Characters of the Nativity - A Deeper Dive
The Supporting Cast
Scripture: Luke 2:1-20
message recap
This week, we continue our Advent series, Characters of the Nativity, by looking at the supporting cast of the Nativity. Often, when we think of the story of the birth of Jesus, we focus on the “big three” characters: Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus. Last week, we discussed the angels' role in the story and their importance to God’s kingdom and plan. This week, we turn our focus to the supporting cast. Those characters that had an impact and played a role but weren’t necessarily significant enough to gain top billing.
Before we get into the Nativity story, let’s consider this week’s theme for Advent. In week two of Advent, we light the candle of Joy. The NIV translation of the Bible contains around 250 passages that reference joy. These verses not only encourage joy, but they go so far as to command us to live joyous lives. There are more than twice as many passages that speak to joy than those telling us to repent. God wants our lives to be full of, even overflowing with joy. Where does your true joy come from? This is a question certainly worth considering during the Advent season.
Our look at the supporting cast of the Nativity begins with the Magi. The three wise men were travelers who followed a star to find the one who was born king of the Jews. We need to remember that kings weren’t born - princes were born. The Magi were anxious to find Jesus for the very reason that he was born a king. As talk of the king of the Jews being born spread, Herod, the Roman authority for the region of Judea, became frustrated. It’s one thing if the child was called a prince, but immediately referring to him as a king was troubling.
In many ways, the Magi represent all who seek Christ. For one, they were Gentiles. They took an active role in finding Jesus. They traveled to him. They interpreted signs and followed them to seek Jesus out. Their mission was to find Jesus, worship him, and present him with gifts. And the gifts were important for the time - they had significant meaning. So, despite the inherent peril, the Magi were willing to make the journey and fulfill their calling. They remind us that true joy doesn’t come from things of this world. It comes from being able to worship Christ.
Then there is the census. Have you ever considered the role that the census played in the Christmas story? Caesar Augustus called for a registration of the people that required Mary and Joseph to travel to Joseph’s ancestral home, Bethlehem. Mary is very pregnant at this point, and making the trip presented significant risks to her and the unborn child. But the census becomes part of the story because it was God’s plan that Jesus be born in the town of Bethlehem. The ancient prophecies had said that the Messiah would be born in that land. It was through the census that God ensured fulfillment of the prophecies.
And when Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, they found no rooms available, so Jesus was born in a stable. This, too, was part of God’s divine plan. It demonstrated the humility of Christ. The savior of the world was born not in a palace but in one of the lowest places imaginable under the most humble of circumstances.
The Christmas story includes people and events that fulfill many Old Testament prophecies about Jesus. God used prophets to help guide his people, interpret and relay messages, and foretell the coming Messiah. The Old Testament records the prophecies of four major prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel - and twelve minor prophets. Most prophets refer to the coming Christ at some point in their writings. For instance, nearly 700 years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Micah wrote,
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”
The prophets spoke of the Messiah’s coming for hundreds of years. They had visions and wrote them down. They told people what was to come. These events foretold by the prophets provided hope. There are still unfulfilled prophecies of things yet to come, which gives us hope. We can have joy because of our hope.
Finally, we conclude our look at the supporting cast of the Nativity by considering the shepherds. In some ways, they seem like stars of the show, but as was typical of their time, shepherds are often seen as insignificant. But it was the shepherds who were invited, by God himself, to go and see the child that was born in a stable.
The part of the Christmas story where an angel appears to the shepherds to deliver the news of Jesus’ birth is etched into our hearts and immortalized through art and songs. But sometimes, being so familiar with a particular passage of scripture causes us to lose sight of its central message. We’ve talked quite a bit about that this fall. Sometimes, we get so used to hearing and saying something that we just go through the motions. We hear the words and enjoy them but lose the underlying message.
To this day, we’re amazed that it was the shepherds God chose to receive the news of the Messiah’s birth. Shepherds were not highly regarded. They were uneducated and considered a shifty lot. The testimony of a shepherd would have never been accepted in a court because they were not trusted. Yet it was the shepherds who were invited to the birth of the king of kings, not the Roman senators, princes, or philosophers. God appeared before men who didn’t have a reputation to protect or an axe to grind. They didn’t have a ladder to climb or an ulterior motive. God noticed them even if others didn’t.
The other remarkable aspect of the shepherds’ role in the story is how, when they found the stable and the child, they could physically approach Jesus. Remember, this story took place when the common person could not enter the temple where God presumably resided. Even the priests were restricted to certain parts of the temple at certain times of the year. But everything changed with the announcement to the shepherds, the lowliest of the community, and the invitation to walk up to Emmanuel - God with us.
The shepherds went on to tell everyone what they had seen. They were the first evangelists of the Christian faith. They weren’t preachers, and they probably couldn’t quote scripture. They certainly couldn’t get into a deep theological discussion. Yet they had a story to tell. Even as unbelievable as it was, the story touched people’s hearts and it changed people’s lives.
The supporting cast of the Nativity teaches us a valuable lesson about humility, obedience, patience, love, and joy. All of this comes from encountering the savior of the world. During this Advent season, let us experience joy, not from earthly things, but from proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, our savior and Emmanuel.
The road to emmaus
One of the groups of supporting cast we talked about this week is the prophets of the Old Testament. These prophets offered up between 200 and 400 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled. They foretold Jesus’ birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection. Most of us are quite familiar with passages found in Isaiah that we read throughout the Advent season. But, as discussed in this week’s message, we also find prophecies of Jesus’ birth by other, lesser-known prophets.
In the New Testament, Jesus provides direct evidence of how he fulfilled the words of the prophets. The story of the Road to Emmaus tells of two men walking together to the town of Emmaus on the day the tomb where Jesus was buried is discovered to be empty. Along the way, the men discuss everything that has happened: Jesus’ arrest, the trial, his crucifixion, and an empty tomb. They are joined in their travels by the resurrected Jesus but are prevented from recognizing him. He asks what they are talking about, and they share all that has happened. They are confused and disappointed that the supposed Messiah seems to have been defeated. Hearing this, Jesus offers a small rebuke:
“25 How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”
Later in the story, Jesus’ identity is revealed to the men, and they declare that their hearts burned as Jesus opened the Scriptures to them. We’re not sure which prophecies Jesus might have referenced concerning himself. The specific Scriptures Jesus shared that caused the men’s hearts to burn inside remain a mystery.
The experience of the two men and their encounter with Jesus on the road to Emmaus is powerful. Not only does it serve as one of many post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, but it shows us how we can look to scripture - particularly Old Testament prophecies - to see how God’s plan has unfolded.