If you are reading this, a birthday is something we have all experienced. Some have elaborate celebrations with family and friends. Some look at it as just another day, but it is a day marked by adding another number to your age. On this date, December 19th, I celebrate the birthday of my oldest son. No, I will not be with him or have a formal celebration, but in my heart, I will celebrate the gift that God gave my husband and me many years ago. It is one of those cherished times you never forget. I remember every detail about the entire day as if it were yesterday. His birthday causes me to reflect on how Mary must have felt the day she gave birth to Jesus.
We celebrate the birth of Jesus during the Christmas season. The holiday itself is named after Him. Yet, so many never give Him one thought as they rush around buying gifts and going to different events, or family gatherings.
Mary had been told by an angel that she would have a son and His name would be Jesus. I can’t imagine the shock and confusion she must have felt. In Luke 1:34-35, she asks the angel “How shall this be, seeing I know no a man?” She did not understand, this had never happened before, and it has never happened again.
Luke 1:30-31 “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.”
Luke 1:34-35 “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
Mary was experiencing something no one else had ever encountered. She was alone, yet she accepted it with grace. This gift of a child was given to her by the Lord, and Luke 1:38 shows us she was committed to obedience to her Lord. Mary was a committed servant of the Lord before God entrusted her to bring Jesus into the world.
Luke 1:38 “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.”
God is so good to provide all that we need in any situation. Mary, like any woman, needed to be with another woman that she could talk to and share with. God not only told her to go to her cousin Elisabeth’s house, He had allowed Elisabeth to know that this child Mary was carrying was the Messiah. Elisabeth was pregnant with John, and her baby leaped in her womb in the presence of the unborn Christ child. How sweet those days spent with her must have been as they shared stories of how they felt.
Luke 1:39-41 “And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:”
This birthday also affected Joseph. He would assume the responsibility of being Jesus’s earthly father. He also did not understand what was happening, and God sent an angel to assure him that Mary had not been unfaithful to him. Again, we have an obedient servant who accepted his position as Jesus’s father amid all the wagging tongues.
Matthew 1:20-21 “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
The next time we see this couple in the scriptures, they are traveling to Bethlehem to pay their taxes. When they arrived, Mary was in labor. Because so many traveled to pay their taxes, there was no room anywhere for them to stay. Jesus would be born where the animals were kept. It would be a stable or maybe a cave. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, which are nothing but torn rags to keep him warm and secure. He was laid in a manger, which is a feeding trough for the animals. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords birthday would be surrounded by lowliness and humility.
Luke 2:7 “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”
This birthday was quite different from others, but God would not allow it to go unnoticed. He sent an angel to the shepherds to announce His birth. These would have been men who were probably hired servants to watch the sheep. Another affirmation is that Christ came for all mankind.
Luke 2:12-15 “And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.”
On the other end of the spectrum, God revealed to Wise men, the Magi, where to find Jesus. At this time, Jesus would have been about two years old. These were educated men, men of distinction, and we knew they were men of probable wealth because of the gifts they brought to the child. They brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Matthew 2:9-11 “When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”
In Luke chapter 2, we find an old man, Simeon, who was at the temple when Mary and Joseph went to present Jesus to God at the temple. The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not see death until he had seen the Messiah. Anna was also at the temple that day. She was a widow who was 84 years old and had devoted her life to prayer and fasting day and night. Both Simeon and Anna were longing and waiting for the Messiah.
The birth of Jesus was a gift for all mankind. It was a gift to the poorest and the richest, the educated and ignorant, the vilest sinner, and the one who is seen by man as a good person. This birth would change the world. Has this birthday changed your world? Have you surrendered to the baby who is the Son of God? If not, now is the time for you to have a new birthday, a spiritual birthday, that all must experience if we are to spend eternity with God.
