Our Savior’s Birth

Though Christmas is celebrated by many people, for us the main focus is the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He came to redeem God’s people and complete the promises that started way back in Eden. In Genesis 3:15 God told the temptor, Satan,, about a child to be born of Eve’s descendants. God said, “he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Of course our Savior’s earthly work started at his birth in Bethlehem. It was later predicted long before Jesus was born. Micah 5:2, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

When the time came Wisemen in the East, the Magoi, saw a star announcing the birth of Jesus, they decided to go to Jerusalem. That was the capitol then so they expected this new King would be found there.

It would have taken these wise counselors a while to get there. They had to travel over 800 miles. The trip would have required planning and covering their duties in Babylon while they were away. They would have to camp out along the way so they needed supplies and equipment for the trip. A contingent of military escorts were usually put together to acompany groups of Magoi.

It may have been a year after they saw the star that they arrived in far off Jerusalem. The Savior they found and worshiped likely was not a baby any more, but a 1-year-old child. They then turned to Bethlehem because the scholars knew Micah 5:2 directed them there. This is why when King Herod heard about this “new king” being born he had all the babies in Bethlehem killed who were 2 years old and younger.

There are some misunderstandings about the place where Jesus was born.
When Luke 2:7 says, “there was no room for them in the inn” we imagine them looking to check in somewhere. But it was their ancester family city. They would have looked for a place to stay with relatives. The word translated “inn” is “kataluma” (καταλuμα). It means “guest room”. It’s the same word used for where Jesus had the “last supper” with his disciples. Homes often had sheds where animals were kept and fed, so that’s where they had to stay. There they laid the baby in a “manger”, a “phatnae” (φατνη) which means “crib” or a “stall”.

We don’t know exactly when he was born.
King Herod the Great died in 4 BC so it was probably about 5 BC that Jesus was born. We don’t know the month when he was born. There are many theories. Several scholars considered the known dates of Herod and assume he was born in the late Sumer or early Fall. Long ago the churches started to remember that birth on December 25th, Our “Christmas Day”.

We often call his coming “Advent”, an ancient word which means “coming”. It was used back then of the arrival of important persons or seasons of the year.

Whatever we call it, or if the date for Christmas isn’t when Jesus was born, it’s a good time to celebrate the beginning of the earthly work of our Savior. His work was completed on the cross where he died in place of his people. Then he rose from the dead, and promises to come again to fulfill the work of his saving grace. Christmas is a good time to thank God for what he came to accomplish, and to tell others about it.

Jesus himself said he was the light of the world in John 8:12.
All the amazing Christmas lights should remind us of that. It also reminds us that we’re to be lights to the world around us.

All gifts we receive are unearned. All the gifts we’re blessed with are foreordained by God’s undeserved love and grace. They remind us of God’s gift of life through our Savior which is unearned by us.

While we thank others for the gifts they give us, above all thank God for all the gifts we receive, specially for the gift of salvation which we specially celebrate on Christmas.