The Savior of the world was born, but no crowd was there to celebrate the occasion. There was no royal proclamation of the birth of this King. This was not the customary plan for the arrival of a new monarch. This King was born to a young couple who were far from home with no one there to welcome their new baby.
What must Joseph and Mary have thought in the moments after Jesus was born? An angel had appeared separately to each of them nine months earlier to unveil part of God’s plan. They weren’t even married at the time, but they had been chosen to be the parents of the coming Savior. And now here they sat in a barn in Bethlehem listening to the sounds of a baby. It’s as if God, in chapter one of Jesus’s young life, began painting a picture of his grand plan. He would not be like other kings who were served by many attendants. This King arrived in the lowliest of settings with a purpose.
Nearly thirty-three years later, Jesus shared these words with his disciples shortly before he was crucified: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 26–28)
Jesus, the Son of Man, came to earth on a mission, not to be served but to serve. He was fully God and fully man born to be a ransom for many.
Joseph and Mary could not have known all that would happen in the years ahead as they held their newborn son. But God knew. It was all part of his plan: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16–17)
Heavenly Father, I’m in awe of your great love for me. Thank you for sending Jesus to be my Savior and doing for me what I could never have done for myself.
View all SongsNo crowds were waiting No royal celebration Just a humble father And a blessed young mother And the sound of hope and peace from the cries of a homeless king.