Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel” (which means, God with us). 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 borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.
Matthew 1:18-25
This icon of the Nativity abounds with vivid detail as all of Creation welcomes its Creator. At the icon’s center we see both the Infant Jesus and His Mother Mary. She is shown reclined and resting, as one might find any mother following childbirth. Although Mary was spared the pain and travail of childbirth, her posture reaffirms that she did in fact birth a human child and that Christ came into the world as a newborn babe. In the cave – a prefiguring of His tomb – admiring the Child are the animals, for even they recognize their Master. “The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master’s crib” (Isaiah 1:3). The angels who proclaimed the Good News of the Savior’s birth to the shepherds are pictured at the top of the icon. The shepherds themselves are present, as are the magi. In the lower left corner of the icon, Joseph is shown in deep contemplation as Satan attempts to dissolve his faith and beliefs that this is indeed the Son of God. Two women are shown bathing the newborn Christ Child, which again reaffirms his birth in the flesh.
