Review of The Nativity Story (2006) by Jonathan W — 18 Nov 2012

The movie, the Nativity Story is the story of Mary and Joseph as they deal with an unwed pregnancy and the wretched rulers of their time. King Herod, among others, heard of a prophecy saying that the Messiah will be a man that will be a king of all kings and will end his rule forever. Herod orders his soldiers to seek out this man and execute him. Not only until the three wise men explain to him that this new messiah will be a child born to a virgin when the three stars - the mother, the father and the king - align as one. At a young age, Mary is decided to be wife to Joseph by her parents, who need more money and safety for their family. Mary struggles with dealing to be a wife to a man she barely knows, but then she is spoken to by an angel of God. This angel tells her a child will be in her womb and that this child will be the new messiah and will cleanse all of mankind, mainly freeing her people. Mary is in disbelief, but the angel tells her that her cousin will bear a child in her old age, so Mary goes to Elizabeth to see if this is true. Mary spends time with Elizabeth and is there for the child's birth. When she returns to Nazareth, everyone shuns her for being pregnant out of wedlock, knowing Joseph could not be the father according to the law that one must be pure for the first year of marriage. Joseph then receives a message from the angel in a dream, telling him the prophesy of Mary's child. The angel tells Joseph he must raise the child and name him Jesus, so Joseph now believes Mary's testimony of the angel's messages. King Herod sends out word of a census, for all men to return their ancestor's homes. Herod knows the messiah will be born from the home of David, which is Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary must return to his home in Bethlehem for the census. Upon arrival, Mary goes into labor and a kind man allows them to stay in his stables. As Mary gives birth to Jesus, the wise men and a shepherd all see the light shining down from the aligned stars into the stables. The wise men bare their gifts to the son of God and all the people of Bethlehem come to praise him. Herod sends out his soldiers to kill every child under the age of two in Bethlehem, but God tells Joseph that they need to flee to Egypt, so they escape.

The Nativity Story relates to Christianity, as it is the story of the birth of Jesus and how he came into existence as the son of God. It explains the virgin birth of the child and the struggles Mary and Joseph faced along the way. This all symbolizes the sacrifice Jesus made to his people, so they could live without sin.