The Christmas story
The Christmas story never gets old. The tale of Mary and Joseph, the baby laid in a manger, the shepherds in the field, the angels singing, wise men making a long journey to honor the king. The Bible story inspires awe and joy. It includes amazing dreams, angels, and even death plots.
The birth of any baby is memorable. You remember it vividly. As a father, I’ve lived through the experiences of my wife giving birth to our son and our daughter. As a grandfather, I was with our children when their first child was being born. Birthdays are special.
Every person who celebrates Christmas should take time to read to their family the original account of the birth of Jesus. The story is told by participants and eyewitnesses. In the Bible, some details of his birth are recorded in Matthew’s gospel. A longer report is given by Dr. Luke in the opening of his gospel, chapters one and two. It is worthy reading. As you read it, you’ll see that this event really happened. It wasn’t a myth nor a fable, but it is real, believable history.
I appreciate the historical detail in Luke’s research that show us the chronology and the geography of Christ’s arrival. Each detail weaves credibility into his account. The political setting is even important.
The baby Jesus came at a turbulent time in Israel: a period of occupation by Rome, oppression and humiliation; but a season of hope. Why? Their prophets had described the arrival of a Messiah. That title means “the anointed one.” Jesus was anointed to be king.
Jesus was a nine-month baby. While the virgin Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit supernaturally, nevertheless the process of gestation and delivery took nine months, the ordinary way of women conceiving a baby and coming to full term. This illustrates an important point. While God does work miracles, he also uses normal human processes. Some results that are fulfillment of prophecies or answers to prayers require a period of time to complete. A miracle can happen in a moment, but usually requires time to complete. Mary carried her prophetic word for nine months. Jesus didn’t appear on the scene full-grown. He was born, grew through a normal childhood, was a teenager, and eventually matured and became a man. Very likely he was 30 years old when he began his ministry that lasted about three years until he was killed.
Back to the political situation of Jesus’ birth. Remember the wise men making a trek to deliver gold, frankincense, and myrrh? (Matthew 2) The Magi first inquired of king Herod. Herod plotted to kill this newborn king, seeing him as a threat to his rule but the Magi didn’t cooperate. The Magi had come from the east, likely Persia. They had seen a star in the sky, a sign of Israel’s new king, and went to Jerusalem to find him. They knew the writings of the Hebrew prophets that predicted the Messiah. How did they know this? These Magi were likely descendants of the astrologers that Daniel had spared when Israel’s captivity in Persia ended after 70 years of captivity, another event that was accurately predicted by the Hebrew prophets.
The Bible is the only book in the world that has major parts of human history pre-written. Of course, you need to read it to see it. That’s one of the reasons why I believe the Bible is reliable. I believe it is the word of God. It tells me that Jesus is the Son of God.