The Birth of Jesus

 

Hello, dear readers! Today I want to share with you the amazing story of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Savior of the world. This is a story that has been told for over two thousand years, but it never gets old. It is a story of love, hope, joy and peace. It is a story that changed history and can change your life too.

The birth of Jesus is recorded in two books of the Bible: Matthew and Luke. These books are called gospels, which means "good news", because they tell us the good news of God's plan to save us from our sins through Jesus. Matthew and Luke give us different details about the birth of Jesus, but they agree on the main facts.

The story begins with a young woman named Mary, who lived in a small town called Nazareth in Israel. She was engaged to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of King David, the greatest king of Israel. Mary and Joseph loved each other and were looking forward to getting married. ( Watch Videos of the coming of Christ Here )

But one day, something extraordinary happened. God sent an angel named Gabriel to visit Mary. The angel greeted her and said: "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was startled and wondered what this meant. The angel continued: "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end."

Mary was amazed and confused. How could this be? She was a virgin, which means she had never slept with a man. She asked the angel: "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel answered: "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[ b] the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail."

Mary was astonished and humbled by this message. She realized that God had chosen her for a special purpose, to be the mother of his Son. She trusted God and said: "I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel left her.

Mary decided to visit her relative Elizabeth, who lived in another town. Elizabeth was also pregnant by a miracle, even though she was old and barren. She was going to have a son who would be called John the Baptist, the one who would prepare the way for Jesus.

When Mary arrived at Elizabeth's house, Elizabeth felt her baby leap in her womb. She was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!"

Mary was overjoyed and praised God with a beautiful song. She said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors." Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

Meanwhile, Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant before they got married. He was shocked and hurt. He loved Mary but he did not want to expose her to public disgrace or punishment by stoning (which was the law for adultery). He decided to divorce her quietly. But as he was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[ c] because he will save his people from their sins." Joseph woke up and did what the angel had told him. He took Mary home as his wife, but he did not sleep with her until she gave birth to a son. And he named him “Jesus for he will save his people form their sins.”

 

Around this time, the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. Everyone had to go to their own town to register. Joseph had to go to Bethlehem, the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He took Mary with him, who was near the time of delivery. This fulfilled the prophecy of His birth found in Micah 5:2. When they arrived in Bethlehem, they could not find suitable accommodations.  Then, the time came for Jesus to be born.  Apparently, Joseph and Mary searched for some place that she could deliver a baby in relative privacy.  He was born in a humble stable, surrounded by animals and shepherds at His birth.

According to the Gospel of Matthew, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, following a star that announced the birth of the King of the Jews. They asked Herod, who was the ruler of Judea, where to find the child. Herod was troubled by this news, and consulted with the chief priests and scribes, who told him that the Messiah was prophesied to be born in Bethlehem. Herod then secretly asked the wise men when they had seen the star, and sent them to Bethlehem, saying that he also wanted to worship the child. The wise men followed the star until it stopped over the place where Jesus was. They saw the child with his mother Mary, and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They were warned in a dream not to return to Herod and went back to their country by another way. Herod, realizing that he had been deceived by the wise men, was furious and ordered the massacre of all male children under two years old in Bethlehem and its vicinity, hoping to kill the newborn king. But Joseph, who was Jesus' earthly father, was also warned in a dream by an angel, and took Mary and Jesus to Egypt, where they stayed until Herod's death.   

"Jesus birth was announced by angels, who sang praises to God and declared peace on earth. His birth was also foretold by prophets, who said he would be born of a virgin and would be called Immanuel, which means God with us. Jesus' birth is a sign of God's love and grace for all people, and a reason to celebrate and rejoice".

 Biblical References:

- In Genesis 12:3, God says to Abraham: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." This is a promise that Christ would be a blessing to all nations through his descendants¹.

- In Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah says to King Ahaz: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." This is a prophecy that Christ would be born of a virgin named Mary¹.

- In Micah 5:2, Micah says to King Hezekiah: "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days." This is a prophecy that Christ would come from Bethlehem as the ruler of Israel¹.

- In Matthew 2:1-6, Matthew records how Herod ordered the massacre of all male children under two years old in Bethlehem and its vicinity because he feared that Jesus was born there. This is a fulfillment of Micah's prophecy about Jesus' birthplace¹.

Resources:

Bible - ESV  https://www.esv.org/

What Christians Want to Know  - https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/