Jesus was Born Under the Law

Controversy arose on Saturday when Pope Francis attended the inauguration of a nativity scene presented to the Vatican by Palestinian officials. It featured a baby Jesus lying on a keffiyeh, the traditional scarf that is a symbol of the Palestinians, thus portraying Joseph, Mary and Jesus as Palestinian Arabs rather than Jews.

That portrayal was not too surprising given that the creation and display of the nativity scene were organised by the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, an organ of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), and the Palestinian embassy to the Vatican, along with several institutions based in Bethlehem.

However, by Wednesday, the keffiyeh, the manger,  and the baby Jesus had been removed from the scene, while the figures of Mary and Joseph remained. A Palestinian official said the Vatican had removed the keffiyeh without explanation, and it was not certain whether it would be replaced on 24th December.

The controversy arose because the nativity scene dismissed vital Jewish heritage and undermined core elements of the Christian faith. David Parsons, Senior Vice President and Spokesman for the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem explained:

“It would have been theological malpractice for the Holy See to allow this display to remain.
For if Jesus was a Palestinian Arab, then he would not have qualified
to be the Christ, the promised Messiah and Savior of the world.”

The Bible states that the Messiah would be the “Son of David”, come from the Jewish tribe of Judah and be born under the Law of Moses – one of the key scriptures being Luke 2:22-24,

‘And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons.”’

Being born under the Law of Moses is vitally important because the Messiah obeyed the Law completely and, being without sin, is able to redeem all those who come to faith in him from the penalty for their own sins, as in Galatians 3:13,

‘Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us
– for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.”’

So, the Palestinians’ attempt to claim Jesus for themselves is a complete negation of crucial elements of the Christian faith.