Bethlehem or Nazareth?

It appears that the Vatican has done it again, i.e. changed what is clearly stated in the Bible, God’s Word, to something else at their whim and fancy.

This time, it has to do with where our Lord Jesus Christ was at His birth.

Now, I don’t care much for putting up the Christmas tree or nativity scene during Christmas as I don’t really celebrate the festival as a Christian, but this piece of news piqued my interest because by doing this, the Vatican is in fact saying, “Let’s ignore both Gospel records and the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy!”.

I don’t know for a fact what impression non-Christians get from this act by an institution that is sadly seen by many people as the clear and universal representation of Christianity.

Because, if you notice, films usually feature more Roman Catholic priests than Protestant pastors, weddings are usually held inside Roman Catholic chapels and cathedrals (outside of the other regularly-used Las Vegas chapels) showcasing images of ’saints’ and ‘Mother Mary’, etc.

Getting back to the issue, what the Vatican has done is that they have now placed the nativity scene in Nazareth in Joseph’s home complete with the carpentry accessories that Joseph would probably have, a covered patio, and even the “inside of a pub with its hearth”, according to the London Telegraph.

Nazareth is 70 miles north of Bethlehem, for crying out loud.

Their justification in doing so? Inspiration from the Roman Catholic Bible’s version of Matthew 1:24-25¹ which reads:

When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home; he had not had intercourse with her when she gave birth to a son; and he named him Jesus.

The King James version of the same verses reads:

Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Matthew 1:24-25 KJV

Let’s look at the same verses from another Bible translation, the ESV:

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Matthew 1:24-25

I don’t profess to have read the Roman Catholic Bible from cover to cover before, but if they insist on referring to the Gospel of Matthew as the basis for this change, then maybe, just maybe, they should read further to Matthew 2, where we find very clearly that Jesus was born in Bethlehem!

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Matthew 2:1 (KJV), emphasis mine

I checked, and the Roman Catholic Bible² mentions the same facts too!

So what’s the real impetus for placing the nativity scene in Nazareth? Perhaps the best light on such a move is shed by a Vatican spokesman who said that “It was time for a change, and a return to St. Matthew’s gospel.”, while another mentioned to the London Daily Mail that “…placing the nativity in Joseph’s workshop better reflects the experience of ordinary people.”, both emphasis mine.

You know what? Placing the nativity scene in a hospital or the back of a car or taxi cab might reflect “…the experience of ordinary people” a lot better if you ask me!

What? Me? Petty?

Absolutely not. I take this as an affront to the fulfillment of prophecy as recorded in Micah 5:2 (KJV). By doing this, they are denying that the fulfillment of the prophecy was realized in our Lord Jesus Christ! And I take it as my responsibility as a Christian to defend the Truth as given to us by God in His Word, the Bible.

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Micah 5:2 (KJV)

The Gospel and fulfillment of prophecy just got twisted into something else altogether, again, by the Vatican.

Shalom Aleichem.

¹ http://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=40
² http://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=40&bible_chapter=2

Source: “Vatican: Away with the Manger.” WorldNetDaily. 15 Dec. 2007. <http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59227>.