The King Comes as Man
Luke 2:1-20
"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss you servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation."
(Luke 2:29-30)
Some years ago while at a social gathering in Pakistan, I was talking to a senior civil servant. He had heard that I was a pastor, so he asked me why. I said that I believed that the God who loves each one of us had come to earth as a helpless baby and shared our human life, showed us what He was like and had even died on the cross to take the blame for our sins so that we could live with Him forever. He looked into my eyes, and said, "That is the most beautiful thing I ever heard." In his eyes I saw afresh the wonder of God becoming man in Jesus.
I recently read Eric Metaxas' compelling biography of Dietrich Bonheoffer, the great German martyr and theologian killed by the Gestapo in 1945. One striking line of Bonheoffer's is, "No priest, no theologian stood at the cradle in Bethlehem. And yet all Christian theology has its origin in the wonder of all wonders that God became man. Alongside the brilliance of the Holy Night there burns the fire of the unfathomable mystery of Christian theology."
INSIGHT
"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John1:14). He is not a distant lawgiver. He is Emmanuel, God with us!
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Habakkuk 1-3
Proverbs 25
Revelation 6-7
Luke 2:1-20
The Birth of Jesus
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
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