A Humble Beginning
Generations of anticipation. Prophets foretold it and the people hoped for it. There, in a simple town, it happened. The Son of God took on the vulnerability, frailty, and weakness of man by beginning His life as we all do—as a baby. Holiness and power were made present in humanity. And to Mary, He was born.
Do you think anyone imagined, after all the prophecies of Jesus’ coming, that He would begin His life on earth as a baby? That He would grow from an infant to a child to a teenager to an adult, the same way that man has since the offspring of Adam and Eve? Even during His ministry, people loved to view Jesus as a conqueror—a man of power that was going to topple the Roman government and establish Himself as their king. They wanted Jesus to show His power in a way that gave them power, too.
And yet Jesus was humble to His core.
He willingly began His time on earth completely powerless, born to His mother Mary into a simple life.
Jesus went from being one with the Father in Heaven, powerful and supreme, to willingly taking on a human beginning, being born as an infant inherently dependent on others. Such humility marked of His life and ministry. He did not come to topple governments but, by His loving sacrifice, topple sin by taking on a human life and then giving it up of His own accord.
The Son of God. Mary’s son. God’s perfect plan made manifest at last.
Humility. It marked Him from the beginning.
There is More
There are plenty of things we can see: trees, stars, mountains, oceans, people, penguins, our best friend's smile, elephants, skyscrapers, coffee beans, sunsets, and tulips, to name a few.
God created all those things. He made the natural world, as well as the laws that govern it.
But there are also things we cannot see: behind the breath of the wind, beyond the depths of the universe, beneath the foundations of love. Through Christ, all things were created—in heaven and on earth, both visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16).
And while our mortal eyes might not be able to see the wind or infrared light or the Spirit of God, we still experience their effects. Because there’s more than what meets the eye. There’s more beyond this life.
Paul’s friends, the Corinthians, were experiencing great hardship. They were being hunted and persecuted because of what they believed about Jesus—that He was the long-awaited Messiah. Some were even facing death. But Paul encouraged them to ...