The Message Behind The Birth Of Christ
THE MESSAGE BEHIND THE BIRTH OF CHRIST
Christmas is fast approaching and I guess everybody is making preparations towards it. Christmas, as we all know, is celebrated by Christians to herald the birth of Jesus Christ.
In the midst of the Christmas euphoria, I believe there’s a message the birth of Jesus has for humanity. 700 hundred years before Jesus was born, Isaiah prophesied saying “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel (God is with us). Butter and honey, shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good”.
Just as Isaiah prophesied, Jesus was born in Bethlehem in a manger. Some astrologers who studied the stars saw the star of Jesus. As a result, they followed it and came to worship him with Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.
It was prophesied that a savior who is the son of God will be born to save this world. He is the prince of peace. Per his pedigree, one would have expected his birth to be in a grand or royal manner but that wasn’t the case. He was the son of the King of Kings but his entry into the world wasn’t that of royalty. Right from inception, his birth was riddled with controversy and contradiction. He was born of a virgin and barring spiritual connotations, others would say he was born out of wedlock. He even qualifies to be called a bastard. As if that wasn’t enough, his parents were poor. The Bible didn’t specify the occupation the mother engaged in but his stepfather was just an ordinary Carpenter. This is someone who carried the presence of the creator of the world but when he was born, the inhabitants of the world didn’t notice his presence. It was only three wise men who recognized his star and came to pay obeisance to his priesthood with Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.
He was of royal descent but King’s sought to kill him. It was foretold that “But and honey shall he eat” but ironically, his first abode was in a manger.
But did all these factors stop him from becoming who he was created to be? No!! Did all these factors prevent Him from accomplishing his earthly mission? Hell No!! At the tender age of 12, He began asking intriguing questions and many were amazed, at his intelligent answers. He went on to become a great teacher and taught people older than Him. He spread the Gospel which was the truth to dispel all the lies that clouded people’s judgment when it came to doctrines. The Savior of the world whose birth was unknown to many became the most sought-after person on earth when he began following his purpose. He went on to heal the sick, raised the dead and fed thousands of people. Ultimately, he accomplished His sole purpose by dying for humanity in order to save it. Jesus who was once lonely ended up making disciples out of people.
Many people opined that nothing good can come from Nazareth but the life of this Jesus shut the naysayers up. For the first time, something good came out of Nazareth. This man’s life challenged and dispelled the negative narrative about Nazareth. Not only did something good come out of Nazareth but that good thing (Jesus) is the most powerful force on earth (Christianity).
If there’s one cue to take from the birth of Jesus Christ, it is this; “Your Origin, Doesn’t Determine Your Destiny”. Most times, we allow our formative childhood experiences to influence our outlook towards life. We allow the negativity surrounding our birthplace and the circumstances in which we were born as an excuse to fail in life. Jesus rose above the poverty surrounding him. He rose above the opinions of the naysayers. His life made a fool out of the fortune tellers. The chronicles of his life (The Bible) is the most read book in the world today.
All these came to pass because He chose to turn a blind eye to the impediments surrounding him. He chose to focus on his earthly mission. He chose to turn a deaf ear, to the opinions of naysayers. He chose to blaze a trail for people to follow, rather than following the masses. He didn’t wait for the world to validate his worth. He challenged the world by living his purpose which had a ripple effect on it. The only way to live beyond all our predicaments is to live a purpose driven life rather than an excuse driven life.
This is the message the birth of Jesus has for humanity. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.