“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “
Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’
”Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen 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 exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.” ~Matthew 2
I love seeing pictures of our Australian friends celebrating Christmas. Not because they have more creative decorations or a fancier tree, but because they’re usually celebrating at the beach! It’s easy for people who live in the Northern Hemisphere to forget that countries in the Southern Hemisphere celebrate Christmas during their summer months. It’s just not what I expect to see at Christmas.
Sunny Christmas celebrations also point me to the reality that so much about the first Christmas was unexpected. At Jesus’ birth, men from countries east of Israel saw a star and recognized it as a sign that the promised future ruler of Israel had been born (Micah 5:2).
So these highly educated scholars left their homes and, after arriving in Israel, went to the place they expected to find a new king: the palace. But Jesus wasn’t there. Realizing their mistake, they continued to be directed by the star until they reached a humble home in Bethlehem. It was there that they found Jesus (Matthew 2:10–11).
Regardless of whether we celebrate in the sun or snow, at Christmas we remember the birth of a baby who grew up to teach us about God and offer to all the most amazing of gifts, a relationship with Him. Like the wise men, when we search for Him and accept this gift, we find hope and joy beyond all our expectations.
Lisa M. Samra
What were other unexpected aspects of Jesus’ birth? How else did Jesus turn people’s expectations upside down?
