At the appointed time in the plan of salvation, Christ was born for us. “When the set time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,” (Galatians 4:4).
In a heavenly setting far beyond anything Hollywood could produce, angels descend to Earth, stars change course, magi set out for Bethlehem guided by a star, and shepherds become legendary characters in a film that far surpasses anything our world could stage.Meanwhile, Herod plays his last card, while Joseph and Mary celebrate the birth of their child surrounded by animals in a Bethlehem stable, “because there was no guest room available for them” (Luke 2:7).
The shepherds are part of the divine plan, showing that salvation is accessible to everyone. The Magi receive the good news while it is still unclear to them, showing that grace does not bypass the souls of the wealthy and powerful. Even the cruel Herod fulfils the Lord’s prophecies: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping. . .” (Jeremiah 31:15), and “out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1).
From Nazareth to Bethlehem—the journey of faith
Mary represents God-fearing women for whom childbirth and the shaping of their children’s character are the noblest services on Earth. This humble woman from the countryside, with her modest background, becomes a historical symbol for women who transcend their human condition by intertwining it with God’s plan. From the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you'” (Luke 1:28), Mary becomes a human symbol of spreading good news. She is the vessel of the incarnation of the Most Holy One—”the mother of the Lord” (Luke 1:43). Mary did not give birth to the Unborn One; she was simply a woman of pure soul and body, given the grace to bear the mystery of the Lord’s incarnation. In the valley of the shadow of death, even good news is a double-edged sword. Years later, Mary’s pure heart would be pierced by the death of her beloved Son. In her tomb in Ephesus, Mary waits to hear the voice of her beloved Son upon His second coming.
According to the Gospels, Joseph had been married before. Jesus had older half-siblings: Joseph, Judas, and Simon (Mark 6:3). The God of Scripture gives people multiple chances and continues to believe in our success alongside Him. In defiance of human decadence, God sent His son to be born in a remote mountain village forgotten by the world, thereby nullifying the rhetoric of the time. “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46).
Nothing happens by chance. Every moment of that holy night bears the seal of eternity and the divine plan. God weaves this mixture of characters and events into a story that transcends time. In Bethlehem, a baby cries in a manger, a virgin prays silently, and angels sing with joy. The shepherds, the magi, and all of creation become part of a heavenly scene in which God’s love becomes Human.
There is good news for those far away, too
In a Jewish society struggling under the Pax Romana, the Annunciation arrives in time, like water saturating parched land. However, the news is received with enthusiasm by only a few people. “He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11), because they loved darkness more than light. Of all the witnesses to the Lord’s birth, the shepherds were probably the only Jews.
“In the fields where the boy David had led his flock, shepherds were still keeping watch by night. Through the silent hours they talked together of the promised Saviour, and prayed for the coming of the King to David’s throne.”[1] Even the king, Herod, who sat on the throne, was of Idumean descent—a descendant of Esau. Fearing for the safety of his throne, he unleashed a veritable genocide, slaughtering infants in Jerusalem en masse. Like a king in a game of thrones, Herod plays his last card, unaware that the game is slipping out of his control. The throne trembles beneath his feet, and the news of the birth of a “new king” disturbs him more than an army would. In his pride, he believes he can stop God’s plan with a sword and a command. However, it is precisely in this game of thrones that the King who will reign forever is born.
By contrast, the Bible portrays the sons of the East in a much more positive light. Characterised by the emblematic wisdom that only Solomon surpassed (1 Kings 4:30), they embark on an irreversible journey, guided by a star composed of a cluster of angels: “The wise men had seen a mysterious light in the heavens upon that night when the glory of God flooded the hills of Bethlehem. As the light faded, a luminous star appeared, and lingered in the sky. It was not a fixed star nor a planet, and the phenomenon excited the keenest interest. That star was a distant company of shining angels, but of this the wise men were ignorant.”[2]
Another route that leads home
One of their “prophets” had uttered a prophecy that would not be rewarded with gold and silver: “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel” (Numbers 24:17). The Jewish people had many prophecies about the birth of the Saviour, but the words of the prophets died on their lips because they did not keep pace with the light they had received. They were waiting for a king with a sword, not a baby in a manger. And yet, in the silence of Bethlehem, what the prophets had dreamed of came true: God with us. Like Caleb[3] the Kenizzite in ancient times, as well as Job, Jethro, and Ruth, the Magi are part of a chain of faithful people from the East who worship the Child. They are among those who will come “from east and west” to sit at the table in the Kingdom of God (Luke 13:29).
After their memorable encounter with the child born in the manger, the Magi returned home by a different route (Matthew 2:12). Could you return home by the same route after encountering Jesus?
Daniel Niţulescu takes us behind the scenes of Jesus’s birth, revealing how ordinary people, scholars, and rulers became actors in a story that changed the course of history through their obedience or disobedience.