Today is day two of our count down till Christmas day. It is not my purpose here to retell the simple story of the birth of Jesus, which is narrated so beautifully in Luke’s Gospel. But there are certain events or facts closely associated with the birth of Jesus that provide indications of the objectives to be gained by His advent. He comes first to reveal God the Father. Zacharias calls Him the One to be born "..the Dayspring from on high," who will give light to those who sit in darkness" (Luke 1:78-79). Welsh poet George Herbert, described the event of his advent well when he wrote:
“The God of power, as he did ride
In his majestick robes of glorie
Resolv’d to light; and so one day
He did descend, undressing all the way”
The second chapter of Luke not only focuses on Jesus as the Savior of the world, but it also focuses on the events of His early life. “You shall call his name Jesus,” said the angel, “for he will save people from their sins.” The arrival of Jesus marked one of the great turning points of time. It marked the moment when God interfered directly, decisively, and dramatically in human affairs to deal with the age-old problem of human sin.
In the previous chapter, Luke's record of the annunciation to Mary (1:26-38), her visit to Elizabeth (1:39-45), the birth and childhood of John (1:57-80), the birth of Jesus, the coming of the shepherds and the announcement of the angels (2:8-20), the circumcision of Jesus (2:21), the presentation of Jesus in the temple (2:22-24), the praise of Simeon and Anna in the temple (2:25-38), a short narrative about Jesus’ childhood (2:40, 51-52), his growth and advancement in wisdom and favor (2:51-52).
How can we learn from our reading today? The passage in Luke 2 reveals the maturing years of Jesus as a young boy. The passage also teaches us that Jesus humbled himself to await God’s timing by allowing Himself to reach full maturity both physically and in wisdom. Luke shows us Christ’s connection with the human race. He underlines the fact that Jesus was truly human. It is a humbling to know that God came to be with man. He became Emmanuel, God with us!
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