If you designed a universe in which you, as God, would come down to earth to save mankind, how would you set up your arrival? Let’s be honest, we would do it with an awful lot of fanfare and be noticed by everyone, especially by the wealthy, influential, and powerful. Deep down, we all crave for the approval and praise of men.
This is why it should be so hard not to scoff when we consider the original audience of Jesus’ birth. Apart from a myriad of angels, it seemed…well, very common and plain. To whom did Jesus reveal himself? It was all people of low status. They were rejected and shunned and marginalized by society at large. In order, the audience was a virgin woman who would become pregnant outside of wedlock (Mary); a soon-to-be aunt (or probably great aunt) who had been barren her whole life (Elizabeth); lowly, smelly shepherds outside of Bethlehem ; an old man with great hopes but of no special rank (Simeon); and a prophetess who had been a widow for 60 long years (Anna).
‘But what about the wisemen?’ you may ask. Contrary to common nativity scenes, there is good reason to think that they came some time later. Matthew tells us that they came to see and worship the infant, not at the stable, but at a house (Matthew 2:11). It seems that Joseph and Mary decided to settle down in Bethlehem for a little while after the birth and prior to their flight to Egypt. We don’t know how long they stayed in Bethlehem, but it seems most likely that the wisemen appeared well after Jesus appeared to Simeon and Anna (which was when he was 8 days old).
So how can knowing that the original audience was lowly and humble be an encouragement to us today? I believe God purposefully designed it this way so as to show what kind of people would receive this king and therefore be in his eternal kingdom. It was not—and never has been—the haughty and elevated that gain an entrance in the Kingdom of Heaven. Men like Herod and Pilate exalted themselves, and God humbled them by not allowing them to see the Christ that Christmas morning. It was the lowly and meek and mournful who saw this humble king. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). All people—whether they be rich or poor—must recognize their own spiritual poverty in order to see and worship this reigning king.
So, if you feel like you are empty and broken and sinful, take heart. You are exactly the kind of person to whom God will reveal himself, as long as your poverty is a true brokenness. He did this 2,000 years ago, and he still does it today.
Come, let us adore this humble king who reveals himself to humble people!
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