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Matthew 1:18-25
By all outward appearances, Jesus was just an ordinary Jewish baby. He didn’t arrive with a halo or the visible presence of God’s glory. Apart from divine revelation, no one would have known that He was unlike any other human being ever born.
Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds all learned of Christ’s uniqueness from angels. But today we have the inerrant, divinely inspired Word of God to tell us who He truly is.
Jesus didn’t have a human father. In fulfillment of a prophecy given hundreds of years earlier to Isaiah (Isa. 7:14), Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit in a virgin’s womb.
He existed eternally before His birth. Another Old Testament prophet wrote about this baby born in Bethlehem, saying, “His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity” (Mic. 5:2).
Jesus was both born and given. The Lord declared that “a child will be born” signifying a human birth, yet at the same time “a son will be given” (Isa. 9:6). God gave His Son so that all who believe in Him could receive eternal life.
This baby is the Savior. He was destined to “save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). That’s why Joseph was told to name Him Jesus, which means “Yahweh is salvation.”
As Christians, we may be aware of all these truths. But it’s easy to get caught up in the sentimentality of the manger scene without falling down in worship at the wonder of God in human form. So let’s pause to consider how we truly view Jesus at Christmastime in order to give Him top priority.
Bible in One Year: 2 Peter 1-3
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