“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.” Luke 2.16-20
Jesus was beyond royalty. His arrival on this earth could and should have been met with much fan fare. On the contrary, only a small band of shepherds, some wisemen from the East, a troupe of angels and his parents recognized his arrival.
Jesus‘ birth is without exception the most significant of a child in human history. The coming of the Messiah was highly anticipated by the Jews, and still is today for those who did not recognize Jesus as Savior. The birth of Jesus was also widely predicted in the Old Testament. (Click here to see the 44 scriptures fulfilled with the coming of Jesus as Messiah.) (More of this to come on Day Ten of “Ten Days of Christmas.”)
But for now, I want to focus upon the arrival of Jesus which was marked by those who actually saw him in his manger and the first to do so were the shepherds. They had been instructed by Gabriel, and then encouraged by a large host of angels, that the Messiah had been born. They decided among themselves that this should be investigated and so they “hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.”
Consider this for a moment. Jesus has just come into the world. Maybe it’s been a few hours since the baby Jesus arrived. The angels, when announcing to the shepherds, said, “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.” So it hadn’t been long. I imagine it had been a few hours at least because he was cleaned up, wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger.
The text tells us that when the shepherds saw Jesus, “they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” However, Mary did something unique, her respond was to “treasure up all these things and ponder on them in her heart.” Then the shepherds “returned, glorifying and praise God for all the hinges they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”
Jesus’s arrival was a big deal. It was huge. Although we have no great parades, the whole of the religious leaders at the Temple didn’t show up, the King Herod wasn’t present, but God brought just the right number of people together to acknowledge the arrival of His son and that was all it took for world to get out about his birth.
So what does this mean for us? His arrival into our hearts can be equally joyful. It’s not enough to know “about” Christ, we must know him personally. It’s not our parents or grandparents religion that will get us to heaven and help us know God — it is a personal, intimate, decision that we make to allow Jesus to be King of our souls.
He who was born in a manger can be born again in our hearts. Have you asked him to enter? Have you prayed for Jesus to be Lord, King and conquerer of all your sin and shame? Why not call upon the Lord today and allow his arrival in Bethlehem two thousand years ago to become an awakening in your life as well?
“O Lord God, I accept you into my heart. I give you my life. I confess that you died for my sins and that you did so in order that I might know you and walk with you all the days of my life. Come now, Holy Spirit, fill me with your love and power. I thank you for loving me and for allowing me to encounter you this day. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen