“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory was of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Once again it’s Christmas. Long ago, December 25 th was set aside to remember that Christ was born, and there has always been controversy surrounding it. No, it is not the very day He was born, and yes it is the day that a pagan holiday took place. The truth is that we don’t really know the day that Jesus was born, but we do know the importance of the fact that He was born.

Every year the idea behind remembering and celebrating our Savior’s birth becomes a little more obscure in this secular world. But for those of us who follow Him, this is a very special time of year. I’m not talking about Christmas trees and mistletoe or Santa Claus and reindeer or any of the pagan hoopla.
I’m talking about the birth of our King. Our God who created the universe entered His creation as a baby—the baby Jesus, and grew into manhood all so He could die a horrible death in order that we—His creation, would be spared an eternity in hell. That’s worth taking time to remember.

Sadly, there is much controversy surrounding this day. December 25 th was chosen because a pagan celebration already took place on that day and it was convenient to use the same day for both celebrations. I don’t know anybody who goes around wishing others a “merry pagan ritual day.” I’m not even sure anybody celebrates that pagan festival anymore, but celebrating Christ’s birth endures to this day.

Some people have made a solid case that Jesus was born in September, while others can support a day in April. The truth is, it is much more troubling that we celebrate His resurrection on the pagan fertility day Easter. We know when Christ was crucified and it was on the God ordained Passover.

For the moment let’s ignore all the debate about when Jesus was born; let’s rejoice in knowing that He was born and December 25th has become a tradition for Christians to gather together and focus on their Messiah—not just His birth, but also who He is and what He did.

As you sing “Joy to the World” and “Silent Night” allow yourself to listen to the words and marvel that God humbled Himself and became human in order to redeem mankind. By the way, you can sing those songs any day of the year. Christ was born and that is worth celebrating every day.

Whatever day He was born, His birth certainly changed many lives. Joseph is often an overlooked person in the story. He was a man chosen by God to provide for and protect the infant King of kings. He and Mary weren’t married but were promised to each other when suddenly she was going to have a baby.

Joseph must have been heart-sick. How could he marry a woman who was pregnant out of wedlock? He would have been within his rights to have her stoned, but could he actually do that? God knew that he had misgivings and sent an angel to reassure Joseph:

“But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 1:20).

Joseph must have had some reservations about being the earthly father to the Messiah, but he acted upon this revelation immediately.

“Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS” (Matthew 1:24-25).

Joseph didn’t waste time thinking about whether the dream was real or if it was just his imagination, but he immediately obeyed. God needs more men like Joseph who know God’s truth and want to do what is right in God’s eyes, but who also recognize when they receive directions from God. Men who do the right thing and let God direct their way.

Mary also had an encounter with the angel. He told her that she had found favor with God and that she would have a son.

“And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” ( Luke 1:31-33).

Did Mary argue? No, but she was a bit confused. She was a virgin and not married. She wasn’t sure how she could become pregnant. Remember Abraham and Sarah? They were very old when God told Abraham he would father a son with Sarah. Instead of asking His plan and waiting on the Lord, Abraham and Sarah “helped” God by using Hagar to bear Abraham’s son. The entire thing just didn’t work out well and they should have trusted God.

On the other hand, Mary simply asked “how?”

“And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

Mary had no idea that after giving birth to the Savior of the world she would one day stand at the foot of the cross where He was crucified. She was just willing to do what God asked of her. We need more women like Mary who don’t try to “help” God accomplish His plan by using human thinking. Mary was only human, but when God asked her to accomplish a miracle she simply wanted to know how.

The first people to receive the announcement that the Savior was born where shepherds. They saw a marvelous sight! First there was one angel.

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a mange” Luke 2:10-12.
Did you catch that? The joy is for all people. That means the joy was for Joseph and Mary, the shepherds, all of the disciples, as well as for you and me.

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” ( Luke 2:13-14).

You can feel their joy! The angels just had to praise God. They were filled with joy but have you ever asked yourself why? It was one of their own who had rebelled against God and took many angels with him in his rebellion. Satan (Lucifer) lied to Eve who in turn convinced Adam to taste the forbidden fruit and thus they were separated from God. The angels were full of joy because the Child in the manger was the only One who could redeem mankind from Adam’s sin.

Jesus didn’t come to redeem angels. He only came to redeem mankind. That tiny baby boy who brought forth such joyous praises from the heavenly host was God incarnate. That little baby boy surrounded by shepherds who had come in from the fields to view and be a part of the miracle that night was the full representation of God Almighty

“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9).

Did they recognize God lying in that manger? The angels said they would find Christ the Lord wrapped in swaddling clothes so they knew who they were looking for. We need more men like those shepherds. They heard that the Savior had been born, and knew they had to find Him.

The manger scene is indeed a beautiful remembrance of our Savior’s birth. Each person did what God asked of them and met the Savior. The Christmas season brings numerous messages of love and compassion for all of us. Giving is an important part of Christmas. Mary gave birth to a child, but God the Father gave His son.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

The reason for Christmas is to remember that God, displaying His grace and mercy toward His creation in an act of unselfish love, humbly entered His creation as a baby. The little baby who had been placed in the manger grew into a man and willingly did His Father’s will. He taught the masses the way of the kingdom of God.
He walked on water, healed the sick, and eased the fears of His disciples as He calmed the seas and dispelled every attempt by Satan to destroy Him. He gave His life so we can live eternally with Him. Why shouldn’t we stop and remember His birth? It wasn’t in December, but we need to remember.

The traditions that most people practice this time of year have very little to do with the birth of Jesus. We buy gifts, plan trips to be with family, indulge in festive dinners, and many more things that preoccupy our time. Do Christians really keep the birth of Jesus first on their mind at Christmas? Probably not like we should. How many people, Christian or secular, remember the pagan overtones of the season? Very few. Most of what is done on Christmas is just tradition and nothing else.

Family and friends get together and make happy memories. We take time to send greetings to people we care about who live many miles away. Many hearts are softened and people give generously to charity. These are things we should do in April, September, December, and throughout the year. We need to learn the lessons that Joseph, Mary, and the shepherds have to teach us.

We need to be willing to obey God’s urgings, even when we don’t understand His ways. We need to always look for Him, even in the lowliest of circumstances. From the angels we learn to sing with joy because of His birth, His life, His death, and His resurrection. Indeed, this is a wonderful time of year when we enjoy the sights and sounds which envelop our senses.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1.)

Celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ…the Word who became flesh. While we remember Jesus’ birth let’s not forget the reason He came—to set men free.

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

We love you Lord Jesus. You are our God, Savior, King, Brother and Friend.

God bless you all,
Ron and Nathele Graham

Many people base their idea of what the Bible says upon traditions of men. The story of the “three kings” is one of those events where Bible fact and man’s tradition differ.

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem” (Matthew 2:1).

Nativity scenes show the baby Jesus surrounded by Joseph, Mary, shepherds with lambs, and more than likely an angel or two. There are also three kings bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Though this makes for nice Christmas plays and nativity scenes, the facts are a little off. These men weren’t kings. The Greek word for king is basileus which means “leader of the people, prince, commander, lord of the land, king.”

Matthew describes these men as mago, defined as “the name given by the Babylonians (Chaldeans), Medes, Persians, and others, to the wise men, teachers, priests, physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreters of dreams, augers, soothsayers, sorcerers etc.”” They came from the East and many scholars believe that these men were members of a sect that began in Babylon with Daniel, who took prophecy seriously and never turned from his Jewish faith.

The wise men were looking for the one who was born to be King and their first stop was Jerusalem. That’s where the search for the one born King of the Jews would logically begin.

“Saying, ‘Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him’” (Matthew 2:2).

The text doesn’t say that the star had led them to Jerusalem, just that they had seen His star and came to worship.

“When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born” (Matthew 2:3-4).

When Herod was troubled, quite often someone would die. He had no problem killing family members, so it’s no wonder all Jerusalem was troubled. He went to those who should have known where Christ was to be born, but these men weren’t very different from us today. They read Scripture, but didn’t pay attention to it. Even though they lived only a short distance from Bethlehem, they made no effort to find Christ.

The wise men traveled hundreds of miles to worship Him, yet the priests and scribes could not be troubled to go 5 or 6 miles to find Him. What about us? We don’t have to travel hundreds of miles to find Him, nor do we have to make a short 6 mile trip. Christians have God’s Word within reach and we can always pray…we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Many who claim to be Christians don’t seek after Christ. These in-name-only Christians may have read Scripture and have some head knowledge of it, but when it comes to seeking Christ they are like the chief priests and scribes. Everything else comes ahead of truly seeking Christ and they certainly don’t worship Him.

A prophecy in the book of Micah disclosed where the Messiah would be born.

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).

Oh, little town of Bethlehem! We sing the song about this City of David, but seldom search out the prophecy surrounding it. We are very much like the Jewish leaders who read Scripture but just didn’t believe it was meant for their time in history. We need to study prophecy today to see what God tells us to look for in our time in history. It might cause you to be more like the wise men and diligently seek Christ.

Herod began plotting.

“Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also” (Matthew 2:7-8).

What a guy. He said he wanted to worship the young child, but he lied. Herod didn’t want to worship, he wanted to destroy. How about you? Do you claim to be a Christian and say you want to worship Him, but do your actions show otherwise? If you claim Christ as your Saviour, then your life should reflect His truth. If you love Him you will seek Him and your life will show Him living in you.

It’s clear that when the wise men arrived Jesus was not a newborn baby (brephos) but a young child (paidion).

“When they had heard the king, they departed; and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy” (Matthew 2:9-10).

After their meeting with King Herod they saw the star again and were filled with joy. This time the star led them. It led them to the house where Jesus was. God wanted these wise men, who many scholars were believe were Gentiles, to find Jesus. Jesus was born King of the Jews but salvation through Him is for all people.

“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11).

There were three gifts so it is assumed there were three wise men, though God’s Word doesn’t say how many there were. It makes for a nice song, but Scripture is silent as to how many there were. Notice, too, that they found Mary and Jesus in a house (oikia), not a manger (phatnē). We don’t know how much time had passed, but this was not the very night when Jesus was born and the shepherds found Him in a manger. The wise men did worship Him.

This young child hadn’t performed any miraculous healings or raised anyone from the dead, nor had He died on the cross to purchase their redemption, yet the wise men worshipped Him. They recognized who He was and knew they had found the One they had sought after. Today we can look back on all that Christ did, but do we worship Him?

Herod wanted the wise men to return and tell him where to find the young Child, but worship was far from his heart. He had murder planned. God warned the wise men in a dream not to return to Herod, and they wisely listened to Him.

Through prophecy, God reveals what will happen. Since God is not constrained by time He sees our future and warns us. Those who listen to Him find comfort and protection, but those who do ignore prophecy get caught off guard. God sent an angel in a dream to Joseph telling him to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt.

God always provides for us, and the treasures the wise men brought probably financed the trip to Egypt. Joseph was an obedient man and acted immediately, thus Herod’s plot to kill Jesus failed. Sadly though, he killed many young children and babies in his fury.

“Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men” (Matthew 2:16).

Yes, when Herod was troubled, people died. Herod wanted to be sure he killed Jesus so he ordered the mass murder of every child 2 years old and younger. This murderous madman fulfilled prophecy.

“Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not” (Matthew 2:17-18).

Herod was an evil man, but he could not have accomplished his wickedness if there hadn’t been men willing to follow his directions. God’s Word discloses that times will get perilous as we near the end of time. Hitler was a murderous madman, as are those Muslims who torture, behead, and mutilate Jews and Christians. Wake-up brethren and study prophecy.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come” (2 Timothy 3:1).

We are living in perilous times.

After Herod died, God once again sent an angel to tell Joseph that it was safe to return to Israel. The escape to Egypt and the subsequent return to Israel fulfilled prophecy.

“And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son” (Matthew 2:15).

Writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Matthew’s Gospel confirms that the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus which fulfilled numerous prophecies. The entire Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit and we can trust the prophecies for our time to be fulfilled just as God discloses in His Word.

Some thirty-three years after His birth, Jesus was nailed to a cross of wood, and as Dr. Chuck Missler likes to remind us, “He made the hill on which it stood.” I’ve often wondered if I’d lived during the years of Jesus’ incarnation would I have been a disciple of His or would I have been a skeptic? Would I have been one of those in the crowd screaming “Crucify Him” or would I have hid with Peter.

If I had been a student of prophecy at that time, I would have understood the times in which I lived, and would have been watching for the Messiah. I didn’t live then, but I am thankful that God chose to humble Himself in order to redeem His creation from sin. Prophecy reveals that He will soon return to take His rightful place on the throne of David as King of kings. His reign will be eternal.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

The angel confirmed this prophecy when he spoke to Mary about the Child to which she would give birth.

“He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:32-33).

This prophecy is still waiting to be fulfilled. Christians have a place in God’s plan, but the nation of Israel does, too, and one day the Messiah will sit on the throne of David and reign eternally. God is not through with the nation of Israel and every Christian needs to be in prayer for her.

Prophecy is the key to understanding what God did in the past, and to open our eyes to what He will do in the very near future. The wise men searched for Him because they saw His star and they wanted to worship Him. King Herod wanted to find Him to kill Him. Soon our Lord will return to take His rightful place on the throne of David as King of kings. If you are wise you will diligently seek Jesus Christ and worship Him.

God bless you all,

Ron and Nathele Graham