So that's the point!

You know the other day it hit me, what the birth of Jesus really was. It turns out I've had a slightly skewed idea of the awesomeness of it for a long time now. I've always read the story in Luke chapter 2 and had such thoughts as these, "Wow, a virgin birth. That's a miracle!" or "Imagine, the King of kings coming to earth as a baby and born in a barn nonetheless, amazing!" Now those things are all true and I'm not trying to say it's wrong to have those thoughts. The birth of Jesus was an amazing event but there's so much more to it then the birth!

Jesus' birth was the fulfullment of prophecy!

All through the Old Testament we see how God has promised that a Messiah would come for the people. "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth. Edom will be conquered; Seir, his enemy, will be conquered, but Israel will grow strong. A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city." [Numbers 24:17-19] "The days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness." [Jeremiah 23:5-6] "Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." [Isaiah 7:14] There's lots of verses I could bring up but the point is the people knew that a Messiah was coming, the prophets had told them it would happen. The people of Israel were waiting in great anticipation for the coming of their Messiah.

When Jesus was born the prophecy was fulfilled; the Messiah had finally come!

There's another prophecy though that hasn't come to pass yet. Jesus is coming again! "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." [John 14:1-3]

Am I waiting in great anticipation for the return of the Messiah?