Did you know Jesus wasn’t born on December 25th?
Christmas remembers when the Magi (commonly wrongly called ‘wise men’ or ‘kings’) visited Jesus a couple of years after He was born…not on His birthday!
There are so many incredible parts of this story, many are tempted to call it a myth. Honest research will reveal that despite the improbability, the events are backed by overwhelming evidence.
Which aspects are the hardest to believe?
– the fact that there were so many pin point accurate prophecies about this event:
Thousands of years before Jesus was born, prophets told of His coming. Not like the vague & ridiculous ramblings of others, these specific writings told of things that were impossible to orchestrate or fake. Of 322 prophecies about the Messiah, the odds for *just 48* prophecies being fulfilled by one person are one in 10 exp 157 (that’s over 150 zeros!) but they all were fulfilled by Jesus!
– the fact that the shepherds were able to find Jesus in the manger the same night He was born:
When told by angels that the King had been born in Bethlehem, it would have been an impossible task to find Him. How many inns? How many stables? How many mangers (animal feeding trough)? But the shepherds knew that this would be *the* stable: MIGDAL EDER a special stable devoted to breeding lambs that were perfect, without any defects, for the sole purpose of being sacrificed to take away the sins of the world.
When a lamb was born & found to be perfect, the priest would cut some cloth off his robe & wrap (swaddle) the lamb in it declaring it worthy of its’ purpose.
– the fact that these ‘Magi’ were looking for the forecast Jewish Messiah:
These learned men where an esteemed part of a pagan nation – one a long way from Bethlehem – so how did they know what to look for?
Because of Daniel – that’s right, the one thrown in to the lions den and saved by God. The pagan king gave him much authority which meant that generations afterwards would read the prophecies of the coming Messiah.
– the ’star’ the Magi followed that ‘moved’ and directed them to where Jesus was born:
A star ‘moving’ is enough to have many scoff, though tracing back the orbits of the planets to the time when Jesus was born (3BC) shows clearly what accounts for this phenomenon… Jupiter (the King planet) and Venus (the Mother Planet) came together making what would have been the brightest object in the sky to the visible eye. Jupiter then continues its’ course but then seems to reverse (due to retrograde motion) right above…Bethlehem!
This was all the more amazing as the stars had ‘declared’ 9 months earlier: ‘King’, ‘King’, ‘King’ (among many other things).
– the fact that one of the most influential rulers of all time was alive at this same time:
Octavian, (later known as Augustus), defeated enemies, unified his land, became sole ruler, oversaw the transition from republic to empire and through his rules 200 years of unprecedented peace and set up the empire to last 400 years. He could have been the richest and most powerful man that had ever lived and was likely histories most successful political leader of all time. His legacy is evident today from our calendar (even one month is named after him) and political structures still mimicking his. Yet he remains largely unknown, the most notorious passage about Him a mere footnote in the Bible describing his decision to take a census.
This amazing emperor was over-shadowed by The King, a vulnerable baby with no entourage, no wealth, no status, lying in a cow trough!
One rode a donkey, the other a stallion
One led by example, the other by demands.
One ruled by faith, the other through force.
One sought humility, the other sought power.
One pursued sacrifice, the other chased recognition.
One praised the gentle, the other praised the strong.
One encouraged compassion, the other revenge.
One preached love, the other loyalty.
One emptied Himself of being God, the other tried to make himself into a ‘God’
One died for others, the other killed for self.
– the fact that so many people were suddenly willing to die for Him:
After Jesus was raised back to life, He spent time with some 500 people. Some of these people were His enemies. Some were cowards. Some had lucrative positions. Some were entrenched in religious orders. But their response was same: unflinching devotion to Jesus even in the face of torture or death. Nothing to gain, they were captivate and transformed by their encounter with the risen Lord Jesus Christ.
– that the Creator of everything, God Himself, would visit this planet stooped in sin:
Jesus has always existed as God. He created everything, was and is perfect in all aspects, and was One with the Father. Complete purity & unity. But He was willing to give *all* of that up to come on a rescue mission.
Coming to earth as a vulnerable baby, living a poor life, learning a trade and refusing to sin even once. His life was exemplary in all areas, completely selfless, serving others and giving up the ‘right’ to live a happy, long, fulfilling or family life.
Willing to be rejected, hated, scorned, condemned, tortured and even killed by the very ones He came to save.
This last point will keep anyone genuinely converted by Him content and filled with joy no mater how long they live…
I pray that you would discover the reality of His gift to you this Christmas!