Divine Birth

Five-minute read.

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 

Luke 2:1-7

Luke records the miraculous birth of Jesus in seven verses, 126 words detailing the Savior’s entrance into the world. After the long narrative in chapter one, the doctor keeps things brief as he writes about the event that changed the world and our calendar. BC stands for Before Christ, and AD stands for Anno Domini, Latin for 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, counting the years since Jesus’ birth. Somehow, I feel like the birth of the Savior should take more words to describe. Praise God for Jesus and His humble entrance into the world. 

Because of the census, Joseph took his family to Bethlehem to fulfill his civic duty. However, God had a divine purpose in the trip, fulfilling the prophecy about the birth of Jesus. Surrounded by animals, Mary gave birth to God’s Son. A few years ago, I joined a women’s group mainly comprised of young moms. Since I’ve never given birth, I found their tales of childbirth educational. Women have myriads of ways to give birth now, whether at home, with a midwife, in a hospital, or c-section versus natural; they plan how their child will enter the world. Mary didn’t have that luxury, nor did she have the aid of modern medicine. 

Childbirth often took the life of the mother in years gone by. Before modern conveniences, many women died while delivering new life to the world. Mary’s experience in an unsanitized environment with no one to help but her carpenter husband, who probably knew little about childbirth, doesn’t sound appealing.

But the Almighty had a plan and provided everything the young mother needed.   

“The ordinary became extraordinary,” my husband said. 

Reading a commentary, the author (unknown to me) pointed out to my husband that we wouldn’t have recognized the extraordinary things He did if Jesus had not come into the world in an ordinary way. The more Ron meditated on that thought, the more extraordinary it became to him. No one would have thought Him extraordinary if Jesus’s birth came through royal means. But because He entered the world in the lowest of circumstances, people recognized the divine differences Jesus lived. 

We take for granted the luxuries Joesph’s family didn’t have. Mary traveled on the back of a donkey, not in a comfortable car. Jesus didn’t have a maternity ward to care for Him after His birth. Mary didn’t get an epidural when the pain overwhelmed her. Clean sheets didn’t wrap around the Savior’s body, God only knows where the swaddling came from and its condition. If you’ve ever toured a barn, you know the smell of hay and the amount of dust that comes with it. And with 126 words, Luke describes it all. But if we place ourselves in the moment and imagine the circumstances, we realize the immenseness of the miracle. 

“…𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘯.” 𝘓𝘶𝘬𝘦 2:7

Make room for Jesus this holiday season. Let the ordinary become extraordinary as you follow the Savior.

Prayer: 

Lord, thank You for the miraculous birth of Jesus and for Luke’s recording of the extraordinary event. As we move through our day, help us understand the magnitude of what happened that day long ago. Give us insight into the birth of the Savior we never saw before. Help us make room for Him in our hearts and souls as we tune our thoughts toward Him. 

IJNIP. Amen