We commemorate the birth of God the Son as a human baby during Christmas. According to Philippians 2:6-7, He “emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, and did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.” It’s a miracle no one could have predicted.
However, this miracle was not wholly unanticipated. God had been communicating with His prophets for ages. The Messiah would be sent, as he had promised. This Messiah would bring about a wonderful future, save the people, and mend their connection with God.
Some of these prophecies are quoted by the writers of the Gospels in the New Testament in an attempt to persuade their readers that Jesus Christ is the long-awaited Messiah. Let’s read a few of the numerous, intricate prophesies that have been fulfilled by the birth of Jesus.
Jesus was born of a virgin
The fact that Jesus was born of a virgin is the first startling aspect of His life. An evident query surfaced when His mother Mary was informed by an angel that she would give birth to a son:
“Being a virgin, how will this be?” “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you,” the angel told her, explaining that the unborn child would be considered holy—the Son of God (Luke 1:34–35).
Joseph was engaged to Mary and intended to wed her. However, he clearly believed she had betrayed him when he learned she was pregnant. In a dream, an angel clarified to Joseph what Matthew records:
“Do not be afraid, Joseph, son of David, to take Mary as your wife, for it is the Holy Spirit who conceives what is in her. She will give birth to a son, whom you will refer to as Jesus since He will atone for the sins of His people. All of this occurred in order to fulfill the prophecy given by the Lord to the virgin: “Behold, she will conceive and bear a son, and they will call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us)” (Matthew 1:20-23).
And indeed, these words are found in Isaiah 7:14:
Thus, a sign from the Lord Himself will be given to you. It is predicted that the virgin will become pregnant, give birth to a son, and name him Immanuel.
Although Matthew emphasizes that the birth of Jesus Christ is the final fulfillment of this prophecy, it also had significance in the historical setting of Isaiah.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem
When asked where they believed the Messiah would be born, the religious authorities of Judah responded as follows:
“And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel,” the prophetic writing states. This is Bethlehem in Judea. Matthew 2:5–6
This passage is taken from Micah 5:2-4 in the book of Micah. Thus, the birthplace of the Messiah was known to the populace. However, Joseph and Mary resided in Nazareth, which is almost 130 kilometers (or 80 miles) to the north! Nevertheless, Micah’s prophecy was realized.
During the reign of King Herod, Jesus was born at Bethlehem, Judea (Matthew 2:1).
The way these seemingly contradictory facts fit together is described in the Gospel of Luke: Caesar mandated that all Jews register in the city where their ancestors originated. Additionally, when Mary was ready to give birth, Joseph’s family had to fly to Bethlehem because they were from there. Unknowingly, even Caesar participated in God’s designs!
People from other countries came to worship
The birth of Jesus was not initially widely known. His birth family was a low-class, unremarkable one that did not draw much notice. However, intelligent men in a distant eastern nation noticed a peculiar star and deduced that Israel had produced a monarch. They arrived to adore him! Matthew 2:1–2. God’s miraculous announcement to these men about the birth of the Messiah is reminiscent of two predictions from the Old Testament:
“A scepter shall rise from Israel, and a star shall come from Jacob.” (Numbers 24:17)
“And kings will come to the brightness of your rising, and nations will come to your light.” Raise your gaze to the sky and observe; they all congregate and approach you. (Isaiah 60:3–4)
This is not to suggest that only the eastern wise men arrived at “the light.” [Millions of individuals have converted to faith over the years]. However, during a time when only few Jews knew of the birth of the “King of the Jews,” they were the first to worship Him.
Jesus was called out of Egypt
Jesus was born in Bethlehem. But after a while,
“In a dream, an angel of the Lord told Joseph to rise, take the child and His mother, and go to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you to, because Herod is going to search for the child and destroy Him.'” And he got up and removed the child and His mother by night, leaving for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod passed away. This fulfilled the prophecy that the Lord had given through the prophet: “I called my son out of Egypt” (Matthew 2:13–15).
In the prophecies of Hosea, we read:
“I called him my Son when he was a child, and I loved him and brought him out of Egypt” (Hosea 11:1).
The people of Israel who were [rescued from Egyptian slavery] are the subject of this book. They were given a covenant by God, who even referred to them as “my sons.” The genuine Son of God, Jesus Christ, was also summoned as a refugee from Egypt centuries later.
Grief about murdered children
The angel had forewarned Joseph about Herod’s nefarious schemes, and according to Matthew, the king despatched messengers to slaughter every infant boy in the Bethlehem region. He took that action out of dread for the soon-to-be “King of the Jews,” who was reportedly born at Bethlehem and may pose a challenge to Herod’s kingdom. Although the infant Jesus had already fled to Egypt, his plans were foiled, but this entire slaughter did fulfill an Old Testament prophecy:
“A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and wailing loudly; Rachel was crying for her children, and she would not accept consolation because they were gone.” (See Matthew 2:17–18; Jeremiah 31:15).
There is much more
Just a few of the fulfilled prophesies that are particularly emphasized in Matthew 1-2 are listed here. Many more are mentioned in [the Bible]. There are numerous indicators throughout the Gospels that Jesus Christ is the Messiah foretold centuries before. Do you think He exists?
