The Birth of Jesus

LUKE 2:1-7 “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 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 guest room available for them.” (NIV)

REFLECTION God is faithful! Yahweh had promised to send a prophet like Moses and a king like David (ref. Deut. 18:15; Is. 9:1-11). Who would have envisioned the promises of God to be fulfilled through such humble circumstances? Nevertheless, the God of all creation enters a crowded world, wrapped in cloths, and placed in a manger.

In Luke, the humble birth of Jesus is setting up a larger narrative. God, stepping down to earth in such circumstances, was something no one would have expected. His kingdom, like His birth, will be unexpected. It would strain perceptions, be of humble beginnings, and challenge a world with no room for the Messiah.

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Scripture quotations from; THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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