While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:6-7 NABRE
As you can see, the above verses tell us how our Lord Jesus came into this world. And I am sure that right now, you might be thinking, how could someone who claimed to be the son of God, was born to a needy family.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Son of God, and God is the one who created everything we see and the things we cannot see. He is the one credited for calling into being what does not exist, giving life to the dead, and making a way where there is no way.
Then you may ask, couldn’t He then make a way for His own Son to be born in a decent place?
Well, we all know that God could do that and more; after all, He is God, right?
But here is the problem; God’s plan from the start was more than our little minds could possibly understand.
We all know that God had the power to bring His Son into this world surrounded with all the comforts we could ever imagine. But He chose a very humble family like Joseph and Mary to be the guardians of His Son instead of a royal family.
I recall, according to the Bible, the first time the Angel Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus to Mary, we would probably think that since Jesus is the Son of God, God would surely provide everything Joseph and Mary needed without any discomfort.
But we all know that it wasn’t that way.
Joseph and Mary went through tough times. The Scripture tells us in Matthew 2:13, how they had to flee to Egypt to save the baby’s life from Herod’s plan of killing all children under 2 years of age.
Now, imagine for a moment that you are Joseph and Mary.
Promised by the Angel of the Lord that both of you will be the parents (guardians) of the Son of God, and deep inside your hearts you think, on yes, our time of suffering is over now that God will finally smooth our ways and make things easy for us, but instead, you see danger and discomfort in every single corner you turn to.
What would your thoughts be?
Well, the average you and me would, without any hesitation, start questioning what was it that you did wrong that displeased God, and if not, why aren’t things going better?
The average you and me would immediately think that if we are facing this kind of discomfort and inconvenience it’s because maybe we have misread God’s will or that God had made a mistake.
But not so to this quiet couple, not so!
God did not soften Joseph’s bumpy road while going toward Bethlehem;
God did not provide a luxurious inn for Joseph and Mary when He decided to bring His Son into the world in humble surroundings; and even with that, they kept their faith.
So if you were to number all the sufferings that Jesus went through in His time on earth, you will find that all of them were quite humiliating.
- Having the power to choose who would be His parents, He chose a very humble couple – Joseph and Mary.
- Having the power to live in a Mansion, He literally had no place to stay; just as it is written in Matthew 8:19-20 …And one of the scribes came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
- On Palm Sunday. The day before His crucifixion, Jesus, who is supposed to be the King, appeared riding on a donkey instead of warhorse. Matthew 21: 1-9
- The Day of His crucifixion, when He was beaten and humiliated in front of His own mother, and having the power to fight back and even eliminate every single one of them with just a twitch of His finger, He chose to die like a criminal. Mark 15:20-34
And why did Jesus give it all up, allowing himself to live a life full of pain and misery, and even death on the Cross?
So that you and I may be saved from sin and misery.
Yes, that’s right; He gave it all up just for you and me so that we could be saved from sin and misery, and that we might have eternal life.
He humbled Himself for our sake; and what do we give Him in response?
Selfishness, envy, jealousy, full of pride, lack of love among men, constant killing of each other because of greed, and if I happen to have more money than my fellow man, then I am better than anyone else around me.
Is that the right way to live?
It hurts my heart to say it - but we are not united. The devil is more united than us because they work together.
Oh my people! What else do you need as proof that God is a loving God and that He only wants good for us. How long will it take for you to stop your evil ways and choose to turn to God and do right before Him?
Let us all be united in Christ and beg our Father in Heaven to give us the grace to say no to evil. Let us come together in Christ and ask our Father in Heaven so that He may bless us with love, forgiveness, unselfishness, and most of all, that we may abide in His Son.
You see, when we choose to do God’s will, we are not guaranteed comfort and convenience! But we are promised that everything, even discomfort and inconvenience, has meaning in God’s plan. He will guide us and provide all our needs. Just like Joseph, we must live each day by faith, trusting that God is in charge.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for our sake He became poor, so that through His poverty we might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9
Prayer:
I am a sinner. Forgive me for all the moments I have offended you.
Thank you for guiding me and providing all my needs just like you did for Joseph and Mary.
With your mercy, may you let everything I say and do be pleasing to you, In Jesus Name I pray Amen.
