Expecting the Unexpected

Luke 2:1-2, 6-12, 19-20

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to their own town to register.

What do you do when you are having a baby no one wanted, and you are no one special. See, he came to save a world that did not recognize him. Well, two people did just that; their names were Mary and Joseph. Notice the lack of care and concern in these verses. They lived in a time when people neither noticed them nor cared. The leader of the foreign country, Caesar Augustus, said he needed everyone counted like sheep without any purpose or livelihood. The whole world had to get up and go for this one man. I could teach another message from these verses alone on how to be a good leader by caring for your people through your policies and procedures. But this message is not about Caesar Augustus who needed an accounting. It is about Mary and Joseph who were faced with a set of adverse circumstances.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Note that Mary and Joseph were expecting a child in faith at the word of an angel who appeared in a dream in Luke 1:28. No record of any prenatal care is noted in this text. There is only the provision of God for a virgin whom had done nothing wrong apart from being chosen to carry the Savior of the world. Is not God good. The prophecies of old foretold exactly where the Savior would appear — in Bethlehem to a family who was not even living there as in Micah 5:2. God can use the wicked rulers of this world to accomplish his will. In the events of our lives, God is working all things together for our good and his ultimate glory in Romans 8:28. These events remind me of the Heavenly accounting told about in Job 1:6 when the angels appeared before God and Satan also came with them. God's power and control over even the evil to bring about great good is unparalleled. He came to take "away the sin of the world" that had been counted out and passed over; however, God knew everyone's names, their stories, and what they had done long before this time in John 1:29.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

They expected a child on the word of an angel. Note the faith of these people which activated the supernatural work of God over their lives. They had nothing but shelter found with the animals. There was no other human care to be found not even in the inn which would have had medical or midwifery care at the time. Even when man has counted you out, called you nothing, and looked down upon you, you still have the favor of God on your life. Joseph did not leave Mary even though she was with child. She had no afterbirth care except for the shepherds who were used to birthing the sheep. The angels appeared to them not for them to have an audience but to provide care; the shepherds were people for whom no one else cared. I believe God sent the angels and the shepherds to help make sure Mary's baby was delivered successfully. This woman had no idea what she was doing for after all was she not a virgin. The real miracle in my mind is that she even knew what to do at all to successfully deliver her own baby. See, the shepherds and the angels had two purposes. The first one was to tell the story far and wide of God's care for man; the second was to provide divine ministry to this family who had nothing. When you have nothing and no one, God will send someone. He will even be your teacher if they have not yet gotten there.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Note the excitement of the angels. When a miracle happened, they could not help but give glory to God. The belief of the shepherds in their message prompted great rejoicing. See, "he came unto his own, and his own received him not" according to John 1:11. When a sinner repents there is great joy in Heaven as in Luke 15:7. So the message came not to the rich and wealthy but to the outcasts who understood having no favor in society. Here they had supernatural favor with God. Jesus, the king of the world, should have had rulers and even Caesar at his birth in the house of the rich. Instead in came the stinking, filthy sheep watchers who were faithful in their task. Then came the mystics of the time who were labeled crazy by the world of Matthew 2:11-13; yet, they all believed God enough to see his Son. In 1 Corinthians 1:27 he would chose the weak things of the world to put to shame the mighty; then he chose the foolish things of the world to put to naught the wise that nothing would glory in his presence. When you have nothing he will provide. When you know no one, he will know you. When you are alone, he will draw nigh to you. When you know nothing, he will teach you. When you are faithless, he is faithful. When you are not, he is. When society counted you out, God will count you in. Watch out for the wise men, the shepherds, the angels, and the old men whom he spoke to that are coming to bless you. Mary was not expecting her company, yet she was neat in case they came. She was expecting Jesus instead. She did her best as unto the Lord. We see in these verses the elevation of God.

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

After everything was done, Mary and Joseph went to the house where they stayed. God gave them their own place; here, he provided them compensation in the form of the wise men for carrying his son and for everything they had gone through in bearing him. The gold, frankincense and myrrh of Matthew 2:11 were worth a lot of money. Legend has it that Mary kept all these things and treasured them in her heart. We see later these same things were used in the hour of Christ's atonement for the world. We see her husband's provision and faithfulness in his trade of carpentry which made keeping such a gift as this possible. Principles of good stewardship are on display here. We see Christ's provision in more ways than one. This is nothing but a continued story of God's provision, favor, exaltation, and the knowledge that if he called you to do it faithful is he who will bring you through it in 1 Thessalonians 5:24.