THE STORY

Our story begins with a king who was willing to leave all that He had for His people. One who was willing to leave splendor beyond all earthly comprehension. The amazing thing was that He was not doing it for a kind or even grateful people. No, the people who He was willing to leave all that He had were a people who despised and hate His kingdom.  They had done nothing but live in open treason to His cosmic majesty.

Yet, the king in all of His glory lays it all down and leaves it all behind. Angels who cry out His name declaring Him to be the Holy one will now not be heard. The glories of the presence of Heaven will be traded for an earth trodden planet.

   

Not only will all of this be laid aside for us but He will not even show forth His glory as a King. No, He will come as an infant to be cared for by two poor parents. One of those people was a carpenter by trade. He will not be born in a palace but rather in a lowly manger.

His mother who is a young virgin would be told that she would give birth to a son. She ponders this thought and wonders how that this could ever take place as she has never been with a man. The angel proclaims to her that the Holy Spirit will overshadow her and the child will be born and will be called holy-the Son of God. His name will be Jesus, The Lord is our Salvation.

The beautiful part is that Mary will simply say, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” She does not question why, but simply is willing to do whatever the Lord would have her to do.

Joseph now comes onto the scene. He is betrothed to Mary and looks forward to the day when they will be man and wife. He has been true and faithful to her. She leaves to go see her cousin Elizabeth. When he sees her again though he finds out that she is now with child. We cannot imagine what Joseph must have been going through as all of his dreams must have been shattered.

If Joseph would have been a vengeful man, He could have had Mary even stoned. Joseph was a just man though and in his mercy He would simply legally break away from her. Once again God steps in and an angel tells Joseph that he should not be afraid to take Mary as his wife as the child to be conceived from her was from the Holy Spirit. She would bear a son and His name was to be Jesus. His purpose was to save His people from their sin.

Joseph like Mary instead of arguing or asking God why, simply does what the angel of the Lord commanded Him to do. For the rest of their lives they would be falsely accused, mocked and be accused of a sin they had never committed. For them though it was a small sacrifice in their lives as they would rather obey God then to please men.

They are to take part in a census that would be held in Bethlehem which would have been about seventy miles away from where they lived at in Nazareth. We often see pictures of a pregnant Mary riding upon a donkey as they make the journey. Yet, there is nothing in the scriptures that state that this was so. This might have happened but then again it could have been that they had to make this journey on foot.

When the King is brought into this world there is no mansion or soft bed to lay His head on. No the king of all creation would be born in a lowly manger. I have often wondered what it must have been like for Mary and Joseph as they held the creator of not only themselves but of the whole world in their hands. As they took hold of those little fingers and looked into the very face of God.

What must have went through this young couples head as a group of shepherds came from out of the darkness to see their son. What they must have thought as they heard their story of a bright light that shown upon them and of angels that declared His glory.

What must they have thought when within two years a group of men from the east came bearing gifts for the child king? Men who were now bowing down before their young child as one would bow down before a king.

The one thing that keeps pounding through my head is the word Sacrifice. This would be the King’s whole life for His people. It would also be the lives of those who were near to Him like Mary and Joseph and the Wise Men from the east. This is Our King Jesus. He is the one who sacrificed His very life so that we would be saved. A gift that we can never repay, yet may we live a life of sacrifice as well.