Fit for a King

March 26

Numbers 27-28

Psalm 37:23-29

Proverbs 9:1-2

Luke 2:1-20

Fit For a King

“And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guest room.  In the same region there were some shepherd staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people.  For today in the City of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’”  Luke 2:7-11 LSB

In America we don’t have kings and queens, but even here there is a strange fascination with royalty.  As a little girl, I remember watching the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana and then getting so excited when Prince William was born, followed by Prince Harry.  There was a lot of pomp and circumstance surrounding their births.  They were born in the finest hospital with the best doctors.  Queen Elizabeth made an official announcement about their births.  There was a press conference when they left the hospital and an official ceremony when they were baptized.  The whole world knew they had been born.  The strange thing is that Prince William, who will one day be the King of England doesn’t really have any power.  England is a very small country with diminishing significance on the world stage.  Even in England, the king is a figurehead without much actual authority.  The government is run by the Prime Minister.  So why is everyone so fascinated by the monarchy in England? 

            In contrast, the Creator of the world, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the ruler of the Universe chose to be born as the Son of a carpenter and his teenaged wife, poor and insignificant. He wasn’t born in a fancy hospital and didn’t even have a doctor.  He was born in a stable because there was no room for them in the Inn.  The angel, Gabriel, was sent to announce his birth, but instead of going to the king or even to the Jewish religious leaders, he found lowly shepherds in a field and proclaimed the good news about Jesus’ birth to them.  The most important birth in the history of mankind was obscure and ordinary, without pomp and circumstance.  The only One who deserved to be praised, worshipped and honored was barely noticed. 

            God, in His infinite sovereignty and mercy, chose to send His Son to earth to be born as a human, to experience everything humans experience and to die as a human so that we can relate to Him.  He understands everything we are going through because He went through it too.  He didn’t come only for the important people in society, He came for everyone.  Jesus understands our pain and our sorrow because He lived it.  Jesus’ lowly birth showed His willingness to humble Himself and become a servant.  (Philippians 2:5-8) God became man.  In reality, compared to what He was accustomed to in heaven, if He had been born into a palace with all of the glory of a king, it would have been as unimpressive as that tiny stable.  The very best humanity has to offer is filthy rags compared to the beauty and opulence of His heavenly home.