Bethany Baptist Church

Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king. Matthew 2:1

Think about this; we mention our birthdays with a date, month, and year, right? We place ourselves in history after those details. Why? I guess that's all that is important to us, so we can get our birth certificates and celebrate our birthdays. However, the birth of Jesus is recorded differently. He is uniquely placed in history. I see a few intriguing details in the above phrase from Matt.2:1; let me list them down for you.

Jesus was born - He never appeared, He was born. Jesus is God incarnated.

In Bethlehem - He was born in fulfillment of the OT prophecy. The Son of David was born in the hometown of David in fulfillment of God's covenant promises. God is faithful.

In the days - there is a strong emphasis on time and history. He was not just a character of an ancient legend, but he was born in a time and history. God condescended into time and history as God-Man, servant.

Of Herod - He was born during the time of one of the most powerful kings who ever ruled over Judea. Herod would ensure that no threat ever existed for him, he would eliminate any form of threat for his power. It's quite interesting to me that Jesus was born right under Herod's nose and survived. That phrase "of Herod" to me means that no power on earth could thwart God's plan at work. While Herod was hunting for Jesus, God preserved his Son in a manger and then in Egypt. Herod also offered himself as the hope for Israel but he never belonged to the line of Jacob and David as he was a descendant of Esau. Therefore, Jesus was born in the days of Herod, signifying that the real hope is not in what appears to be great in the palace but it is in a manger. God is powerful and works contrary to our expectations.

The birthday of Jesus is not simply identified against the details of the date. It is much stronger than that. The birth details of Christ are packed with theological messages for us. In this little detail of Matthew 2:1 is the reality of incarnation, God's faithfulness, God's condescension, God's power, and God's unexpected ways are displayed for us. May this Christmas season inspire us to stand in awe at God's work through Jesus Christ, His Son, and our saviour.