A Microcosm of the Christian Life
Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus reads like a microcosm of the Christian life. (Matthew, Chapters 1-3) Long before Jesus was born, God announced His coming through the prophets. The prophetic announcements were never time specific but on occasion included references to location. In his birth account, Matthew included the prophecy of Micah spoken hundreds of years earlier, “Thou, Bethlehem of Judaea, are by no means least among the rulers . . . out of you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people.” (Micah 5:2)
Then Matthew tells of the divine/human interaction concerning Jesus’ birth. Angels announce His birth: (1) To Mary, who finds the announcement difficult to believe but is assured by the angel; (2) To Joseph, an angel reports his betrothed is with child. Joseph doubtless feels betrayed until the angel explains it to him; (3) To the shepherds, a chorus of angels sang the quiet news. In faraway places, God used a language kings could understand---a star---to herald Jesus’ birth. The announcement to the kings is interesting. Given the information of the Bible and the geography of the first century world, the star may have appeared to the kings as much as two years prior to Jesus’ birth.
As always, when good happens, evil appears. Through the kings, the very people God has invited, wicked King Herod learns of the young king’s birth. He seeks His whereabouts and plots His demise. But wait, the Lord warns Joseph in a dream to relocate. Take your family to Egypt. Egypt was a common sanctuary for troubled Jews. Given these divine instructions, one could easily assume God will always protect the child from harm. Not so.
We must not miss the enormity of this event. It is not just the birth of a child; it is the incarnation, God becoming man and entering earth. If you or I were God, wouldn’t we make a big deal of this so no one could miss it. No, Christianity is not an outside to inside event. It begins inside the heart as quietly as a new birth, then grows. Some herald and encourage it, others deny it and oppose it. Since it is born of God, we may think He will shield us from all harm. He has not promised a safe journey, not even for His own Son. Instead, He has promised to walk with us.
Remember, we said last week, “His name is Immanuel, God with us.”
