Around Christmas time, Christians presumably remember the birth of Jesus Christ. While you celebrate his birth, consider that the birth of Jesus Christ was a miracle.
His miraculous virgin birth – Matt 1:20-25 – Jesus’ birth from a virgin was prophesied in Is 7:14. Never before or since has a baby been born to a virgin. His birth was a miracle performed by the Holy Spirit. Not only was his a virgin birth but it was also a royal birth [Lk 1:31-33; Is 9:6-7]. He is a descendant of King David. God gave him the throne of his father David. In Joseph’s line, however, there is a problem with Jechonias in Matt 1:11. He is Jehoiachin in 2 Ki 24:11-12, 15. He is Coniah in Jer 22:24-30. According to the prophecy in Jeremiah, his seed won’t rule on the throne of David. Coniah is in Joseph’s genealogy. So, a child of Joseph couldn’t rule on the throne of David. However, the virgin birth of Jesus Christ [Lk 1:34-35] solved this problem. Jesus descends from God on his father’s side and from David on his mother’s side. See Lk 3:31. Thus, he will rule on David’s throne.
His miraculous deity – Matt 1:23 – Emmanuel means God with us. According to 1 Tim 3:16, God was manifest in the flesh. This is, indeed, a great mystery. How does God, who fills the universe, reside in a baby’s body? We can’t explain such a mystery, but we can and do believe it. According to Lk 1:35, Jesus is the Son of God. Therefore, in Matt 22:41-46, when Jesus asked the Jews to explain how David could call his son Lord, in Ps 110, the answer was simply that he is the Son of God and he is the son of man. He is all God and he is all man at the same time. That’s a miracle.
His miraculous star – Matt 2:2, 9-10 – wise men from east followed a star to Israel to locate and worship the newly born King of the Jews. Undoubtedly, these men came from the area where Daniel had been in captivity during the reigns of the Chaldean kings and the kings of the Medes and Persians. In Dan 1:20, Nebuchadnezzar had astrologers among his wise men. In Dan 9:25, Daniel prophesied of the Messiah. These wise men, familiar with astrology and the prophecy of the time of the Messiah, knew to be looking for a star about the time of his birth. A star showed up [Num 24:17] just as Balaam had prophesied. He is the bright and morning star [Rev 22:16]. AND he’s coming back. He’s the day star of 2 Pet 1:19.
Conclusion: when you celebrate Christmas and you see the little baby Jesus in the nativity scenes, don’t get caught up in all the little Christmas nostalgia. When that baby was born, God performed one of the greatest miracles ever know to man.