The Birth of Christ

Luke the only Gentile writer in the Bible gives us more details about the birth of Christ than Matthew. Luke contrasts one who is the self-proclaimed Savior of the world and one who is the real Savior. Caesar thought of himself as a man who had become a god. Mary’s baby, however, was the true God who had become a man. 

Augustus thought he was the great one, but God had his eye on an obscure place called Bethlehem because he was ready to unwrap his gift for the entire world. The prophet Micah had foretold the place. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel” (Micah 5:2).

Joseph and Mary were not pawns of Caesar but servants of the Most High God. The order for each man to return to his hometown was all about money, but in God’s economy, it was about getting Joseph and Mary in the right place at the right time. A journey of nearly a hundred miles in the winter, either walking or on a borrowed donkey, would have been difficult but incredibly demanding when you are nine months pregnant. The pace had to be slow, and the stress of the baby coming early never left Mary’s mind. There was the exhaustion of the trip, and now the labor pains have intensified.

Luke writes: “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 room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:6-7). Mary and Joseph may have been two insignificant people in an obscure village, but they knew something big was happening. Both had experienced visits from a powerful angel. Both knew this baby had no earthly father. Both knew God’s hand was leading them on their journey. Both knew they were to name the child Jesus. Both knew he would be great and that one day, he would save his people from their sins. They may have been poor and uneducated without influence, but God had chosen them for some remarkable roles.

God used Caesar’s greed to cause Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem at an inopportune time, but God was behind it. This was to be the moment that God became man. The doctrine of the incarnation is the belief that the Son of God became a real man - not just someone who appeared to be a man. Jesus was fully God even when he was a baby lying in the manger, But he voluntarily laid aside the use of his divine attributes. He submitted himself to the will of his father. Though sinless, he had a real human body, mind, and emotions. This means he was complete with inherent human weaknesses, and It also means he experienced human temptation.

He was a real baby, a real boy, and then a real man. He had to learn to crawl, to walk, to talk. He had to learn how to be a carpenter. What was so different about Jesus was that he did it all sinlessly.

Gabriel Visits Mary

When I think of some of the most incredible stories in the Bible, several come to mind: Moses parted the Red Sea in an incredible escape from the Egyptian army. David fights the giant Goliath with a slingshot and defeats him. Daniel spends the night with the lions and survives. But another story stands out: the day the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary.

Mary would have a prearranged marriage and likely never travel far from home. Like her family, she anticipates the Messiah’s coming. She is engaged to be married to Joseph, a carpenter, and 12 months later, they will be married. But her life is about to change in a big way! The angel, Gabriel, ignoring Jerusalem, arrived in the insignificant village of Nazareth. He found Mary, who was probably still just a teenager. He told her she was esteemed. Mary was startled but reflective; she “wondered what kind of greeting this might be” (Luke 1:29). Gabriel told her, “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus” (Luke 1:30-31).

Gabriel’s words were shocking. Mary was informed that she would have a baby boy, and she was to call him Jesus. Gabriel told her about the child, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever;” (Luke 1:32-33). Mary was hearing that she would be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah. She questioned, “How can this be since I have not known a man in that way?” Gabriel explained that this would be a miraculous conception.

Gabriel tells Mary that Elizabeth, her cousin, will give birth to a son within three months even though she is far past the age of having a child. Finally, Gabriel’s parting words were: “For nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). Mary had challenges ahead. How would she tell Joseph and her family, and what would be their reaction? Mary no doubt knew her story would be questioned; indeed, it was even by Joseph. Joseph struggles to believe her story. When he was going to divorce her, Gabriel came to visit him and confirmed her story.

Then word came that Joseph had to be in Bethlehem because of an edict by Caesar, so they traveled the 90-mile journey even though she was nine months pregnant. They cannot find a room to spend the night on their arrival. Joseph and Mary have apprehension and confusion. Mary is about to have a baby, and we cannot find a room. But Joseph is persistent in search of quarters, and while God is closing some doors, he is opening others because he has chosen the place for the birth of his son. Finally, they are given permission to spend the night in a stable with the company of animals. But they were where they were supposed to be. They are in the tiny village of Bethlehem, exactly where the prophet Micah predicted Christ would be born. No coincidence here! “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2).

The Promise of a Savior

The book of Isaiah is the Bible in miniature. It has 66 chapters corresponding to the 66 books of the Bible. The first 39 chapters have a tone of judgment, and the last 27 chapters, like the New Testament, emphasize grace and forgiveness. Something extraordinary happens in chapter 40 as the prophet introduces the savior in greater detail. The following twenty-seven chapters anticipate the coming of the savior. Isaiah says the savior is coming!

If anybody needed saving, it was the people of Judah who had been taken away from their homeland. They were far away from their God. They were like the debtor in debtor’s prison with no way to pay their debt. Isaiah said this to them: “...her sin has been paid for” (Isaiah 40:2).

Isaiah 39 predicted nearly 200 years before that Babylon would take the nation of Judah captive. That prophecy was fulfilled in 586 B.C. Thousands were killed when the Babylonians took Jerusalem, and many survivors were taken into exile hundreds of miles from their beloved homeland. The people of Judah were disappointed beyond description with how their lives turned out. They lost their country and struggled with their identity. Today, people continue to be disillusioned with their lives, careers, marriages, and what they have become. Isaiah knows that when human hope is wiped out, the only hope is hope in God.

When we look at our failures and say to the Lord, “I need you,”—He comes just like he came to Judah. He breaks through and brings comfort—the comfort of forgiveness. The kind of comfort we long for deep inside.

Isaiah says it’s the message that matters. A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord” (Isaiah 40:3). This is a strange voice to us of the 21st century. We are not accustomed to accepting just a voice. We want a face, a name, a personality, but we don’t get any of those from Isaiah. What we get is just a voice that speaks a message.

Isaiah says he is a savior who transforms the landscape. “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain” (Isa 40:4). Isaiah is not referring to changes in the physical landscape but the spiritual landscape. Isaiah is describing the lifting up of a depressed person. He is painting a picture of how Jesus levels out pompous people. He describes the miraculous change that happens to a man who has made a mountain of heartache with bad choices. The prophet is talking about the woman who has lost all hope and doesn’t want to live—but is lifted up by the savior. This prophesy is about a savior who changes people and transforms their lives. He was promised nearly a thousand years before Bethlehem, and he came. He came for you!

Controlling Anger

 We have one of the richest stories about controlling anger that comes to us from the story of David’s life. David and his 600 men were fugitives on the run from King Saul. During one period, his men protected the livestock of the shepherds of a rich man named Nabal. David sent men during the shearing time, which was like harvest time, to ask for a gift for his men. Nabal was reaping the benefits of having security for his flocks at no cost to himself from David’s men. At the same time, David and his men needed sustenance. David’s requested some kindness and generosity.

Nabal, a fool, was rich in possessions but nothing else. He was not rich in friendship, knowledge, or meaningful deeds. Nabal pretended that he did not know who David was. And asked why he should give his bread, water, and meat to someone he didn’t even know. However, his questions suggest that he knew very well who David was! He referred to him contemptuously as “the son of Jesse” (1 Sam 25:10-11).

David’s reaction was impulsive. He instructed his men to strap on their swords, and he vowed to kill every male in Nabal’s household (1 Sam 25:21-22). David was furious. Nabal had returned “evil” for the “good” David had done him. We are struck, however, by how David reacts to Nabal differently than he responded to Saul when he had the opportunity to kill him. David had learned to wait on God and refused to take his own vengeance. But now, his restraint is gone.

Abigail, Nabal’s wife, was informed of the foolish insults her husband had hurled at David’s messengers, and she immediately took action. She brought gifts and hurried to meet David. She asked David to ignore the fool—Nabal. She did not know his servants had come. She would not have sent them away empty-handed. She prayed that David would leave his enemies to God and let him deal with them. She reminded him of what he had recently done for Saul. Abigail connected the dots for David! She accepted the blame and asked David to forgive the offense so that his conscience would not be stained by the shedding of innocent blood. She asserted that she knew David would one day be king, and David must be a man who trusted God.

Abigail’s speech was as effective as God used her to speak to David. David backed away from his intent to harm and kill. He admitted that Abigail’s intervention had stopped him from committing bloodshed.

Anger is a learned reaction to frustration. It causes us to behave in public and in ways we will later regret. Severe anger is insanity, where we are temporarily insane. David was temporarily insane, but thanks to a rational and sane person, he was able to control his anger. Anger hurts those it aims at but destroys those who house the anger. May God give us more Abigails who have the common sense to speak to us in our moments of insanity.