It occurs to me that there were a handful of witnesses on that very first Christmas, and they had some pretty big things to say about this babe in the manger. Did Jesus meet their expectations?
In the Gospel accounts of the Savior’s birth, there were several angelic messengers and other individuals. Let me explore what they said and how Jesus fulfilled all that was said about Him.
The angelic announcement to Mary
Chronologically, this is the first announcement by angels in Jesus’s birth narratives found in the Gospel accounts of Matthew and Luke. (Neither Mark nor John shed any light on Jesus’s birth.) A lot of space is given in Luke 1:26-56 to what the angel Gabriel told Mary about her mission followed by her humble response. However, I want to focus on what was said here about Jesus.
After Gabriel greets Mary and tells her not to be afraid, he states that Jesus “will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32-33). Amen!
This reminds me of the “Hallelujah Chorus”, which confirms the angel’s foretelling of Jesus’s rule: “The Kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever. King of kings, and Lord of lords and He shall reign for ever and ever.” This powerful line from the well-known classical music composition comes straight out of Rev. 11:15.
The angelic instructions to Joseph
This next angelic visit that sheds some light on what to expect from Jesus is found in Matthew.
In Matt. 1:20-21, we read this account about Joseph. “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
The verses prior to this explain that Joseph and Mary were pledged to be married (Matt 1:18). Mary finds out she is pregnant. Joseph is described as “a righteous man” who “did not want to expose her to public disgrace”. He considers breaking off their engagement (Matt 1:19). This tense situation provokes a visit by the angel, who is not named. (In Luke’s account, he identifies the angel who visited Mary as Gabriel. It could be here as well, but there is no indication it is the same one here.)
This pivotal angelic announcement, given to Joseph in a dream, about six months prior to the birth of Jesus has one critical element: this child would “save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21).
Dr. David L. Turner, in his commentary on the book of Matthew offers this helpful observation: In naming Mary’s son Jesus, “Joseph will be making a statement about Jesus’s redemptive mission . . . The angel here alludes to Ps. 130:8 where Israel is exhorted to trust in Yahweh’s unfailing love because Yahweh would redeem Israel from all their sins.” Turner explains, “’his people’ stands for Israel, the biblical people of God . . . only Jews who repent and turn to Jesus the Messiah will receive the forgiveness of their sins and experience the fulness of biblical eschatological blessings.”
Interestingly, the angel refers to Joseph as “son of David”. This unique title ties Joseph (and Jesus, obviously) to the long genealogy which ends in Matt. 1:16 that goes all the way back to Abraham and David. Joseph is identified as “the husband of Mary”, not as the “father of Jesus”, which would have followed the normal pattern that precedes it but would have been technically incorrect. Turner indicates that this is the only place in Matthew where “the son of David” does not refer to Jesus.
Jesus fulfilled what was said about Him after His death and resurrection. He saved His people from their sins. It was seen in the Gospel which was first preached by the Apostle Peter in Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” The Apostle Paul also taught in Rom. 3:23-24, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
The angelic proclamation to the shepherds
Next, we need to take a look into what the angels proclaimed to the shepherds on that holy night.
In Luke 2:8-14, an unnamed angel appeared to the shepherds. The angel said, “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” He announced that a Savior had been born who is the Christ, the anointed one. After the angel described that the babe would be wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger, suddenly a host of angels joined the one. They praised God, saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
The analysis provided in the Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary, Volume 2: New Testament was helpful. They observe that “the doxology ‘Glory to God in the highest’ in verse 14 is the climax of the story. Its two parts relate to heaven and to earth respectively.” They also clarify that the “peace” that is mentioned here refers to what Jesus “brings to those on whom God bestows his grace.”
I take this to mean peace with God, not necessarily the peace of God that passes all understanding (Phil. 2:7). The Apostle Paul taught that Jesus is the one mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 1:5) who brings peace with God out of a relationship that was broken by our sin. (See Rom. 5:1.)
The expectation fulfilled to Simeon
Finally, there is one human being who expressed his expectations for the Messiah that found at the tail end of the birth narratives that is worth mentioning. This brief episode is found in Luke 2:25-35.
After Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem to circumcise him, present him to the Lord as the firstborn male, and offer a sacrifice at the temple. A “righteous and devout” man named Simeon was also there at the same time. The Holy Spirit “was upon him” (which was not normative for OT believers) and had revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. When Jesus was brought into the temple courts, Simeon gently took the baby in his arms and praised God.
Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel (Luke 2:29-32).
The Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary sheds some light here. The commentators write that Simeon was “one of the believing remnant of Judaism”. He began his beautiful psalm “by emphasizing the fact that the Messiah has indeed come.” They further explain that even though Simeon knew by the Holy Spirit that Jesus was the Messiah, Simeon “does not say that he has seen the Messiah but rather that his eyes have seen God’s salvation. To see Jesus is to see salvation embodied in him.”
I hope it is clear that Jesus measured up to Simeon’s prayer, as he expressed gratitude to Yahweh that he was able to see the promised Messiah. In Acts 4:12, we read that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Closing thoughts
As I wrap up this article, you might think I left out some critical characters in the birth narratives. The visit to baby Jesus by the wise men or Magi does not quite fit into what I have been focusing on here. Even though these men “bowed down and worshiped” Jesus and presented him with gifts, including gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matt. 2:11), what they said there was not recorded.
What are we to do as a result of these Christmas season observations that I have presented?
I guess in modern terms, we can say that Jesus lived up to the hype. What was said about him from angelic beings and others who knew what God was doing on that holiest of nights was fulfilled. Knowing this should give us confidence that what the Bible says is absolutely true. It should also speak to our hearts that this Jesus is the one who will reign as King forever as Mary heard, that He will save His people from their sins as Joseph was told, that He will bring us peace with God as the shepherds learned, and that Jesus is the Savior of all mankind as Simeon knew. You can trust Him!
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Russ Gehrlein
Featured Image by Chil Vera from Pixabay
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