Where Were the Wise Women?

The Christmas season has officially begun. For Christians who observe the religious tradition of Advent and the waiting for Jesus’ birth, manger scenes might be a pretty important component in holiday décor.

I was talking with my 5-year-old granddaughter, Amelia, about the story of Christmas and the birth of Jesus. She asked me if I would make her a manger “set” reminiscent of the one made for me many years ago with scraps of fabric, yarn, stuffing, simple stich and a glue gun. In the multitude of Christmas gifts received, my home-made manger set remains one of the most treasured. My daughter (Amelia’s mom) recalls unwrapping them at the beginning of each Advent season with renewed excitement. The gifted love came alive year after year.

Amelia asked me if I could make her a similar manger set. We began talking about all the characters necessary to make the manger scene historically accurate. Of course, there were Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. I went on to count on my fingers the other necessary participants. Three wise men, three shepherds, and of course, an angel.

Amelia listened. I could see the wheels of her extraordinary mind turning, and then her face reflected confusion. Her eyebrows knitted together and then she said, “Wait, Nona, what about the girls…… weren’t there any wise women?”

I met the inquisitive eyes of a 5-year-old. In an instant, 60 years of being taught the traditional biblical Christmas story unraveled. Of course, I agreed, suddenly aware of the huge void in this historical account. There must have been women around, so why aren’t they represented in the multitude of crèche scenes?

I get the historical fact that women weren’t really welcome in the front lines of life back in the day of BC or even for a long time after the birth of Christ. We all know the shepherd wives made clothes, cooked meals, bore children and walked endless miles to and from the river’s edge. Probably they were bringing Mary some soup and fresh bread just out of the stone oven, rubbing her brow and helping to swaddle her little infant boy. But what about the wise women?

All wise people have women of influence in their lives. Wives, mothers, and sisters play a pivotal role in the evolution of anyone’s intentional thought. For the men in this particularly significant story, I imagine there were women advising. I can hear their voices…

Although it’s dark, follow the star. Trust the journey. Here’s a gift that blends the grandeur and humility of this child. I hear he has great promise. You’ll be ok.

Just like women have done since the beginning of time, the whispers of their wisdom have changed the world. Maybe the writers of this scripture knew there were way too many women to include in the big story of Jesus’ birth. But then there’s that angel.  Women embody the stuff of angels. I’ll have to talk to Amelia about that someday. But in the meantime, Nona’s stitch of love and story reflect quite a few women who probably showed up for the greatest birth story of all time. At least that’s how it is in Amelia’s manger.