The facts of Christmas
God’s thinking is so much higher than ours that he surprises us time and again. He used a baby in a basket (Moses) to start the liberation of Israel from Egypt. He used a baby in a manger (Jesus) to start humanity’s salvation from sin.
Humans like to whoop up special occasions with pomp and fanfare. When God sent his Son to us in human form, he thought it best to let him start on the level of poor people: a carpenter, a teenage girl, a donkey, a stable, shepherds and a few old people (Phil. 2:5-11). The greatest event in history was so low-keyed that the religious leaders and public were unaware of it.
An angel announced the birth of the long-awaited Messiah privately to Mary and Joseph, emphasizing that the Child would be the Son of God, and would be called Jesus (God’s salvation).
God put the idea in Caesar’s mind to have a census in Israel, forcing people to go to their birthplace for registration, and thus bringing Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, to fulfill Micah’s prophecy (Mic. 5:2).
The town was so overcrowded that they could not find a place to stay. They grabbed the next best option — a stable! Mary’s birth pains had already started. At least, they could now have some privacy. And so, the Prince of heaven arrived in a smelly stable.
Shepherds kept watch over their sheep in the open field. It was pitch dark, except for the glow of the dying fire. Suddenly, an angel appeared to them in brilliant light. Awestruck, they could hardly breath. The angel reassured them that he brought good news: The Messiah had been born. They would find him in Bethlehem in a manger. Then the night sky was filled with thousands of angels, proclaiming God’s goodwill toward people.
While some of the shepherds stayed with the flock, others hastily went to Bethlehem and found the Babe in a manger. The shepherds were so pumped up with excitement about the angels and their message that they told their incredible experience to everybody.
We can put ourselves in the shepherds’ place. We heard the facts from God’s messengers and from his Book. We should make an effort to get in touch with the Christmas Child. We should tell the story to our children and all who care to listen.
Later, the wise men arrived with their gifts. God warned them not to return to King Herod. Joseph was told in a dream to flee to Egypt. To eliminate future competition, Herod had massacre in mind.
Things did not start well for the incarnated Son of God. The shadow of the cross already fell over the manger.
Jacob Van Zyl of Lethbridge is a retired counsellor and the author of several faith-based books.