At Christmastime we forget that we are celebrating the birth of One who was One with God. The One who decided with God to descend to earth by leaving behind His rightful throne at the right hand of the Father and become fully-human and fully-dependent on the King for all matters, while on earth. This was not an idea that just sprung up.
This whole plan was Created thousands of years before the birth of Jesus and was being shared with the world for over a thousand years. Imagine, the message of Jesus was made known at least three thousand years ago from today and over a thousand years before His actual birth. God calling out to all humankind to prepare, prepare to receive Him. Jesus came to the world as one of us, but I imagine that the circumstances were worse than ours, yet we romanticize that event.
Don’t let me mislead you, excitement would come and it did, but first to a very poor group of people including Mary, Joseph and the shepherds. The first visitors Jesus receives are the shepherds.
These shepherds are important, because their visit indicates to me what I’ve been saying for 50 years: Jesus is the “Lamb of God.” These shepherds seal that truth. It is no coincidence that they become the first visitors. They see Jesus for who and what He is: the Lamb of God who is laid to rest on a trough or the feeding box of the animals. This gives way for all of us to come to Jesus, after all, as the Lamb of God; He will die for me and all of us that choose to go to Him.
“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” Luke 2:16-18. The trough where he lay after birth and the visit of the “special” shepherds clearly identify Jesus and to us is revealed God’s great plan of salvation for all humankind.
In His adult years, Jesus truly demonstrates how He felt about children. Even the following teaching puts to shame all who say to be above all others. Besides that, Jesus even told His disciples to let the children come to me. He touched many and many touched Him. Imagine being touched by not just a King, but by the King of Kings or even in a deeper sense, being touched by the Divine Himself.
“Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:4)
A Merry Blessed Christmas to all! Feliz Navidad.