This is a painting from a children’s book I wrote and illustrated called  Joseph’s Heart: A Story of Adoption. It is titled  Away in the Manger and is the most whimsical image from the book.  Baby Jesus takes center stage as He lies in swaddling clothing, surrounded by a bird’s eye view of various creatures. They look in the manger with curious faces, in wonder at the tiny baby lying there. By researching animals who lived in Israel during the life of Christ,  I chose images of sheep, goats, a donkey, cattle and a dove for this watercolor painting.

The Bible mentions Jesus being laid in a manger, a feeding trough for livestock  It does not actually say any animals were there with Mary and Joseph.“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them”.  Luke 2:6

So all the images of animals surrounding the birth of Christ and in nativity scenes are more symbolic than historic. We really don’t know if “the cattle were lowing” or not (a verse from the song “Away in the Manger”). There is so much beauty and charm thinking the animals might have been there to witness the birth of Jesus, I couldn’t resist including this image. The creation of a nativity with the figures of Mary, Joseph and Jesus, surrounded by shepherds, angels, and livestock began in the 12th century and have been a part of Christmas celebrations ever since.

Each animal has a scriptural reference. The ox and donkey are mentioned in the Bible: “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” Isaiah 1:3. The parable of the sheep and goats is found in the Gospel of Matthew. Also, the Old Testament story of Noah and the Ark features a dove who brings back the olive branch after the flood. The perfect symbol of peace for the Prince of Peace.

Creating tender and curious faces was my goal. The animals needed to be realistic enough to be identifiable, but whimsical enough for a children’s book. I hoped to illustrate the joy of the nativity and imagine what it was like to be there in the stable with Mary, Joseph and Jesus.

May all of us always keep childlike wonder with the story of the first Christmas.