The True Meaning of Christmas

Well, our story starts with a virgin woman by the name of Mary. Now, according to noted Bible scholar Mark Lowry (okay, Christian comedian/singer Mark Lowry), "My college professor (Mark attended Liberty University) said she was thirteen years of age. Now, I don't know where he got that in the Bible, but I learned a lot of things in Bible college I never read in the Bible."¹ Anyway, the angel Gabriel came to see Mary and told her that, because God favored her, she would give birth to God's son, Jesus. Immaculate conception and all. I wonder how Mary's parents reacted to this? "Really, Mom, God did this!"²

We do know how her soon-to-be husband, Joseph, responded. He was ready to get rid of her; after all, it did appear that she had been unfaithful to him. That is, until an angel of the Lord (may or may not have been Gabriel) came to him and told him much the same thing that Gabriel had told Mary. After that, Joseph did, in fact, take Mary as his wife.

They were from Nazareth, but they had to go to Bethlehem for a census. The King James Version refers to it as being taxed. Much the same thing; when Rome told you to jump, you jumped. Either way, it was off to Bethlehem for Joseph and a very pregnant Mary. When they got there, they found, much to their chagrin probably, that there was no room for them at the inn. Maybe they should have phoned ahead for reservations? Oh, wait, way too early for that.

Anyway, they eventually found a stable to stay in. Mary gave birth to Jesus there. She wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger. Think about that. Jesus, the Son of God, came to Earth, not in heavenly proclamation, not with God's voice rumbling across all the lands announcing his birth, not in luxury, but in very humble surroundings, with no fanfare. Somehow fitting that the Lamb of God would be born in a stable, though, isn't it?

Okay, there was some heavenly pronouncement. Not to King Herod, or Caesar, or other elites. Shepherds, watching over their sheep, were the first to be informed about the birth of the saviour. Again, shepherds were the first to be told about the birth of the Lamb of God. Great symbolism. An angel of the Lord appeared, and it scared the shepherds to no end. But then the angel said to them, "Look up, fear not... Behold the Messiah's come, the one of whom you've read."³ Suddenly a great multitude of angels appeared, singing, "Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, good will to men." Again quoting Mark Lowry, "That's what I love about angels. They can't keep a secret".⁴ So of course, Jesus's first visitors on Earth were lowly shepherds. Then of course, the shepherds blabbed all about Jesus to the countryside. That's the thing about good news; you can't keep it to yourself.

Then of course, there came the magi, or wise men. How many were there, and where did they come from? Nobody knows, and somewhere from the east. You see, God had placed a bright star over Jesus's accommodations. This was probably some time after Jesus's birth and circumcision, described in Luke chapter 2.

When King Herod heard about them coming to see the one born King of the Jews, he (Herod, not Jesus) was unsettled. Calling the magi, he found out what he could about Jesus. Herod had, at that time, decided to kill the newborn Messiah. He did a fair job of acting, even asking the magi to return after visiting Jesus to tell him WHERE JESUS WAS, so he, King Herod, could go and worship him. Of course, after seeing Jesus, the magi didn't return to Herod. They had been warned in a dream not to go back, no doubt by an angel of God, so they didn't. This would lead to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph fleeing to Egypt, for Herod soon ordered all male infants no older than two years executed. No way some upstart kid was getting Herod's throne!

Anyway, before leaving for home, they did get to see Jesus. (Didn't I just mention that?) They brought Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This is probably why so many erroneously believe that there were three wise men. Can you imagine what Mary must have felt? The Bible says in Luke 2:19, "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Jesus came in all humbleness. Through him, we can know God and eternal life. And that is the true meaning of Christmas.