Once upon a time in a tiny country, there were two kings who lived at the same time and in the same place. One king was about seventy years old; the other an infant.
Two kings contrasted
The old king was evil. The baby was pure. The adult king was rich and powerful; the little king was born into poverty. The big king lived in an opulent palace in the capital city with servants to respond to his every whim. The other lay in a manger inside a cave used to stable farm animals.
The rich king thought he was important so he called himself “Great.” The child “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:6-7 ESV).
One day the great king was visited by wealthy and educated astrologers from the Far East. They claimed a star declared that a king was born king to God’s people. They were trying to locate the exact place they could find him. This made the rich king greatly troubled, fearful, nervous, envious, and murderous. He lied to the Magi claiming he too had a desire to worship this newborn king. His deception was an attempt at locating the defenseless infant and ending his life.
The wise men eventually found the child, but not through the counselors of the king. They consulted God’s Word in prophecy and learned that the child would be born in the small village of Bethlehem. They secretly left Herod’s palace to find the new king.
Worship the humble king
When they arrived at the doorsteps of the temporary residence housing the baby king, they were surprised that no one followed them. No royalty, no nobility, no priest, not even the teachers of the religious law felt the need to find the king of the Jews. The Magi were further surprised at the meager estate of this prophesied king of kings. They found him and his young parents in a small and modest rented room. None the less, they worshiped him and presented gifts worthy of royalty: bars of gold, packages of valuable frankincense and containers of expensive myrrh.
Soon the great king died, was buried, and today escapes the memories of most as not being all that great. The child king, on the other hand, also grew up to became great. He too faced an untimely death but rose from the dead. He’s now such a prominent figure in history that virtually every human being has heard of him and people worship him throughout the world.
Today the infant king calls everyone to follow him as their Creator, and King, and Lord, and Savior. Christmas is not about a manager or about someone claiming to be great. It’s about a true king who humbled himself to the point of death that we might become royalty. Jesus Christ was that infant child. And his death pays the price for our redemption.
Place your trust in him this Christmas
Truly the one who initially appeared unimportant has become the most important person in history. Place your trust in him this Christmas and be included in his redemptive story. Indeed, his story is history.
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
(Isa 9:6 ESV)
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