Reflective Bible Study

As we move forward looking at prophecies in the Old Testament that point towards Jesus, we come to another prophecy that deals with Jesus’ birth, and this one is interesting because of some controversy about it. However, the part of this controversy that I find interesting is how half of the details included are simply ignored. In other words, for this controversy to exist, half of the details of this event must be pushed aside.

To draw attention onto this prophecy and the controversy that surrounds it, let’s read the prophecy as it is found in the book of Isaiah, chapter 7. Reading from the New American Standard Bible, in verse 14, Isaiah writes the message God gives Him saying:

¹⁴ Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin [or maiden] will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

While reading this verse just now, I realized there are actually two prophecies included in it. The first one, which has the controversy surrounding it, is the part about a virgin or maiden becoming pregnant with a son.

The second prophecy is that this virgin will name her son Immanuel.

For this episode, let’s spend more time unpacking the first prophecy in this verse, and then take our next episode unpacking the second prophecy.

In the first prophecy, the controversy present is that the Hebrew word for virgin might not mean the same thing that it means for us today. Instead of meaning someone who has never had sex, the argument or controversy centers around this term also being used to simply refer to a young girl, or specifically a maiden.

Ignoring that one definition of maiden is a literal virgin in my dictionary, the argument suggests that Isaiah’s words in this prophecy are not speaking of a virgin miraculously becoming pregnant, but that the Messiah would be born to a young unmarried woman who became pregnant outside of marriage.

However, while some people hold strongly to this idea, they must ignore several key pieces of Biblical evidence for this idea to carry weight.

The strongest argument against this redefinition is by not actually redefining the word virgin or maiden. Instead, we can look up all the other places in the Old Testament where this word is used and look at the context. Looking at the seven times this word appears in the Old Testament, while this word is always used to refer to young females, there is no instance in the Old Testament where it can be proved that this word does not also mean virgin, and several examples where virginity is strongly suggested. The clearest example is when a virgin or maiden is being sought out to be a wife for Isaac in Genesis 24:43.

In the Old Testament, a maiden is also a virgin when we let the Bible define our terms for us.

However, moving to the New Testament, to a passage we have read a couple times already, we see the virgin idea presented even more clearly. While those who persist in this controversy want to draw doubts on Isaiah’s words, they also must push Luke’s gospel and Matthew’s gospel aside, because these two gospels are extra specific about Mary being not just a maiden, but also a virgin.

In Luke, chapter 1, starting in verse 26, Luke writes:

²⁶ Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹ But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. ³⁰ The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. ³² 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; ³³ and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” ³⁴ Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” ³⁵ The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. ³⁶ And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. ³⁷ For nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸ And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

In this passage, Mary was engaged to Joseph, but they had not gotten married yet. While dating and engagement in today’s culture often doesn’t include waiting before sex, that culture was different. At the very least, Mary and Joseph were different, because Mary, questioning Gabriel, asks him how this would happen. Mary knows that the first step of getting pregnant is having sex. She refers to herself as a virgin, or literally as a woman who has not known a man, similar to how Genesis describes Adam “knowing” Eve and that knowing resulting in the birth of children.

In this passage, everything in Mary’s conversation with Gabriel points to Mary being a literal virgin, while also being a maiden. Regardless of what virgin means in Isaiah, we can understand that Mary saw herself as a literal virgin in this conversation with Gabriel.

Also adding weight to this argument is Matthew’s gospel, which describes Joseph’s attitude after finding out that his fiancée is pregnant. In Matthew chapter 1, starting in verse 20, Matthew writes:

²⁰ But when he [Joseph] had considered this [specifically to divorce Mary quietly], behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” ²² Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ²³ “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” ²⁴ And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, ²⁵ but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

In this passage, Joseph was ready and willing to call off his marriage with Mary because he didn’t believe her story that the pregnancy was extraordinary. However, after the dream, Joseph changes his plans and specifically marries Mary but keeps her a virgin until she had given birth to Jesus. There is only one way I can understand this statement, and this understanding weighs heavily on one side of the controversy surrounding the meaning of Isaiah’s prophecy.

Regardless of how we understand Isaiah’s prophecy, everything surrounding Jesus’ birth suggests that Mary was a virgin, and that her pregnancy was a direct fulfillment of God’s promise through the prophet Isaiah.

It is also amazing that Jesus’ entrance into the world marks the arrival of the Messiah God promised to send when Adam and Eve had failed God and eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

In Genesis, chapter 3, starting in verse 14, we read that while God was pronouncing judgment on those who had disobeyed Him:

¹⁴ The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,
Cursed are you more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you will go,
And dust you will eat
All the days of your life.
¹⁵ And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

In this judgment of the serpent in the garden, God speaks prophetically about one of Eve’s descendants being the one to bring judgment on the serpent. Through Mary, Jesus came into the world as this descendant, and He triumphed over sin and death on behalf of you and me.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always open by challenging you, intentionally seek God first in your life. When life gets challenging, lean into your faith in God because with whatever happens in this life, when we have aligned our lives with God, we will outlive the challenges of this life even if it appears as though these challenges take us out. With Jesus, we will live beyond the end of sin, pain, and death.

Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself to grow closer to Jesus. Focus on growing your personal relationship with Jesus because Jesus loves you personally. Jesus isn’t interested in having a relationship with you that is mediated by someone else.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

As we continue moving through Jesus’ birth story in Luke’s gospel, we arrive at a significant event in the story, but one that doesn’t fit very well if we try to condense and combine Matthew’s gospel with Luke’s gospel describing Jesus’ birth. While I believe both gospels are accurate, where things can get confusing is when we try to squish the details together and make two events into one.

Because of the event our passage includes for this episode, it is best to view Matthew and Luke’s gospels separately, and let Luke describe the events close to the night Jesus was born, and let Matthew fill us in on events that likely happened a few weeks after Jesus had entered this world as a baby.

Actually, it is fascinating to look at the event we are about to read while realizing that Herod was ruling Jerusalem and Judea, and that Herod was in Jerusalem directing the wise men towards Bethlehem not too long after this event happened.

Our passage for this episode is found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 2, and we will read from the Good News Translation. Starting in verse 21, Luke tells us that

²¹ A week later [this would be a week after Jesus was born], when the time came for the baby to be circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name which the angel had given him before he had been conceived.

²² The time came for Joseph and Mary to perform the ceremony of purification, as the Law of Moses commanded. So they took the child to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, ²³ as it is written in the law of the Lord: “Every first-born male is to be dedicated to the Lord.” ²⁴ They also went to offer a sacrifice of a pair of doves or two young pigeons, as required by the law of the Lord.

²⁵ At that time there was a man named Simeon living in Jerusalem. He was a good, God-fearing man and was waiting for Israel to be saved. The Holy Spirit was with him ²⁶ and had assured him that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s promised Messiah. ²⁷ Led by the Spirit, Simeon went into the Temple. When the parents brought the child Jesus into the Temple to do for him what the Law required, ²⁸ Simeon took the child in his arms and gave thanks to God:

²⁹ “Now, Lord, you have kept your promise,
    and you may let your servant go in peace.
³⁰ With my own eyes I have seen your salvation,
³¹     which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples:
³² A light to reveal your will to the Gentiles
    and bring glory to your people Israel.”

³³ The child’s father and mother were amazed at the things Simeon said about him. ³⁴ Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, “This child is chosen by God for the destruction and the salvation of many in Israel. He will be a sign from God which many people will speak against ³⁵ and so reveal their secret thoughts. And sorrow, like a sharp sword, will break your own heart.”

^36-37 There was a very old prophet, a widow named Anna, daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. She had been married for only seven years and was now eighty-four years old. She never left the Temple; day and night she worshiped God, fasting and praying. ³⁸ That very same hour she arrived and gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were waiting for God to set Jerusalem free.

In this passage, Jesus’ parents take Jesus to dedicate Him at the temple. It is amazing in my mind to think that Jesus would have been present in the temple, right under the noses of the religious leaders, Herod, and all the people, and most people simply didn’t pay that close attention.

According to this passage, only two people really take notice: Simeon, who the Bible simply describes as a man who had the Holy Spirit and who God had promised to reveal the Messiah to; and Anna, a widow who had dedicated herself to worshiping God in the temple. For a long time, I had assumed that Simeon was the priest on duty that day, but nothing in this passage implies this to be the case.

Nothing is really mentioned about the priest on duty, about Jesus parents actually giving the sacrifice, or about the response of those that Simeon and Anna told about Jesus.

However, in Simeon’s message to Mary, we can see three huge ideas that are incredibly powerful when we stop and look at what he told her. At the beginning of Simeon’s message to Mary in verse 34, God prophesies about Jesus’ life saying “This child is chosen by God for the destruction and the salvation of many in Israel.”

It would be very easy to latch on to the positive side of this message, but this message contains both positive and negative. Jesus came not only to save people living in Israel, but also for destruction.

To quantify the negative side of this promise, Simeon continues in the last part of verse 34 and into verse 35 saying, “He [Jesus] will be a sign from God which many people will speak against and so reveal their secret thoughts.”

According to this second statement in Simeon’s message to Mary, Jesus is a sign from God that will polarize people and those who speak out against Jesus will reveal the secrets of their hearts. Those who speak out against Jesus show the universe that they have sided against God. It is powerful to realize that what we tell others about Jesus shows how loyal or disloyal we are to God. As we continue in Luke’s gospel, Jesus’ presence clearly separates those who have sided with God vs. those who have decided to set themselves against Jesus.

The last part of Simeon’s message to Mary is directed specifically towards Mary. In the last portion of verse 35, Simeon tells Mary, “And sorrow, like a sharp sword, will break your own heart.”

Whether we like to think of it or not, this statement predicts Jesus’ death. Before Jesus had fully stepped into history, Simeon, led by the Holy Spirit, forewarns Mary that Jesus’ life as a Messiah would end in death. Jesus would die before she would.

However, this message, while it was challenging, does contain the promise that Jesus’ arrival signified the way God chose to open salvation for many people living in Israel. Actually, Jesus’ arrival signified the way God chose to open salvation for all His people living at any point in the history of our human race. Sin came in to this world through the actions of Adam and Eve, and through the actions and sacrifice of Jesus, God has made a way for us to outlast sin.

As we continue through our year focusing in on Luke’s gospel, expect to see this theme show up regularly. Through Jesus, we have the hope and assurance of a new life with God!

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life and choose to place your faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus. Through what Jesus came to accomplish, we have the hope of salvation and a way out of facing the eternal consequences of sin. Jesus’ entrance into the world gives us an escape for a problem that we cannot solve on our own.

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to grow closer to Jesus and to God. Through prayer and study, discover how we can open our hearts, minds, and lives to God and let His Holy Spirit transform us. Through the Holy Spirit, we can discover the truth God wants to teach us and we can discover how important Jesus’ sacrifice is for our future.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or turn away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

As we continue moving through Old Testament prophecies that point forward to Jesus, let’s shift gears slightly to look at a rather unexpected prophecy. Well, this prophecy’s content isn’t that surprising. Instead, it is surprising where this prophecy comes from.

During the time the people of Israel were traveling through the wilderness prior to entering the promised land, one of the nations they came in contact with hired someone to pronounce curses onto the people of Israel. However, without diving too deeply into the back-story of this event, instead of curses, Balaam, the man they hired, pronounced blessing. In one of these blessings, we find a clear prophecy pointing forward to the Messiah.

This prophecy, and our passage for this episode, is found in the book of Numbers, chapter 24, and we will read it using the New American Standard Bible. Starting in verse 15:

¹⁵ He took up his discourse and said,

“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
¹⁶ The oracle of him who hears the words of God,
And knows the knowledge of the Most High,
Who sees the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered.
¹⁷ “I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near;
A star shall come forth from Jacob,
A scepter shall rise from Israel,
And shall crush through the forehead of Moab,
And tear down all the sons of Sheth.
¹⁸ “Edom shall be a possession,
Seir, its enemies, also will be a possession,
While Israel performs valiantly.
¹⁹ “One from Jacob shall have dominion,
And will destroy the remnant from the city.”

In this prophecy, we find a clear prediction that the Messiah would come from Jacob, who later in his life was renamed to be Israel. In previous episodes, we have uncovered the clear prophecy that the Messiah would be from the line of David, who happens to be a descendant of Jacob.

It is interesting in my mind, because depending on where in the Old Testament one looks, we see God promising a redeemer through a descendant of Adam and Eve, through Abraham, through Jacob, through Judah, through Boaz and Ruth, and through David, just to name a few. While we won’t cover all these genealogical predictions in this year focusing on prophecy, it is worth taking one episode to draw our attention onto them.

Jesus’ genealogy is found in two places in the New Testament. The first place is in Matthew’s gospel. In Matthew chapter 1, starting in verse 1, Matthew opens by writing:

¹ The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

² Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. ³ Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. ⁴ Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. ⁵ Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. ⁶ Jesse was the father of David the king.

David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah. ⁷ Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa. ⁸ Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah. ⁹ Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. ¹⁰ Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah. ¹¹ Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

¹² After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel. ¹³ Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor. ¹⁴ Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud. ¹⁵ Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob. ¹⁶ Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

¹⁷ So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

In Matthew’s gospel, we get the picture that there was a very orderly, structured, and clear pattern in Jesus’ ancestry. Not only that, but Matthew draws our attention very clearly that Jesus was a descendant of Abraham, of Jacob, and of David.

In Luke’s gospel, a different genealogy is present. While Luke’s genealogy is similar, it also has some unique qualities, one of which is that it goes back further than Abraham. Luke also chose to include Jesus’ genealogy, not at the beginning of his gospel letter, but right before transitioning into Jesus beginning His ministry.

In Luke, chapter 3, starting in verse 23, Luke writes:

²³ When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli, ²⁴ the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, ²⁵ the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai, ²⁶ the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, ²⁷ the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, ²⁸ the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, ²⁹ the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, ³⁰ the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, ³¹ the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, ³² the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, ³³ the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, ³⁴ the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, ³⁵ the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Heber, the son of Shelah, ³⁶ the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, ³⁷ the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, ³⁸ the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

While this is one really long, 341 word, run-on sentence that took a ridiculous amount of recording and editing of audio to get through, Luke draws our attention not just to Jesus being the descendant of all those people who God promised to send His Messiah through, but also as being a son of God.

In our next episode, we will transition onto the prophecies about Jesus’ birth being extraordinary, but even if we have trouble believing in any special or extraordinary birth, we can fall back on Luke’s description of Jesus’ ancestry for validation that He is God’s Son, even if Luke describes this connection being a little over 75 generations apart.

However, Luke’s framing of Jesus’ genealogy opens up another powerful truth that’s relevant for our lives. With how Luke frames Jesus’ genealogy pointing back to God, we can know and understand that each of our genealogies does the exact same thing. If we go back far enough, we will discover we are sons and daughters of God, if for no other reason than we are sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, and also of Noah and his wife.

This understanding of our ancestry, while obvious on one hand, is amazing to actually apply into our lives. If we understand ourselves to be children of God, how might this impact how we live on a daily basis?

While I cannot answer this question for you, when I ask myself this question, it challenges me to live with greater visible faith, with less worry, and with more confidence that God is interested in my situation. By thinking of myself as a son of God challenges me to live my life in a way that brings honor and glory to Him, even if I feel at times like I am constantly failing in this goal.

As children of God, whether we frame ourselves like Luke framed Jesus’ genealogy, or whether we frame ourselves as being adopted into God’s family, let’s move forward each day living our lives for God and giving Him glory through the tasks He has placed before us.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always open by challenging you, intentionally seek God first in your life and choose to see yourself as a child of God. Live your life in a way that brings glory to Him and a way that honors other people as also being children of God. While this isn’t easy to do, it is very worthwhile.

Also, as I regularly challenge you to do, pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to God each day. Through prayer and Bible study, discover a God who loves you more than you can imagine, and a God who wants you in His family more than you might want this for yourself.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

As we continue in Luke’s gospel, I would love to be able to focus in on every event and detail Luke included surrounding Jesus’ birth, however, there isn’t enough time in our year dedicated to this gospel. Luke is the longest of the four gospels, and because of this, I have the challenge of deciding what doesn’t get included. Unfortunately, this means that it is time to jump into chapter 2 of Luke’s gospel even though there are at least two more podcast worthy passages in Luke chapter 1.

However, without getting bogged down focusing on what we must skip over, let’s instead focus on what we can learn as Luke transitions in to chapter 2. When looking at the popular Christmas passages of the Bible, almost every Christmas story begins with the passage we will be looking at, and oftentimes, the passage we will be reading is read in its entirety.

With this said, let’s look at Luke’s famous Christmas passage, and discover some things we can learn about Jesus’ birth now that we are intentionally looking at this event outside of the Christmas season. Our passage is found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 2, and we will read from the New American Standard Bible translation. Starting in verse 1, Luke tells us:

¹ Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. ² This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. ⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, ⁵ in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. ⁶ While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸ In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; ¹¹ for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 
¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, 
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

¹⁵ When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

This passage describes Jesus’ birth, the events leading up to this significant event, and the amazing details surrounding this easily overlooked point in history.

While Matthew’s gospel is the one to describe the wise men bringing gifts, and the young family’s escape to Egypt, Luke doesn’t let Jesus’ birth slip into the unknown pages of history. Luke describes the night Jesus was born starting like any night, except it may have been busier because of the census that was taking place. The night began relatively normally, and the only challenge leading up to this night was directly related to the census, since there was no room in the Bethlehem inn. While tradition holds that Jesus was born in a stable, a barn, a cave, or somewhere under the stars, the only hints of this is because there was no room in the inn, and because Jesus is laid in a manger, which is a trough that livestock eat from.

In my mind, this is a logical conclusion, since I don’t picture a host family bringing in a feeding trough to lay a brand new baby in.

This leads me to the amazing realization that Jesus, the destined King of the Universe, has the least glamorous entrance into this world as could be imagined. The only people likely present for this birth would have been Mary, obviously, Joseph, and perhaps a midwife or two. A cave or small barn would have given this event a little privacy, and because of this, Jesus’ birth gets the reputation and tradition of being in a stable.

The night Jesus was born could have been, and perhaps should have been, easily forgotten, if it were not for one event that God chose to include. While God could have woken the town up in any number of ways to get everyone present to take notice of Jesus’ birth, God decided to send an angelic choir to some people who would have been awake already, or perhaps at least most of them. While the shepherds in the fields outside of Bethlehem would have likely been planning on sleeping in shifts through the night, it was unlikely that this night contained much sleep for them.

Angels appeared to the shepherds, sing them a song, and commission them to find Jesus.

A skeptic might look at this event and doubt the details, not simply for the angel visit, or the choir’s song, but simply because it would be difficult to find one child born in a town full of travelers. However, at night, there likely would have been little noise or light, except for a few fires to keep those without homes or rooms in the inn warm. And it is quite likely that there may have only been one baby crying outside that night. From Matthew’s gospel, we know there were other young children in Bethlehem during that point in time, because after Herod sent his soldiers, all the babies were killed.

So why might God have picked shepherds to be the first to know about Jesus’ birth?

Part of me believes this is because the occupation of shepherd was one of the lowest on the social ladder, and because Jesus came to show God’s love to those society looked down on.

Also, I cannot escape seeing the symbolism in my mind that Jesus was destined to be like a shepherd for God’s people, and what better way to honor Jesus taking the role of Shepherd than to invite shepherds who were nearby and who were awake already.

Jesus coming into this world marked God stepping into our history in a big, personal way, and Jesus coming into this world helps us see just how much God loves us, and what God was willing to do to show us just how much He loves each of us!

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life and choose to believe in Jesus. If you ever doubt what God thinks of you, simply look at what Jesus came to this world to do for you! Satan would have you believe Jesus came for other people, that Jesus didn’t really come, or that Jesus isn’t what the gospel writers describe, but these temptations are lies from Satan to get you to ignore God.

Instead, choose to believe what the Bible teaches us about Jesus because what we can learn from Jesus is a picture of God and His love for each of us!

Choose to do this by praying and studying the Bible for yourself. While it is easy to drift through life believing the opinions of your friends, your relatives, or culture, don’t do this because God wants more for you than what you might even imagine. Discover what God thinks of you through the pages of His Word!

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, minimize or belittle where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!