Page 14 - July 2025 - Truth & Tidings

t never ceases to amaze me that God But first, we have to consider another
was manifest in the flesh. When it hap- miracle baby. After his preface, Luke be-
Ipened was on God’s timetable. “But gins his Gospel with relatives. He informs
when the fulness of the time was come, us that Mary, the mother of Jesus, had a
God sent forth his Son” (Gal 4:4). We are blood relative, Elisabeth (Luk 1:36), who
1
told why it happened. Full deity taking was married to a priest named Zacharias.
on full humanity was necessary for God In fact, Elisabeth was also of priestly
to “save his people from their sins” (Mat descent for she “was of the daughters of
1:21). Where it happened was also part of Aaron” (v5). She even had the same name
God’s plan, even moving a Caesar to make as Aaron’s wife (see Exo 6:23). Talk about
a decree that would ensure Christ would holy heritage! But it wasn’t only their
be born in Bethlehem, fulfilling Micah’s history that was holy but also their lives.
ancient prophecy. How it happened is “And they were both righteous before
a mystery we will explore throughout God, walking in all the commandments
eternal ages. His journey from heaven to and ordinances of the Lord blameless”
earth, from being lauded on a glorious (Luk 1:6). Luke spares no words in tell-
throne to being laid in a grimy feeding ing us that these two were saints in every
trough, will fill us with wonder forever. sense of the word. But they were also …
In this series of articles, our focus will Senior Saints
be on the narratives surrounding the
Savior’s birth. We will examine the star, “They both were now well stricken in
the shepherds, the swaddling clothes and years” (v7). Ordinarily, we might wonder
the sages, and the role they all played in why such a statement would be made.
the Christmas story. Human, angelic and Yet God, in His perfect plan, was going
divine activity all combine in history’s to use this couple to bring forth a special
first chapter of the greatest story ever son. They never had a child before, since
told. Even if it’s not December, may we Elisabeth was barren (v7), and they were
never lose the meaning and wonder of the resigned to the fact that children were not
incarnation of the eternal Son of God. To to be in their future. It is difficult to fully
die in our place and to be our Savior, He convey how barrenness was considered in
must become like us (sin apart). And so, ancient Hebrew culture. Some viewed it
in love He came from glory All the Way as a punishment from the Lord, and most
to Bethlehem. regarded it, at the very least, a disgrace.
We can hear hints of this from Elisabeth
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV herself later in the narrative: “This is what
unless otherwise noted. the Lord did for me when he looked fa-

206 TRUTH kTidings July 2025