Jesus’ Birth, a Living Parable of the Kingdom of God

Jesus’ birth provides for us as readers a foreshadowing of the meaning of the Kingdom of God. If you are familiar with the parables that Jesus shared about the Kingdom of God, typically we hear about small things, insignificant things becoming large and all encompassing over time. Parables such as faith the size of a mustard seed, yeast in 60 pounds of bread, even something significant hidden amongst very common things such as dust, dirt, or weeds.

Luke 2:1-21 says, “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ 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.

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Saviorhas been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a signto you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

From the beginning of the story, we are introduced to an unlikely couple, Mary and Joseph, who are the heroes of the story. Unlikely, because they weren’t married and Mary was pregnant with anothers’ baby. In a culture like the one Jesus was born into, being pregnant with someone else’s child, whether married or betrothed, would have been scandalous. The treasure of Jesus was already seen as hidden amongst weeds and dirt. The parable of the hidden treasure or the lost coin may come to mind. In spite of the dirt or the dust that surrounded the treasure, the value of the treasure remained pure.

Rather than being born in a castle or palace, we read that Jesus was born in a very common stable. Stables in Jesus’ day were connected to the house for warmth and protection of the animals. Jesus was born among people that weren’t special. Jesus was the mustard seed, the yeast.

At Jesus’ birth, it wasn’t the rich, the powerful, or even the priestly that heard the announcement of the Messiah’s birth. It was shepherds, not outcasts, but common, average, nobody’s. Much like the guests that were invited to the wedding banquet for the king’s son, the good news of the kingdom was declared to people who normally would not be invited to something as special as a banquet or the birth of a king.

The birth of Jesus foreshadows the ministry of Jesus, his teaching, and his purpose. He came not as a prince or a king but as a little, unknown, baby in a manger. His birth signified a hope for everyone, particularly those who are normally hopeless and helpless. He came into the world in a situation that was hopeless and helpless, and so he sought out and continues to seek out those in the same predicament.

What does Jesus’ birth mean to us today?

1. Jesus can work in and through unlikely people. Mary was an unlikely candidate for the mother of the Messiah. The very treasure of the Kingdom of God was promised to a woman who, in her culture, would be surrounded by scandal. Nonetheless it was amidst this scandal and from this young woman the promise of the Kingdom of God would be born. This should remind us that God’s presence is not relegated to only the clean, the holy, the pure. God dwells amidst the dirt, sometimes even hidden, but always there to provide hope. Just as the Kingdom of God was like a lost coin amidst the dust of a woman’s house, and the treasure was hidden in the dirt of a field, when it is found, those who found it rejoiced. No matter where we find ourselves, or where those around us are found, God is there and is waiting to be found.
2. Jesus can be found in unlikely places. Jesus was not born in a palace or a mansion but in a house stable, not even in a guest room. Yet it was from these humblest of beginnings that Jesus began to grow and spread the Kingdom of God. Just as the woman in the parable used a little bit of yeast in 60 pounds of dough, or so much protection and shade could come from something as small as a mustard seed, so Jesus, though insignificant and small, changed the world with the message of the Kingdom of God. We are reminded that the Kingdom of God can spread to anywhere from anywhere. From a small place such as Bethlehem and Nazareth, or even Oakes or Guelph, the Kingdom of God can spread. It takes you and me to have faith of a mustard seed, to sprinkle the Kingdom of God around us like yeast in dough, to see the growing and spreading of the Kingdom of God around us.
3. The message of the Kingdom of God is for the unlikely and the unexpected. The message of the Kingdom of God was declared to shepherds, unlikely and lowly members of the community. Jesus declared the Kingdom of God to the sick, the lame, the harlots, the sinners, those that seemed the least likely to understand or even help spread the message of the Kingdom of God. We should never take for granted the message of the Kingdom of God or who we believe could be the most receptive or even ready to hear that message. We are the farmer spreading the seed of the message of the Kingdom of God. From that point it is up to God and the readiness of the ground to help that seed grow. Let us always be ready to preach the message of the Kingdom of God through our words, actions, or simply willingness to listen.

The birth of Jesus is a reminder of the love of God, the unlikely presence of God, and the people amongst whom God dwells. This Christmas season, let’s remember that God works through unlikely people, in unlikely places in ways that are unlikely and unexpected.