Prophecy Fulfilled (Luke 2: 1-7)
The birth of Jesus is coming to fulfilment. World history had been moving towards the night of this birth. Prophecies in the scriptures pointed towards Bethlehem, and from the story we have, Mary and Joseph also came from Nazareth. In the book of Micah, the Prophet Micah had prepared the world about where the Saviour would be born. The night of his birth was a night of miracle that had long been decided on heaven’s calendar. Angels looked forward to fulfilling this day of the Saviour’s birth right from the Angel Gabriel’s declaration to Mary and even before then. All the prophetic books, right from the book of Isaiah, awaited the fulfilment; and the baby in Mary’s womb was also coming to give light to this world, coming to give peace and order to a world that is long separated from God.
Christmas comes with miracles, and we need to ask ourselves, “What is the miracle of Christmas?” the first thing we find is the miracle of his humble birth. He came from heaven, left his glory and came to a stable through a virgin’s womb.
He created the world; the world was made by him and for him. He came to redeem the world from the chaos that Satan has brought. We also need to know that the world he came to redeem would reject him. What else did he do? He left the beauty and fragrance of heaven and was born in the stench of a stable. In heaven, angels were singing, glorifying him. Born in a stable, donkeys were members of his choir. Royalty was wrapped in swaddling clothes; royalty that lived in a mansion, now coming to be in a manger. Incidentally, that is God’s preparation for our salvation.
So what are the few things we can pick up from this Christmas story? The fact that the birth of Jesus was miraculous is a reminder to us that there will always be miracles. I know the issue of miracles has raised many questions today but God will continue to perform miracles in our lives. As we also look at Christmas, there are lessons for us; the lesson of humility, joy, and faith in God. Mary had faith in God and all that the Lord said through prophecies were fulfilled. The census that Augustus ordered was part of God’s plan. Even though Augustus had ordered that everybody should be counted, he didn’t know he was fulfilling God’s plan because that was what moved Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. In going to Bethlehem, Micah 5:2 was fulfilled.
So one more thing we need to understand about Christmas is that God can use circumstances that sometimes look seemingly-not-good, to fulfil His plans and purposes. Romans 8:28 says, “All things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purposes. God wanted to do something for the whole world and he orchestrated ordinary things like a census to take the couple to Bethlehem, where Mary’s time to deliver was completed and the Saviour of the world was born.
May we continue to experience the miracle that comes with the birth of Jesus.