Characters in the Birth of Christ

Matthew 2:9-11 tells us about three wise men who followed the star which they saw in the East until they came to the place where Jesus was born. When they arrived, they found Mary, Joseph and the young child. Then they worshipped and presented their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Christ child.

When the wise men looked upon the baby Jesus, they saw the central character in the story of Christ's birth. He was the virgin-born Son of God. He was Emmanuel, God with us. He was the Christ, God in the flesh. As John wrote in the first chapter of his gospel, Jesus was the eternal Word who was present with God and was God in the beginning. John 1:14 says that the eternal Word became flesh and dwelt among us. It was through his human birth that Jesus became flesh.

Of course, Joseph and Mary were crucial characters. If we expand our view beyond the manger scene with Joseph, Mary, the baby Jesus and the wise men, the list of characters grow. Lowly shepherds who were at the bottom of society's statis board received the good news of the birth of Christ and visited Him. Zacharias and Elizabeth became characters when God gave Elizabeth, who was barren, the ability to conceive a son who would be called John the Baptist. He was six months older than Jesus and fulfilled the prophecy of the one who would come in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord.

There are other less well-known characters such as Simeon and Anna. Simeon was the just and devout man who had waited for the Consolation of Israel. God has promised him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Christ. Simeon was granted the privilege of holding the baby Jesus in His arms and blessing God for His goodness.

Anna was a prophetess who did not depart from the temple where she served God with fastings and prayers. She was granted the privilege of speaking of Jesus to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

What does this expansive list of characters associated with the birth of Jesus say to us? It says that God fulfills all His prophetic and redemptive purposes. The breadth of God's concern for humanity is demonstrated through the characters in the birth of Christ. God included wise men who studied stars and shepherds who took care of dumb, smelly sheep God.

In a very real sense, I am one of the characters in the birth of Christ. When He came as a little baby, Jesus came for the purpose of providing salvation for me. The angel declared, "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). When I accepted Christ as my Savior, His purpose of granting salvation to lost sinners was fulfilled in my life.

If you have received the Christ child as your Savior, I think you are a character in His birth also because His purpose has been fulfilled in your life. If you have never received Christ as your Savior, He is willing to become your Savior. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20).