Fully Devoted: JesusMuestra

Order From Chaos

Luke changes things up again by giving us a really raw, detailed look at Jesus’ origin story. We get to see the messy moments leading up to His birth and the crazy circumstances that marked the beginning of His childhood—and it shows us in a  beautiful way that the miraculous and the mundane were always meant to be intertwined.

Notice how Jesus’ miraculous conception is matched with the very real possibility of public humiliation. His parents’ marriage almost didn’t make it. The last month of Mary’s pregnancy was anything but glamorous. And the God of the universe entered our world in a dingy cave with a bunch of animals. Are you kidding me? 

But that’s not all. Jesus’ first few years of life consisted of running for His life because a power-hungry pseudo-king wanted to kill Him. His parents had to figure out how to raise a kid alone in a foreign country, without the support of family. And yet throughout the story there are seemingly casual mentions of an angel appearing here, a dream from God happening there, a prophecy fulfilled yonder ...

What is Luke showing us? Two big things stand out. 

1. The kind of relationship God wants to have with us is not this compartmentalized section of our lives, or a thing we do on the side. It is our life. The through line of the story was always meant to be God’s presence and guidance. In the same way that He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He wants to walk with you and me. And when we walk with God, the miraculous and the mundane become one and the same. As followers of Jesus, we’re literally invited to walk in step with the Spirit of God—the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead! 

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:24-25 NIV 

Do we realize the miracle that we get to experience every day? We crave these supernatural experiences, but all the while there is something supernatural going on inside of us each day that we wake up and, through the power of the Spirit, become a little more like Jesus. 

2. Jesus was born into chaos … on purpose. He entered history under the dark shadow of the Roman Empire. The Israelites are once again an oppressed people. And Luke gives us all these crazy details about Mary and Joseph's required trip to Bethlehem and escape to Egypt. Why? To show that God is still directing the story. Even when everything seems like it’s going wrong, there’s hope. There are prophecies being fulfilled through this inconvenient journey, uncommon birth, and unlikely escape. Yes, the Romans ordered the census and Herod ordered all the baby boys to be put to death, but the Author of this story is no earthly nation or ruler—no kingdom of this world. The Author has always been, and will always be, our Creator God.  

Much like John, Luke draws our minds back to the beginning of the story. In Genesis, we find a God who brings order to chaos. He brings light to darkness. And He isn’t afraid of getting intimately involved in the process. In telling us all these details, Luke is asserting that Jesus is this same God. A God who entered into our chaos, a God who brought light to our darkness, and a God who isn’t afraid to get His hands dirty.

For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. Colossians 1:13-14 NLT

And once again, from the very beginning of this Gospel account, we realize why it’s called good news! Because from page one of Luke, we’re reminded of who our God is—the Author of the story, who brings order from chaos and light to the darkness. 

Journaling Questions 

• What verse or passage stands out to you from today’s reading? Write it in your journal.  
• In your own words, describe why God being willing to enter our chaos is good news.
• Are there any parts of your life that you have been holding back from God? Allow Him to search you, and surrender everything to Him, even the little, seemingly mundane parts of your day.