As promised, here is my theological opinion about The Nativity Story.
Our Biblical sources about the birth of Jesus are found in Matthew 1:18-2:18 and Luke 1:5-2:40. That means there are only about three chapters worth of Biblical material for a movie that's 1 hour 41 minutes. Naturally, some things had to be added to supplement the story. Generally, I felt like the film makers handled the additions rather well. They accurately portrayed the life of poverty for post-exile Jews. They explained the custom of arranged marriages. One of the best aspects of the film was the way they depicted the travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Watching this grueling journey, it's easy for the audience to understand the sacrifice Joseph and Mary made on behalf of Jesus. Overall, the film makers captured the essential theme of the Christmas story: God became flesh. Jesus entered human life in poverty. People expected a noble king, but he became just like the other Jews of his time. What a comfort that must of been to Mary, Joseph, and others who believed the angel's testimony. What a comfort Jesus is to us today. God became just like us, in the midst of our broken world. He did it for us.
However, the film makers left out a lot. Zechariah's song of praise prophesying about John's ministry as Jesus' predecessor (Luke 1:68-79), the heavenly host of angels that appear to the shepherds (Luke 2:13-14), the fact that Jesus was circumcised in the temple (located in Jerusalem) before his family fled to Egypt (Luke 2:21-38, I guess that complicated the Herod story line in the film). Leaving out the bit about the temple also meant leaving out the two awesome testimonies given by Simeon and Anna . Including these two stories would have enhanced the film's focus on the fulfillment of prophecies. These two faithful Jews saw their hope in a coming Messiah become flesh. Of course, then there's the argument about the wise men. Scripture never says there are three wise men. Many scholars also believe that the wise men were not actually at Jesus' birth. In Matthew 2:11, it says they visited Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in a house. Regardless if it was two years or five days, the wise men most likely did not kneel before Jesus when he slept in the stable.
That's my opinion. Read the stories for yourself, and let me know if I missed anything.
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