Birth of Jesus — the unseen meaning shown by prophecies
1. Fulfilled the promise to David. “The angel said to Mary, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever: his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:30-33). Therefore all the prophecies about the “Messiah” show who Jesus is.
2. Fulfilled the prophecy about Bethlehem. Matthew 2 starts “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked “Where is the one to be born king of the Jews?” … In Verse 4, Herod asks his scholars where the Messiah was supposed to be born. In Verse 5, they answer: “In Bethlehem in Judea, and then they quote a prophecy. Here is the original prophecy, found in Micah 5:2, around 700 BC: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah (the name of the region) though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come one who will be ruler over Israel.” The prophecy continues: “whose origins are of old, from ancient times.” and in verse 4, “his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth, and he will be their peace.” The true Messiah would be born in Bethlehem; the prophecy provides the description of the Messiah: ruler for entire world, eternal origin, will bring peace.
3. Overcoming difficulties. The prophecy was not easy to fulfill, since Mary did not live in Bethlehem. Luke 2 shows how God made the prophecy come true: The emperor of Rome, Caesar Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken “and everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth, in Galilee, to Bethlehem, the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.” That’s where Jesus was born.
4. Why did God take on human flesh? Hebrews 1 says “In the past, God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times in and various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by His Son … through whom he made the world.
(the ant story)
5. How can God be “one,” and yet Jesus is God? Hebrews 1:3: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory, and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
(the sun comparison)
6. Jesus revealed details about God. In John 14:16, Jesus says, “I will ask the father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever — the Spirit of truth.” These three persons in the one God are summarized by Jesus in Matthew 28:19: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
Return to Key Bible Topics menu