clarion call went forth.  John had begun his ministry.  “And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.”  (Mark 1:5, also Matt. 3:5).  His widespread success was due to the fact that his birth had been so well-publicized.  The whole land had been waiting for him.

Of John’s childhood we know nothing.  There is but one verse which says anything at all about his life between birth and the beginning of his ministry.  Luke records “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.”  (Luke 1:80).  Apparently either because the family was besieged by curiosity seekers or because the Lord warned them to do so, Zacharias moved his wife and child to “the deserts.”  Tradition says that John was born in the town of Juttah (Jesus the Christ, pg. 82).  I don’t know the location of this town, but I suspect that John was born in the region around Bethlehem.  He, thus, would have fallen under Herod’s edict that all children, “from two years old and under” be slain “in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof.”  (Matt. 2:16).  Perhaps to escape the jealousy of Herod, John was hidden in the desert where he became “a student under the tutelage of divine teachers.”  (Jesus the Christ, pg. 122).

Let us turn our thoughts now to Joseph.  Mary had come to him following her visit with the angel and told him all that had happened.  She, an unmarried girl, his espoused wife, was going to have a baby!  He was heartsick.  He was perplexed.  On one hand this could be a concocted story to cover a sin.  On the other hand it could be true.  Mary had never lied before.  Either way he couldn’t marry her.  If she was guilty of transgression the marriage would have to be called off.  If she was actually expecting the Son of God, who was he, Joseph, to think that he could marry the mother of the Lord?  He could be treading where he shouldn’t, and would be likely to incur the displeasure of God.

Mary had made her announcement, difficult and hard to explain as it was, and then had fled to the hill country to see a cousin.  Joseph was left to ponder and wonder what to do.  He went over it again and again in his mind.  When Mary had told him, she obviously was not pregnant.  Perhaps he waited to see if a pregnancy actually developed.  Word came that she was definitely expecting.  With that news there was no longer much question about what to do.  “Joseph, her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.”  (Matt. 1:19).  His intention was to quietly annul the espousal.  The decision hurt him very much.

Three months had passed since he had seen her.  Joseph, “being a just man,” was, therefore, a praying man.  The Bible records that “while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife:  for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus:  for he shall save his people from their sins.”  (Matt. 1:20-21).

Joseph Smith, in his New Translation of the Bible, records that the angel appeared not “in a dream,” but “in a vision.”  Here, as in Mary’s case, I can’t help but feel that the setting for such a vision was a humble prayer for guidance being offered by Joseph.  The angel (Gabriel, no doubt) appeared and made his announcement, confirming that all Mary had said was true.  Joseph, “awaking out of his vision, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him.”  (JST, Matt. 2:7).  He may have sent for her, but it would be more characteristic of him to have gone after her himself.  He always immediately took action when divine instruction was given him.

So it was that Mary left Elisabeth before John was born.  She did so gratefully.  Her dilemma was solved.  Joseph believed her, trusted her, loved her, and would be her protector.  The marriage was performed; but so that the birth could truly be a virgin birth, Joseph “knew her not until she had brought forth her first-born son.”  (Matt. 1:25).

Back home in Nazareth I would not be surprised to learn that Mary followed Elisabeth’s example “and hid herself” to avoid the wags in the village.  Her quick pregnancy would have been sure to set people talking.

A decree went forth at this time from Caesar Augustus, by way of Herod, that all citizens of the nation must return to their ancestral district and there register for the purposes of taxation.  This registry would also be used by Augustus to make levies for the drafting of soldiers in each of Rome’s provinces.  This must have been an extremely distasteful thing to the Jews, but it was obligatory.

The date this registration was to take place was the very most inconvenient for Joseph and Mary.  It would be just when her baby was due.  Whether or not she was required by law to go, there was no question in their minds but that she would do so.  She wanted her husband and protector there when the event took place.  Besides, they were doubtless aware that according to the scriptures, Christ would be born in Bethlehem.  Being the future parents of the Messiah they would naturally have wanted to know all they could learn about Him and His coming.  In their studies and questions they could not have overlooked the fact that Jesus would be born “in the city of David.”  They must have originally wondered how that would possibly come about since they lived 100 miles away.  The announcement of Caesar’s tax answered that question.  Joseph would go to Bethlehem.  Mary would accompany him.  Because of their knowledge of the prophecies of Christ’s birth, Joseph was not heard to complain so bitterly about the registration as his neighbors did.

Joseph and Mary set out on their journey to Bethlehem knowing full well that they would become parents during their stay there.  How the trip was made, and their means of conveyance, we are not told.  Certain it was that the journey was not easy for Mary, being made in the last days of her pregnancy.

Bethlehem, a small town anyway, was crowded with others who had come to register in obedience to the same decree that brought Joseph.  It must have given Joseph a great deal of anxiety to not be able to find suitable accommodations for his wife who was obviously ready to have the baby.  While their lodgings were rudimentary and not convenient by any stretch of the imagination, yet Joseph and Mary were used to camping out.

We’re told nothing about the birth.  Were Mary and Joseph alone?  Did she have a midwife or anyone to help her?  Was her mother there?  It’s possible that, if living, her parents (his, too) would have made the trip with them since they would have had to register, also.

Of the gospel writers only Luke recorded anything about the birth, and he devoted but one verse to it:  “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”  (Luke 2:7).

To any mortal observer this was an ordinary birth.  There was really nothing noteworthy about it.  No halo surrounded the mother’s head.  The baby didn’t shine from any inward light.  Animals didn’t crowd around the manger to gaze adoringly upon the child.  The event was so ordinary that it would have completely escaped the attention of the world except for one thing:  Heaven’s attention was riveted upon that moment, that town, that family, and that baby.  The Only Begotten Son of the Father, a member of the Godhead, the Creator of countless worlds (Moses 1:33), the Savior of those countless worlds, and the means by which all the angels who watched would receive their resurrections and exaltations was taking upon Himself mortality.  The promise of the centuries was being fulfilled.

This long-predicted event needed witnesses.  To a chosen few the heavens were opened.  (Luke 2:8-14).  To the rest of the world signs were given.  (Helaman 14:17).  Prophets the world over were told to watch for the signs.  They in turn told their people.

There was not a living soul that day and that night who was unaware that something special was taking place.  All people the world over were called forth from their homes to see the strange sights in the heavens.  Many, if not most or all, knew what these signs meant.  Prophets had for years been telling them to watch for these very things.  Mostly they didn’t believe.  They were astonished to see the prophecies fulfilled.

On this one day, I think for the only time in the history of the world, there was no storm taking place anywhere.  The world and the elements were at peace.  The skies were clear the world over that the signs attesting the Savior’s birth could be manifested to every soul.

Samuel, the Lamanite prophet, told the people in the Western Hemisphere what to watch for five years before the Lord was born.  Said he:

“And behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it were day.

“Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as it were one day and no night; and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore they shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is born.

“And behold, there shall a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you.

“And behold this is not all, there shall be many signs and wonders in heaven.

“And it shall come to pass that ye shall all be amazed, and wonder, insomuch that ye shall fall to the earth.”  (Helaman 14:3-7).

Samuel told the people that an angel had told him these things (Gabriel again?), and commanded him to tell the people.  Believer and unbeliever alike watched for the signs.  I see no reason to think that the signs were local, and given in just one area.  They were universal.

Prophets living somewhere a good distance east of Jerusalem, whose record we don’t yet have, were watching for the predicted signs.  At the time of their giving, these prophets, “wise men” Matthew calls them, set out on their considerable journey to see the Christ child with their own eyes.  It would be almost 40 days before they would arrive in Bethlehem and find the baby.  They were to be special witnesses.

Another group of special witnesses was sent to see with their own eyes and to testify to the world that the Messiah had been born.  These were humble shepherds “abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”  (Luke 1:8).  An angel (Gabriel?) appeared unto them “and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:  and they were sore afraid.”  (Luke 1:9).

The angel announced the birth and told them how to recognize the child.  He would be “wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”  (Luke 1:12).  To the already astonished shepherds the heavens were then opened and they saw and heard “a multitude of the heavenly host praising God.”  (vs. 13).

As the vision closed nothing was more important to them than to go and see this child.  They went “with haste and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.”  (vs. 16).  And when they had seen him they didn’t keep the knowledge to themselves but “made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.”  (vs. 17).  In short they told everyone they met.  “And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.”  (vs. 18).

People undoubtedly came running from all directions to see the infant.  This would have been the only day that the family likely spent in such rude accommodations.  The prophecies of his birth had been fulfilled.  Witnesses had seen Him lying in the manger.  They could now move to more comfortable surroundings.  Indeed, the ever-increasing press of people and the need for privacy demanded it.  Some kind soul, perhaps one of the shepherds, saw an opportunity to render a service to the family and offered them a room at his house.  It is unthinkable that many people could know of this event without someone coming forth with such an offer.

Mary and Joseph stayed in Bethlehem for at least 40 days following Jesus’ birth.  One reason for doing this, obviously, was to give Mary and the baby the chance to regain their strength for the return journey.  The other reason was because they wanted to present the baby in the temple and properly observe the Mosaic law of purification concerning women who had borne children.

On the eighth day following the birth, the baby was circumcised according to the Mosaic law.  (Lev. 12).  He was also named at this time.  Here, as in the case of John, tradition was departed from, and the infant was not given his father’s name.  The angel had said his name was to be Jesus.  Indeed, prophets had for centuries known that would be His name.  Though the name “Jesus” does not appear in the Old Testament prophecies, yet there had been prophets who had been told His name.  The Brother of Jared, two millennia before, had been privileged to have a personal interview with the premortal Christ.  The Lord said to him on that occasion, “Behold, I am Jesus Christ.”  (Ether 3:14).  Of course Jesus was not Joseph’s son in actuality, yet people must have wondered, when they later returned to Nazareth, why Joseph had not named Him after himself.

About six weeks after the birth (in the month of May), Mary and Joseph took the baby to Jerusalem to present Him in the temple.  This was done because of the Lord’s commandment to Moses:  “Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast:  it is mine.”  (Ex. 13:2).  That commandment had been given many centuries earlier just because this particular child would be the firstborn (both in the pre-earth life and in mortality) of the Father.  The infant was, therefore, taken to Jerusalem “to present (or consecrate) him to the Lord.”  (Luke 2:22).

This event took place forty days, or shortly thereafter, following the birth.  According to the Mosaic Law a woman was considered unclean and underwent forty days of purification following the birth of a son (the time was double that if a girl was born).  (See Lev. 12:1-8).  When the days of her purification were fulfilled she was to take “a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest:  who shall offer it before the Lord, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood.  This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female.  And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles (turtledoves), or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering:  and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.”

It is not known how well-off the family was.  Neither do we know what Joseph did while they resided in Jerusalem.  We can be certain that he was not idle.  He undoubtedly worked to support his family.  We can be sure they were not wealthy, either, because of the fact that they took “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons” (Luke 2:24) to the temple for the sacrifice rather than a lamb.

Did the priest to whom the birds were presented know for whom he was offering sacrifice?  Did he know that because of this child was the law given, and that in this child would the law be fulfilled?  Did he know that there was anything special or different about the family that stood before him, or did he just mechanically go through the routine that he had gone through so many times before?  (How many times have we “entertained angels unawares?”  (Heb. 13:2).

Two individuals at the temple that day did know who the child was.  They were led there “by the Spirit” (Luke 2:27) as a special blessing for them and to add their witness to those of the shepherds and wise men that here was the long-awaited Messiah.  One was a man, Simeon, and the other was an extremely old woman, Anna.  They spoke by the Spirit and testified concerning the child.  Joseph and Mary “marveled at those things which were spoken of him.”  (Luke 2:23).  How did these two know!?

Simeon was accorded the privilege of holding the baby (Luke 2:28), and many heard the testimonies.  Anna “spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”  (Luke 2:38).  The family’s presence in the temple that day must have created something of a stir.

Sometime after the completion of Mary’s 40 days of purification a noteworthy thing occurred in Jerusalem.  “Wise men” from the east arrived.  Tradition says they were kings, and three in number.  The scriptures don’t substantiate either assumption.  Their arrival, however, set the whole city astir.  These were not the normal travelers Jerusalem was accustomed to seeing.  Perhaps they were, indeed, kings.  The opulence of the gifts they later presented to the baby would testify to the fact that they were men of no small means.

Travel in those days was dangerous, especially for anyone who carried valuable cargo.  Safety was had in numbers.  What Jerusalem saw arrive that day was likely a large caravan headed by important men who were able to go to the palace of king Herod and boldly ask “Where is the child that is born, the Messiah of the Jews?”  (JST Matt. 3:2).

With their arrival and this question Herod “was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”  (Matt. 2:3).  Herod was troubled because he saw a potential threat to his throne.  Jerusalem was troubled because of Herod.  The Jews hated this non-Jew who ruled over them with such coldness and cruelty.  Moreover they were aware that something very significant had happened just six miles away in Bethlehem a few weeks previous.  A new star had arisen which had been the subject of much conversation.  Then reports reached the city about the birth of a child who angels had testified would be “a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”  (Luke 2:11).  Eyewitnesses had seen him and testified about it.

The city buzzed with this news.  Every Jew discussed it with his neighbor.  Some had tried to find the child.  Some few had actually seen him and were adamant that this was the long-awaited Messiah.  The angel had said so, the star testified of it, and his birth fit all the prophecies.  Simeon and Anna added their testimonies concerning what the Spirit had told them.  A hope arose in the hearts of everyone that all this was so, and that the reign of these usurper kings might finally be coming to an end.  After all, Jewish tradition said that the Messiah would save them from just such conditions.

One group, and one individual in particular, was not made privy to this news and these discussions.  The Jews pointedly had nothing to do with Herod or those who surrounded him beyond what duty said they must.  Herod was thus largely unaware of what had taken place.  Therefore, when the important travelers from the East asked him “Where is he that is born King of the Jews,” Herod was upset.

He summoned “all the chief priests and scribes of the people together” and “demanded of them where Christ should be born.”  (Matt. 2:4).  These were no willing counselors, but under the circumstances they shared with Herod the prophecy that Christ would be born in Bethlehem.  They disliked giving him this information because of their fear of what he might do with it.  They, like Herod, saw Christ as his rival, and their sympathies were definitely not with their present king.  For this reason was “all Jerusalem troubled.”

With this information Herod began plotting one of the several supremely infamous deeds which has caused history to remember him.  He secretly called for the wise men to come back for an interview and slyly informed them that the child would be found in Bethlehem.  “Go and search diligently for the young child,” he said, “and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.”  (Matt. 2:8).

The grateful wise men assured him that they would do so.

The wise men had been in a quandary when they arrived in Jerusalem.  They were undoubtedly prophets and had been told that the Savior would be born in Judah.  Perhaps they were even told that it would take place in the environs of Jerusalem, as one of the Book of Mormon prophets was told.  The star signaling his birth had appeared, and the wise men began their journey.  They “followed it” in the sense that, due to the earth’s rotation, it appeared to go in the same direction that they had to travel to get to Jerusalem anyway.

The wise men knew generally where they wanted to go.  Their goal was Jerusalem.  When they reached there they would have to ask for more particular directions.  For some reason they at this time also apparently lost sight of the star, which thing concerned them and added to their quandary.  Perhaps it was cloudy, a period of overcast skies.  Their worry heightened when Herod originally told them that he didn’t know where a child such as they sought might be found.

Perhaps the Jews, being a jealous people, jealous of their heritage and despising everyone else, were reluctant to tell any non-Jewish strangers what they might know about the Christ.  They would have felt possessive of such a being and been unwilling to share Him with any others, especially important, authoritative foreigners.  They didn’t want even Herod to know; but being threatened as only Herod could do, they were induced to tell what they knew.  Herod deduced, or perhaps was told directly, that the Jews would be most upset if these strangers were told where to look for the Christ child.  He, therefore, sent for them “privily” (or secretly), asked them when the star had appeared, and gave them the information they sought.  The wise men went happily on their way and “rejoiced with exceeding great joy” (Matt. 2:10) when they again saw the star.

Matthew records that when leaving Jerusalem the star “went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.”  (Matt. 2:9).  How a star could stand still, and also indicate to the wise men which house among many was the one they sought, I don’t know.  I think it more likely that they again asked directions when they got to Bethlehem, or perhaps it was revealed to them where the family was staying.

Joseph’s and Mary’s original accommodations had been exchanged for something better, for the wise men came “into the house,” “saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him:  and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”  (Matt. 2:11).

Having accomplished  the objective of their long journey the wise men began the return trip home.  They had intended to do as Herod had requested and report to him concerning the child.  However, they were “warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod.”  (Matt. 2:12).  They, therefore, took another route, avoiding Jerusalem, and disappeared from history as quickly as they had appeared.

The Lord has reasons for the things He does.  I can think of two reasons for the wise men to be sent to see the Christ child.  One, was to give the family the means to make an extended trip to a foreign country.  The second was that  the wise men were sent to be witnesses of the Savior’s birth.  Someday the record which they undoubtedly made will be discovered or revealed.  I cannot help but think that these men were anything but prophets among a group of the Lord’s people lost to us, but known to Him.  It is likely that that people were of the House of Israel and had been hidden away in some distant part of the earth by the Lord, just as the Nephites had been.

When the record written by the wise men comes forth, we will have their witness plus an account of the Savior’s visit to their people 33 years later following His crucifixion.  When visiting the Nephites the Lord said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you that I have other sheep which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem, neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister … But I have received a commandment of the Father that I shall go unto them, and that they shall hear my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one fold and one shepherd; therefore I go to show myself unto them.”  (3 Ne. 16:1, 3; see also 3 Ne. 15:11 through 3 Ne. 16:5).

From whence the wise men came and how far, we don’t know.  Neither do we know how long their journey took.  Contrary to popular thought they did not arrive in Bethlehem during or even just after the birth.  Rather, it would appear that they possibly had as much as two years to make the trip, for Herod “enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared,” (Matt. 2:7) and then “when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men … slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.”  (Matt. 2:16).

The enormity of that awful deed cannot be fathomed.  There must have been a goodly number of babies in Bethlehem, itself, but “all the coasts thereof” might also have included nearby Jerusalem.  With that one decree alone Herod succeeded in becoming one of history’s most hated monarchs, and secured for himself the promise of an awful judgment in the hereafter.  The one thing at which Herod didn’t succeed was in destroying the one particular baby he sought.  Neither did he destroy the baby, John, who also would have fallen under this edict.  Zacharias had sent John and Elisabeth to the desert.  (Matt. 23:35).

Righteous Joseph operated by the Spirit.  In obedience to holy promptings he kept the family in Bethlehem rather than returning to Nazareth.  Perhaps returning to Nazareth with a new baby so soon after their marriage held little appeal for the couple anyway.  How people would have talked!  Instead Joseph stayed and worked in Bethlehem, waiting and praying for further instructions.

With the arrival of the wise men, the Lord’s purpose in keeping the family in Bethlehem was fulfilled.  Indeed, staying there longer was now dangerous.  Therefore, as soon as the wise men departed “the angel of the Lord, appeared to Joseph in a vision, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and tarry thou there until I bring thee word; for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”  (JST Matt. 2:13).

Joseph didn’t tarry or question.  He “arose, and took the young child, and the child’s mother, by night, and departed into Egypt.”  (JST Matt. 2:14).  There they stayed “until the death of Herod” (Matt. 2:15) which took place when Jesus was about four years old.  Thus the family probably stayed in Egypt a little over two years waiting for the angel to bring Joseph word that it was time to return.

True to his word, the “angel of the Lord appeared in a vision to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel; for they are dead who sought the young child’s life.  (JST Matt. 2:19-20).

“And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.  But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither:  notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream (JST says ‘vision’), he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:  And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth:  that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.”  (Matt. 2:21-23).

Thus Joseph and Mary finally returned about four years later from their trip to Bethlehem to register for the purpose of taxation.  They were back home in Nazareth at last.

“And it came to pass that Jesus grew up with his brethren, and waxed strong, and waited upon the Lord for the time of his ministry to come.

“And he served under his father, and he spake not as other men, neither could he be taught; for he needed not that any man should teach him.

“And after many years, the hour of his ministry drew nigh.”  (JST Matt. 2:24-26).

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise...”  (Matt. 1:18).