‘Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God…you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.” Luke 1: 30-31 (NKJV)
It’s Christmas time, and what a joyous occasion it is as we reflect on the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Yes! We know Jesus was not born on the 25th. Astrologers are still attempting to determine the exact time, which remains a mystery. However, what is not mysterious is that the Son of God, our Saviour, came to save the world from sin.
If we go back to the book of Ruth in the Old Testament, we see the Bethlehem account unfolding as God dropped hints and changed the trajectory of history and what it meant to be part of the kingdom. In Ruth 1, we see tragedy after tragedy. By the end of this chapter, a woman had returned to Bethlehem, which means ‘House of Bread’. Naiomi, who asked to be called Mara (meaning bitter), brought with her a young woman, a foreigner, a woman whom the Jews considered cursed because of idol worship.
The stage was set for the coming Messiah, and Ruth was positioned to be named in His lineage. What does this all mean? Bethlehem – the ‘House of Bread’ was now home to the Bread of Life; Ruth was a foreigner and idol worshipper when she came to Bethlehem. There was no hope that she would remarry and bear children, more so for a Jew.
In Mary, another young woman was given a proclamation: Who would believe a young girl that she would be with a child from God? No upstanding man would marry her (Luke 1:34).
In Genesis 49:10, Jacob blessed Judah, saying, “…the scepter shall not depart from Judah…”. Jesus’s lineage is from the tribe of Judah. The birth announcement came to shepherds and the magi, who were star worshippers; these groups were all included in the worship of the Messiah.
What does this all mean? It tells us Jesus came so that all might be saved. A foreigner (He came for you), accursed (He came for you), idol worshipper (He came for you), confused (He came for you). The Messiah is here for all. When you come bowing down in worship with a contrite heart and a longing to be saved, He will meet you. In this joyous Christmas season, let us reach out to those who are in the dark and be used as light to bring His light into their lives. May His peace rest upon each of you as we reflect that Jesus came to save the world.
Read: Deuteronomy 23:3; Matthew 1:17
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 146; Revelation 14:14-20; Revelation 15; Ezra 10
