Since Christmas is next week, I’d say that we’re in full throttle with all of the usual seasonal festivities: Christmas carols, parties, cookies, gift buying, wrapping, treats, ugly sweater contests, concerts and loads more! And perhaps you have some favorite Christmas movies that you enjoy this time of year: “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Home Alone,” “Die Hard,” “Elf,” “A Christmas Story,” etc. As for the men of Christmas, there are some really amazing things to think about when we pause to consider various participants in Jesus’ birth.
Some of the men who immediately come to mind could include the wise men from the East who brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to Jesus. You can read about them in Matthew 2:1-12. Were there three wise men as the Christmas carol portends: “We Three Kings of Orient Are?” The verses in Matthew don’t tell us the number of wise men, just their gifts, which were fit for a King!
Another group of men who celebrated Jesus’ birth were the shepherds who were keeping watch in the night. For the whole story about these men, feel free to read Luke 2:8-20. While the shepherds didn’t bring Jesus any gifts like the wise men, they did praise God for Jesus, and they publicized their experience with great joy and fervor! In both cases of the shepherds and wise men, Jesus’ birth was made known from the fields of shepherds to the courts of kings. And as the angels proclaimed to the shepherds in Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
Let’s also take a few minutes to think about two highly significant men who were essential participants surrounding Jesus’ birth. For starters, Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, played a key role in all of the preparation that went into John’s supernatural birth. Zacharias was a high priest who was told by the angel Gabriel that his aged wife, Elizabeth, would have a baby who would be the one to go before and announce Jesus’ arrival. Consider reading Luke 1:11-20 for the conversation between Zacharias and Gabriel. Once Elizabeth had John, Zacharias glorified God and prophesied about his son’s role as Jesus’ forerunner. Again, like the wise men, we see a very influential man glorifying God and spreading the news about John preparing the way for the coming Redeemer of Israel!
Finally, let’s consider Joseph who was engaged to Mary and played a very critical role in Jesus’ birth and early existence. Here are the key things that Joseph did in support of his fiancé and Jesus’ supernatural arrival:
- He protected Mary as her soon-to-be husband, even though she was pregnant out of wedlock. Consider Matthew 1:19, “And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.” Upon making this decision, Joseph had a dream and learned that Mary was pregnant supernaturally, and her son would be Jesus, the Savior of the world. After this dream, Joseph married Mary and was her protector.
- He protected Jesus, as we read in Matthew 2:13-14. Again, Joseph had a dream in which he was told to flee to Egypt to protect Jesus from Herod’s murderous scheme to kill Him.
- He followed divine directions, through various dreams, to settle in Galilee, as explained in Matthew 1:19-22.
In consideration of these men and their participation in Jesus’ arrival, we can continue to spread the Good News about God’s entrance into human existence!
Over the next week, let’s keep this verse at the forefront of our mind: “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
Merry Christmas!
