Christmas Faith Part III
Over the last two weeks we have looked at the earthly parents of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We have seen how God had placed them in that time to fulfill His purpose and we have seen how it was through their great faith in God that Mary and Joseph were able to complete their tasks. However, this series would not be complete if we did not look at the birth of Jesus Christ and why He choose to come as He did.
Any born-again believer will whole heartedly and readily admit that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived the perfect life, sacrificed Himself for the sake of the world, and then rose again to reign. We have already seen why God choose a virgin to give birth to the Son of God, so that the adamic sin would not be passed down allowing Jesus to be born without sin, but have we thought of how it would have been for Jesus to be born in such a manner?
Luke 2:1-7 gives a depiction of Jesus’s birth, “2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”
The Lord of heaven and earth, who commands angels, who sets forth kings on earth, came to us born in an unwelcoming manger. By rejecting Mary and Joseph and the many inns, many would have looked at them and disregarded their claim of living righteously with Mary already being pregnant before they were wed, we see already how many of the world will reject Christ. In our human minds, we would have expected the Son of God to be born to a family of wealth and power, instead He was born to a poor carpenter and his fiancé. A.W. Tozer describes it this way in his book “Experiencing the Presence of God”, “Jesus went back not only to the original embryo, but all the way back to the original germ, that He might know everything that man knows and develop the way of man’s development right up to full, blooming manhood. Jesus came down to where we are. If He had been born in a palace, there might have been those who were born in huts and grass cottages that He would not have understood; but He was born in a stable that He might know the poorest there are.”
And yet it was not the rich and powerful who first welcomed Him, instead it was a group of shepherds who came to see what the angel proclaimed to them. “10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”” Luke 2:10-12. The angel came to the shepherds to reveal that the Savior had been born!
But still those with power and might were unaware of the Messiah’s birth, at least until three wise men approached King Herod. “2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” Matthew 2:1-3. It is no doubt that the priests should have been anxiously awaiting the Messiah, they should have been prepared for this news but instead they were caught off guard and were troubled by news of the birth of the Messiah. Instead of the priests being aware of Jesus Christ’s birth, it was instead foreigner from the east.
King Herod then calls the priest together, “4 And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: 6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For from you will come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’” Matthew 2:4-6. The priest were aware of where the Messiah would be born, but still they were not aware of the time. The priests had all of the information in the scriptures that would point to where the Messiah would come from, and still they were not actively looking for Him. The religious leaders of the day expected the Messiah to be a political savior and as such expected someone of great background. They were not looking for a spiritual savior and were not paying attention to the signs of His coming. It is also important to note that here we see God’s handiwork in His salvation plan, it was predicted long ago that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”” Micah 5:2.
As we get ready to celebrate our Savior’s birth, I hope that you will take time now to reflect on the great faith that Joseph and Mary had as well as see how God’s plan is always in motion. God planned for His Son to come to the world in the manner that He did, at the time that He did, to offer salvation to the whole world. I hope that you will not be like the priest who have all the information to acknowledge the Lord but refused. I hope that you will be like Joseph and Mary and allow God to work in your life as He would.
Seek the truth and encourage one another,
Alex