One of the greatest historical events ever described in human history is recorded in the Book of Isaiah who was one of the Old Testament prophets. The verse simply says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given,” (Isaiah 9:6). It’s a simple verse, yet it is filled with extraordinary experiences by ordinary people such as you and me. Let’s take a quick look at some of these people. First there was Joseph, the one who was to be the earthly father to the Son of God. Joseph was engaged to a young girl by the name of Mary, but before they sealed their lives together in the marriage ceremony, he found out that Mary was already “with child”. Joseph, being a just and honest man, and a loving man as well, I might add, he had in his mind to secretly divorce Mary and put her away quietly so that no harm would come to her. But in a dream, Joseph was told by an angel of the Lord to not be afraid to take Mary as his wife because the child in her was brought about by the Holy Spirit. And even more than that, the angel told him that this was to be a special child, different from all others, because this child was to make a way for all mankind to be forgiven and saved from their sins. And the child’s name was to be “Jesus”, which means, “Jehovah is salvation.” What must have gone through his mind at the announcement by the angel? Yet he did what he was told and took Mary to be his lawfully wedded wife.
Then there was Mary, the one to whom and through whom this miracle child was to be born. When the angel announced to her that she was to give birth to this Holy Child, she replied, “How can this be, since I know not a man”? Then the angel told her, it would be by the power of the Holy Spirit, He it was who would give birth to this child of wonder. The angel said to Mary, “The Holy One who is to be born will be called the “Son of God”, the One whose name would mean, “God with us.” Mary responded by saying, “Let it be to me according to your word”, yet time after time the Scriptures tell us that on occasion, “Mary would ponder these things in her heart.” I can imagine as she watched and heard about the things her Son would do that she may have thought, “Who is this child that I gave birth to? What manner of son is he?”
Then there were the shepherds on the hillside who were given quite a start on the night of Jesus’ birth. Luke’s Gospel tells us that as the shepherds were watching over their sheep in the night, suddenly the night sky was opened with the brightness of the sun as a host of heavenly angels suddenly appeared and sang out, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and good will towards men!” The shepherds looked at one another and said, “Come! Let us go to Bethlehem to see this thing that the Lord has made known to us!” Can you imagine the wonder in their hearts of what they had seen? Again we are told that Mary “pondered these things in her heart.”
