For a lot of people this might be a few months late, but since we're one of those families that simply cannot afford a movie theater, we wait until a movie comes out on dvd before we see it. For that reason, I almost never read theatrical release reviews from fellow bloggers. Not only do I not want to be exposed to surprise plots & endings, but I don't want to be swayed by strong personal opinion (usually, that's a toss up at times).
We did see a few previews of this movie at the beginning of other dvds we'd rented last fall, and we immediately agreed this was one of those movies we had to see, when the dvd release came out. So that's what we did this past weekend.
A couple of things that took me by surprise and generated conversation after the movie:
1. The Wise men's interaction with each other.
Even though artistic liberty was taken here (said only because the Bible does not record any kind of conversations these men had with one another in this manner), sometimes that's not a bad thing, in and of itself. Now let me explain what I mean by that.
I think we have this tendency to forget that the people we read about in the Bible were in fact flesh and blood people like you and I. I think we might read of them and think of them in a one dimensional aspect and forget that they were in fact just like we are. There were clearly among them varying personality types from one extreme to the other - just like in our own families, churches and communities. Surely there were men and women among them that were funny, or quirky. People who were more serious than anything most of the time, and people who were given to melodramatic emotional reaction. No doubt at all that when they had interaction with one another about the things of God and the promise of the coming Messiah (and Scripture proves this to be true) they were quite serious and reverential, probably in the same way we are when we discuss the very same things. But were they like this all the time? Some folks were I'm sure, as some folks I know in my world are quite serious nearly all the time. In general sense though I can only suppose there were among the people a wide variety of personalities just like there are now. This is not to say that the wise men interacted with one another the way the movie portrayed, just a reminder that (in my opinion), in some contexts it's okay to take a little bit of liberty and speculate what the people were like in that culture, in that time frame.
2. Joseph's Expressions
I'm not really sure why, but until I watched this movie I never really gave Joseph the kind of thought I wish I would have. Of course I've considered Joseph and what he must have dealt with in that culture, being engaged to a pregnant woman. In our time it's no longer a cultural taboo (unfortunately) but in that day it was much different.
In much the same way the movie takes liberties with the wise men, it also takes liberties with speculative conversations between Joseph and Mary. Mary was about to become a mother to our King, and Joseph about to become a step-father. If you're in a step-family, you already know where I'm going and immediately understood. There are conversations that engaged and/or newly married couples have when there are children already there - that childless couples just don't have. Did Mary and Joseph have such conversations? Granting the obvious that they both knew who Mary was carrying, maybe they never needed to have those conversations, or just maybe they had conversations that no married couple ever had before, or will ever have again? It's impossible to know what kinds of things they really discussed with each other, considering their most unique position in all of human history. Which is enough to motivate some pretty interesting conversations, all by itself.
The one thing that truly struck me (and yes, made me cry) was the portrayal of Joseph's role during the moment Jesus was delivered. Many of you I'm sure have heard the song Mary Did You Know written by Mark Lowry and performed by just about everyone. Yes, Mary did know, and yes Joseph knew too - but did they really know it the way we look back and know it? Did Joseph hold God in the flesh and really understand this was his deliverer, his King, the Lord of Glory?
I'm a mother, and us mothers have one predominant thought the moment our babies are born and we look into their faces for the first time. Not it's not "whew, glad thats over!" although that one is a close second. That one thought is a sense of wonder and amazement at looking at that precious little person, that little miracle of life in such a tiny package. Instantly we shift into protector and provider mode. As the baby's mother, we know there is one person in the world that this baby will look to, to give it all it will need to be healthy, happy and provided for in every way. We don't even really think it through, it's just a sensation we have, a natural affection if you will, for that little person, and our role in their life. The fact that Mary did know who she delivered and what His role in our lives would be, simply boggles the mind as a mother to even consider what was going through her mind, at that moment right after He was born and she looked into His beautiful face for the first time. Did it even cross her mind at all that everything she would do to provide for Him, that He would one day give so much more, for her?
What of Joseph's thoughts though? He had gladly accepted the role as a step father to the Prince of Peace. Let that sink in for a few minutes. Joseph had never been a father before so this would be new to him to raise a child but even with that aside, what must have been going through his mind, as he saw our Lord for the first time? For you dads reading this, have you ever wondered what Joseph must have thought during the years he raised up Jesus as his son, knowing who He was? The movie portrayal of the expression on Joseph's face speaks volumes on how he might have felt. I watched and wept tears of joy, wondering if this might of been what it really felt like for both Mary and Joseph, the two most unique parents this world has ever known.
I'm not a movie reviewer nor do I play one on the web, but I am a mom and a Christian. For that reason I want to heartily recommend this movie to any other mom, or Christian, or anyone else for that matter.
These are the kinds of movies that for some of us (your results may vary), become family favorites. Kev and I have already decided we're buying this, and will make it a family tradition to watch it Christmas night, every year. It would make a wonderful Christmas gift for anyone, indeed. (Yes I know Christmas is 9 months from today, but early shoppers are smart shoppers).
Grab your copy here: The Nativity Story
