Matthew 1:18-25 NLT, Luke 2:1-20

God wrote the story of the entrance of King Jesus into this world in an unexpected way. Not only did He choose unlikely candidates for the parents of a King, but God also chose the humblest of circumstances under which to introduce us to Jesus. Most of us would not have written Mary and Joseph into the story: a young, unmarried girl of a lowly station and a carpenter of an even lowlier station, the parents of a King? Neither would we have added to the plot the scandal of a pregnancy outside of marriage or repurposed an animal trough as a bed for Jesus. But this was God’s story to write, not ours, and He wrote it with His plan and His purpose in mind.

Mary was engaged to Joseph and became pregnant before they were married. Under Jewish law, Mary could be stoned to death for not remaining a virgin until she was married. Joseph must have felt shame and embarrassment when he discovered his future wife was pregnant, knowing he had never had relations with her. However, instead of pursuing justice under Jewish law, which would likely have meant Mary’s death, Joseph decided to “break the engagement quietly” because he “was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace [Mary] publicly”.

Joseph’s choice saved Mary’s life but did not relieve her from the devastating consequences of a broken engagement: she would have no way to take care of herself and her child and she would still have to endure the shame of a pregnancy without a husband. Although Mary knew the child she carried was special, the reality of bringing this child into the world alone must have been overwhelming; imagine how scared Mary must have been.

Difficult Choices

Before Joseph could break off the engagement, an angel appeared to him with a message of encouragement: “Joseph, son of David, …do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” I wonder how many times Joseph replayed that angelic visit in his head and wondered if it was real? Ultimately Joseph acted in obedience and took Mary as his wife. And God’s story continued.

God chose the humblest of circumstances under which to bring the King into this world. We know from Luke’s account that Mary and Joseph traveled to Joseph’s ancestral home, Bethlehem and while there Mary had the baby Jesus. Mary and Joseph were unable to find lodging, so they made a bed for Jesus out of a feeding trough and laid Him down in it. This was another unexpected plot twist in God’s developing story; one that you and I probably wouldn’t have written into this story because we would never expect to find a king in a trough.

Humble Circumstances

The birth of a king is an important event, yet God chose to announce the birth to shepherds in a field: shepherds that were considered so untrustworthy they could not even testify in court. Once again God used unlikely characters to play an important role in the story of the birth of Jesus. Why didn’t God make the announcement to someone with more stature, someone more important in the eyes of the world, someone the world would listen to?  

When you look at the events surrounding Jesus’ birth you won’t find anything that indicates the birth of a king. Everything about Jesus’ birth cried out ordinary. As the author of this story, God had a reason He used these unlikely characters and humbling circumstances to herald the birth of His Son. Matthew and Luke’s accounts of Jesus’ birth relay to us just the message God wanted us to hear: Jesus came for the young, He came for the poor, He came for those without a place to lay their head and those that society labels as misfits, or outcasts, or downright unworthy. Jesus came for them and to be able to relate to them, He must understand their circumstances by living in their circumstances. There was no kingly entrance onto this planet for Jesus because there was no kingly entrance onto this planet for you and for me.

Just like God wrote the story of Jesus’ birth, God is also writing the story of our lives. If we had a choice, we may not have written certain characters or circumstances into the manuscript of our lives, but like Mary and Joseph, we must trust God’s choices for our lives because ultimately, we can be assured that God’s story is more beautiful than anything we could have ever written.

Think about this:

Has there ever been a time when you wanted the story of your life to include different characters or a different plot? If so, how?

Has God ever used difficult circumstances in your life to bring about something extraordinary? If so, how?

Prayer Focus: Thank you God that you are the author of the story of my life. Although I would not have written some parts of my story like you did, I trust your plan and purpose for my life and I know that your story is more beautiful than anything I could have ever written. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.