The Birthday
prophecy of the distant future.
He said in Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” 700 or so years later, an angel appeared to a simple man named Joseph and said these words, “Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
Matthew then added this Holy Ghost inspired commentary, which tied this event to the prophecy of Isaiah: “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” “The” indeed!
When Jesus was born, the very heavens above moved to give testimony to the greatness of the event. Matthew 2:1-2 says “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” This, too, was prophesied so very long ago. In Numbers 24:17, a wicked prophet named Balaam was overcome by God, and uttered these words: “I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel...”
A star particularly identified itself with the Christ child, and stayed at its post for two years at the very least. No one else, ever, has had a celestial body of heaven put everything else aside to form a nightlight for a newborn, and a beacon for those seeking him. “The” indeed!
Perhaps most poignant of all is the consideration of to whom the birth announcement itself first came on that blessed Christmas morn. Luke 2:8-12 says “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
Shepherds? Why should such social outcasts receive the first word of the birth of a king? Why should they be so tacitly invited to come and visit with him and his new family? Because Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, came during his first coming as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. Who better to understand and appreciate that concept than shepherds? They above anyone else could understand that this precious child, laying so sweetly in the manger, would one day shed His blood to pay for the sins of us all.
“The” indeed!
Bo Wagner is pastor of the Cornerstone Baptist Church in Mooresboro, N.C., a widely traveled evangelist, and author of several books, including a kid’s fiction book about the Battle of Chickamauga, “Broken Brotherhood.” He can be emailed at 2knowhim@cbc-web.org.