Is it more important when Jesus was born or THAT He was born? What about where He was born? What about who was present to honor the newborn Son of God? Burning questions that at times consume some folks to the point that they question the validity of the Bible. You either believe the story of Jesus’ birth or you don’t. You aren’t being begged to believe it.
Life is filled with options. God gave us a free will so we could freely choose what to believe faith-wise and what not to believe. What path will you choose to travel down. Frankly, God has made it so that you can believe whatever you want, but there is a caveat that comes with the freedom. It is that each option comes with consequences attached. This is something a person MUST be aware of during the decision making process.
Is Jesus real? Did He exist? The great Jewish historian Flavius Josephus chronicled his existence in a one paragraph blurb: “About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had first come to love him did not cease. He appeared to them spending a third day restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.” [1]
That’s all well and good, Rich, but Josephus is talking about when he was an adult. Yes, but he needed to be born first before anything else in his life could transpire. Obvious, I know, but in my opinion, the historian proved the existence of Jesus of Nazareth with that one, lone paragraph.
The whole Christmas picture can tend to be a little convoluted when you start debating all the variables that exist, but it should seem pretty clear from scripture; both prophesies and scripture itself, that it matters little about the minutia of the event. It is far more important to note & know that a child was indeed born of a virgin and was, just as the angel had said, the Son of God. Argue his existence as much as you want, but the fact remains that Christ is the only divine personage who can cleanse us from our sins, purge us of any unsavory habits, and usher us into an eternity with Him. There is NO OTHER WAY to get to heaven. Period.
This Christmas season is the same as every other one. We commemorate the birth of the Savior of the world. That should mean something special to every one of us. Until next time, walk with the King, and be a blessing.
In His Name & for His Glory,
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
[1] Jewish Antiquities, 18.3.3 §63
(Based on the translation of Louis H. Feldman, The Loeb Classical Library.)
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