Joseph was willing to trust an angel in a dream, and Mary, that she was truly carrying the Messiah. He then quickly and faithfully obeyed God’s orders to best care for her and the child going forward.
Mary gave up her own dreams, reputation, and most everything in life, to obey the Lord and become the mother of Jesus.
Though Zechariah served the Lord faithfully as a Levitical priest, his greatest work came near the end of his life as he fathered the forerunner of Immanuel.
Elizabeth, with joy and wisdom, bore the forerunner of the Saviour, and quite possibly instructed Mary on what to do when the time came to give birth to her own Son.
All of these people were special and yet ordinary. They lived completely human lives. They served the Lord faithfully, yet had their share of great waiting and suffering. They sacrificed a lot, especially Joseph and Mary. God chose humble people to carry forth His plans for all mankind.
Even though these stories are all significant, they are not the spotlight, the main character, the hero. They are important, but they aren’t everything. They are much like you and me – each of us with our own stories to live for the glory of God.
But there is one story interwoven between them that marks the greatest significance of all. They each received a profound message of the greatest King to come – the Saviour of the world, the long awaited Messiah.
To Joseph, this message: “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
‘See, the virgin will become pregnant
and give birth to a son,
and they will name him Immanuel,’
which is translated “God is with us.” Matthew 1:20-23
To Mary, an angel reported: “ ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.’” Luke 1:31-33
To Zechariah, the forerunner and Messiah’s prophecy, “But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. There will be joy and delight for you, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or beer. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.” Luke 1:13-17
And to Elizabeth, she received the gift of the filling of Holy Spirit, and the greeting of the forerunner in her womb with that of the Saviour growing in Mary’s. “‘Then she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and your child will be blessed! How could this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For you see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy inside me.Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill what he has spoken to her!’” Luke 1:41-45
That joyous message received by all came with confusion and great uncertainty. The humanly impossible was about to become reality, with humble people and in humble circumstances.
“While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” Luke 2:6-7
The Saviour of the world came in a tiny infant’s body. He grew in a womb like the rest of us. He had ten little fingers and ten little toes. He entered the world crying to prove that His lungs were working and He indeed was alive!
And yet, there would soon be no denying that this tiny infant was indeed both fully God and man, for more messages would be received by others: shepherds, an old man, a widowed prophetess, magi from an eastern country. And these are just the ones listed. How many more felt the stirring of change within their spirits. How many heard the words of the forerunner, John, ringing out in the desert that the Messiah had come?
Soon, this wee babe would grow and leave the greatest gift for us all – our freedom. Jesus’ whole mission was to be born as a boy, so He could die as a man, taking on all our sin, shame, and death, and rise up again to become the King of Kings over heaven and earth!
As you celebrate this Christmas, reading through the story of Jesus’ birth, embrace the awe of the magnificent significance of this little baby being worshipped as the One True King of Kings and Lord of Lords. If the magi who were scholars and respected men could humble themselves to bow before a little child and bring Him expensive, royal gifts, surely you and I can bow on bended knee, bringing our gifts of praise!
We have the whole message in our hands. We know the beginning to the end. He is faithful, powerful, and sovereign. Praise Jesus, our Messiah!
