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. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:30-33).

This is the day that many in the world set aside to consider the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.  It is important for us to take note that God never commands us to observe the birth of His Son, and we have no example from the New Testament of such an observance.  We do not even know the day of His birth – December 25 was fixed hundreds of years later, and more because of the pagan festivals that surround that date than anything from the Scriptures.  Since the shepherds were out at night with the flocks (Luke 2:8), it is most likely that He was born in spring or fall.

Nevertheless, the birth of Jesus is an important event.  It is the moment at which the Word becomes flesh and dwells among mankind (John 1:1, 14).  It is the occasion of the miracle of the virgin birth (Matthew 1:22-23).  It is also the beginning of the fulfillment of the hope of Israel– and it is the feeling of hope that is about to come to pass that makes the story of Jesus’ birth so memorable.  Isaiah spoke of the one who would prepare the way of the Lord (Isaiah 40:3-5) and Malachi speaks of the Elijah to come (Malachi 4:5-6); the angel Gabriel told Zechariah that his son would fulfill these things (Luke 1:13-17).

As a good Jewish girl, Mary would know all the predictions that were made about the Messiah – born to be the King, the One favored by God (cf. Isaiah 9:1-5, 11:1-10, etc.).  And then the angel Gabriel comes to her and tells her that the child she will bear by the Holy Spirit will fulfill these things.  He will be called great, the Son of the Most High.  He would receive the throne of David.  His Kingdom would never end.

These promises were no longer in the distant future.  They were here in the flesh.  God’s great plan was being realized in the flesh (Ephesians 3:11)!

The Good News of Jesus of Nazareth begins here.  In the messages of the angel Gabriel and the Holy Spirit through Zechariah, Mary, Simeon, and Anna, we learn how Jesus will overturn the way the world works (Luke 1:47-55), suffer and die (Luke 2:35), but would rule over a Kingdom without end (Luke 1:30-33), and would be light of revelation to both Jew and Gentile (Luke 2:31-32, 38).  Redemption was here!

Jesus of Nazareth was not born on December 25, but we can take advantage of the focus on Jesus’ birth to proclaim the message of His birth, life, death, resurrection, and lordship, just as Gabriel and the Holy Spirit did in those days of pregnant expectation so long ago.  Let us find our hope in God’s redemption through Jesus Christ, and proclaim the wonder of Jesus in our lives!

lesson by Ethan R. Longhenry