The Nativity

Bethlehem.

It's beautiful.

We'll make camp for tonight,

carry on tomorrow.

Joseph, please don't hate me.

Mary!

Come, your father won't be long!

Mother!

Thank you.

How old is your younger daughter, Joachim?

Mary? She's just turned 16.

A good girl, well thought of?

Yes, she is.

And now a woman.

Yes, rabbi. But not yet married?

No.

Time we found her a husband.

Jedeiah the stonemason has been without a wife for a year.

He has four children.

Jedeiah is a good man...

Perhaps a little old?

He's not yet 60.

No...

But it is well known that he has spent little of that time in the synagogue.

My Mary is such a devout girl.

Well? They suggested Jedeiah.

The stonemason?

He smells!

And his children are little brats, and he's older than us...

both of us put together!

Don't worry, I talked them out of it.

So who did we get?

You're a carpenter, Joseph? Yes.

A good one?

Uh, no thank you.

Your parents are well? Yes, thank you. Give them our best. Do you have your own house?

Uh, I'm building one now.

Although I can only do it in the evenings when I've finished work. So, it'll be a little while yet.

How long? A year.

Oh... Or maybe less.

Good.

Mary, why don't you show Joseph around the farm?

Your mother and I will follow.

He seems nice. Wasn't there anyone...brighter?

He works hard, will have his own house.

I had hoped for better.

Still...at least he has teeth.

I've seen you a lot...

in the synagogue.

Oh, I go every day. Every day?

Mm-mm. Yes, I love it there. It's...

It's so peaceful.

Best of all is when there's no-one else there, and you

fight your way through the market and the soldiers and the noise, and...

inside, it's so still and so cool.

You feel safe, as though...

God is cradling you in his arms.

I hadn't thought of it like that before.

If you're like the other men, you'll be too busy complaining about the money you pay to the tax collectors.

I'm not like them. No? No.

No, I love paying my taxes,

to Herod, to Caesar.

I only wish there were more taxes.

Sometimes I wake up in a cold sweat thinking I haven't paid enough taxes!

You're funny.

Is that good?

It's not bad.

Do you think your parents like me?

I think they were worried I'd have to marry Jedeiah.

Oh, so they prefer me to a toothless old man?

Yes.

It's a start. I can build on that.

Of course, it will look totally different once I've finished.

And you've started?

Yeah.

Look...

This will be the living area,

a small kitchen here.

Uh...

Sleeping area...

Maybe a guest room on another level if you ever wanted to come and stay.

And here, I thought I could have a small worksh...

Workshop...

here.

Looks like they're starting to think maybe Jedeiah wasn't such a bad idea after all,

teeth or no teeth.

My sister Salome married Zebediah of Capernaum.

He has his own fishing business.

Mm-hm. I think my mother was secretly hoping I'd marry a rich man too.

But I believe that what's in the heart is more important than what's in the pocket.

And I hate the smell of fish.

It will be a good house.

I'm sure it will.

And I will be a good husband.

And I the best wife I can be.

We'll arrange the betrothal ceremony for next month, with the wedding a year from then...

when the house is finished.

Receive this piece of silver

as a pledge that you shall be my spouse...

a year from today and for the portion of your virginity,

according to the law of Moses.

And now it's time for a daughter to dance with her father.

CHEERING, ULULATING

Mary!

Come over here.

I should be by your side. Elizabeth!

I'm so happy for you.

Joseph, this is my cousin. Elizabeth. Hello.

You'd better take good care of her. I intend to.

Is Zacharias here? Oh, he's busy putting the world to rights, as usual.

So what are your plans after the wedding?

To have lots of children.

Well, I hope you'll both be very happy.

Did I say something wrong?

Elizabeth always wanted children, but she's barren.

Sorry... No.

It wasn't your fault, you didn't know.

Come on. Oh! Simon!

Simon! How lovely you're here!

How are you? Come on, let's dance.

I'm sorry.

Come on, Mary, come with me.

You have a lot of relatives.

Yes, I do. I've been prodded and poked by most of them by now.

You've danced with the rest.

They're happy for me.

What about you? Are you happy?

Yes.

Well, then, I'm happy that you're happy, and I'm happy too.

And I'm not just happy that you're happy. I'd be happy anyway, whether you were happy or not.

That didn't come out right, did it? No!

But you knew what I meant?

You're happy. Yes, I am.

And I think your mother's warming to me.

Oh? She cried when I thanked her for your hand.

What? No, really, I definitely think they were tears of joy. No...

May I ask you something? Of course.

Why haven't you married before?

I was saving myself.

For what? You.

I mean, I didn't know it was you, or even what you would look like, but

I knew there was someone like you out there somewhere.

Someone like me? Gentle, pure...

Not scarred by the world.

And even though the elders chose you for me,

everything I say or do until the day I die will have one purpose...

to one day make you love me.

I'll try to be a good wife.

I doubt you could be anything else.

I shall be faithful to you always. I swear it.

Then I shall be the proudest man alive.

If you're so moved by my purity, then you won't mind me staying that way until we're married.

Me and my big mouth.

We have our whole lives.

There's no need to rush.

I think this chastity before marriage was thought up by elders who must've had very old and very ugly wives.

It was easy for them.

Should've thought about the people coming behind them.

Isn't the sky beautiful?

Makes me feel so small.

My father thinks that all our futures are written in the stars.

I believe it.

Now where are we?

Look, there! Where? Just there!

And our whole future, mapped out.

What does it say?

That we'll be married for 50 years and have ten children.

Ten! Maybe more!