In thinking about the gifts delivered to Jesus by the three Magi (or Wisemen), it occurs to me how typically male those three guys were. Gold, frankincense and myrrh are all wonderfully useful and valuable gifts. Yet all three still require someone to go to the store to buy baby clothes, diapers (nappies), and food.
I bet the Magi didn’t even bring a baby toy.
And I am pretty sure they brought Joseph the biblical equivalent of a six-pack or bottle of Scotch, although that seems to have been left out of the official story.
Not typical baby shower gifts, that’s for sure.
@Maire, however, a great idea for a modern baby shower! Imagine the looks.
I wonder if the inn keeper suddenly had room in the inn when he saw the gifts from the Three Kings.
Do you think the Magi made space to sleep on the stable floor, since the inns had no room?
The bible never actually says there are three of them. That’s an apocryphal but well excepted tradition because there were three gifts. These gifts were very commonly offered to kings in that day. I don’t think Mary would have objected, unless out of humbleness.
If Joseph was from the town of Bethlehem, why didn’t they crash at some relatives house? Did Mary not get along well with her in-laws?
He wasn’t from the town of Bethlehem. Rome was taking a census and they had to go register at his tribal district.
So wouldn’t he have known someone from his tribe where he can couch crash? As a renowned couch-crasher, the editor Jim should be able to back me up.
Tal vez. No sé.
@ K,
Maybe there were so many travelers in town that all of Joseph’s local peeps already had too many friends and family crashing for the census week. “No room on the couch, Joseph. Try the inn?”
On a related note, do you think it was a bit of a party time in Bethlehem during the census? All the old friends and family back in town? Kind of like the Wednesday before Thanksgiving for college students in America?
@Liam,
Maybe Mary was already in labor.
Yeah, Hebrew parties can rock. Why do you think they are called He-brews? Just saying.