Trying to be like Jesus - inclusion in the Nativity

Just one more post about pre-adult Jesus, and it starts with an Ensign article I remembered from long ago.


https://www.lds.org/ensign/1990/12/twelve-witnesses-of-christs-birth?lang=eng

Sometimes no matter how often you read a scripture, it doesn't strike home until someone else refers to it. I never thought much about the shepherds at all; they were just there. And yet, to receive a message from an angel, and then witness an angelic choir singing, yes, they must have been "just and holy men" (Alma 13:26).

Their inclusion begins to seem more appropriate when we think of how often the symbolism of the shepherd and sheep was used in reference to Christ's relationship with the House of Israel. Perhaps it is a career that emphasizes the best qualities in a person. As much as we don't know about them, yes, of course they were good.

The next thing I had never thought of before came from Pastor Daniel Hill when he wrote about the Magi:

https://pastordanielhill.com/2014/12/23/the-god-of-human-history-the-christmas-story-according-to-matthew/

That series had reminded me of some other things I had thought of, which I blogged about at the time, but the part about the Magi was new to me, as he connected them to Daniel in Babylon. It is somewhat speculative, but it also makes sense. We know that Daniel was trained in Eastern disciplines, and the inclusion of astronomy would have made sense. We also know that he was a prophet, even if we are more familiar with his prophecies that relate to Christ's return than his birth.

Even when I read it then, I did not see the full significance. I saw the potential connection as to how the Magi came by their knowledge, but without registering that it was because that was part of Judah being carried away. That knowledge could represent enemies and conquerors, and yet here they are coming as friends, bearing gifts.

It is worth remembering that in those earlier posts, even in the genealogy of Jesus that Rahab and Ruth were foreigners, and Ruth and Tamar and Bathsheba were widowed, and that Rahab was a prostitute. They were not likely heroes by conventional wisdom, but they filled their roles.

There is one other thing it reminded me of. In the Church History manual, it tells of both Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball saw armies in Heaven when Joseph Smith received the plates at Cumorah. They did not know each other at the time, and they certainly didn't know why they were seeing it, but it makes me wonder what other people saw then, and who else heard the angelic chorus sing on the night of the Savior's birth.

That all fits in with earlier posts about individuals being recognized by the Lord, and receiving guidance and help tailored to their abilities and needs. If that ends up being the overarching theme of this series, that will make sense.

Related posts:

http://preparedspork.blogspot.com/2015/01/women-in-lineage-of-savior.html
http://preparedspork.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-women-in-lineage-of-savior-part-2.html 
http://preparedspork.blogspot.com/2014/02/following-and-believing-in-prophets_16.html