The Men of ChristmasНамуна

Not Exactly According to Plan

We like to set our Nativity scenes with all actors present and accounted for: the shepherds in their place, the animals appropriately spaced out around the young parents, and the wise men with their gifts reverently bowed as they worship the baby born king of the Jews.

It’s a pretty scene, and you should certainly leave your nativity alone.

But that’s not exactly how it happened.

While Scripture is a bit fuzzy on some of the timing issues in the Christmas story, the arrival of the wise men is not one of them. By the time they arrive, Mary, Joseph, and the toddler Jesus are living in a house (still in Bethlehem) and no longer billeting with the animals and sharing their furniture.

The arrival of the wise men with their gifts, however, brings a dark cloud over the lives of the young family. Their question to Herod about the location of the king of the Jews brought about a dark reaction from the paranoid ruler. He was intent on ridding himself of any threats to his power. And so he ordered the deaths of all boys in the area under the age of 2.

Fortunately, an angel warns Joseph in a dream, and the family escapes to Egypt. What a turn of events!

There has been so much that Joseph has already had to act on in faith to be the earthly father of the Messiah. Now, they were literally on the run for their lives, fleeing the land of God’s people for the sake and safety of their young son.

It’s difficult to imagine how this would have felt.

Joseph and Mary knew who Jesus was. Yet they had to endure family scorn (that’s possibly why there was no space in the guest room), and now they had to flee their home with the Messiah because a jealous king wanted to murder Him.

Once again, Joseph shows us what it means to be a man of faith in difficult circumstances.

Sometimes, there are details we don’t know about God’s plan, and that’s probably a good thing. We might make different choices if we were given too much information.

We are asked to be faithful with what we do have and what we do know. Joseph did that. He took on a role that brought with it a host of uncertainties. He did the best he could. So may we all.

Prayer: God, I often ask for the details of what is coming. Realistically, I’m probably better off not knowing. Help me to rest in what You have shown me. Help me to be faithful to what You have called me to. Amen.

Reflection: What unexpected circumstances have you encountered that have made you wonder what God is doing?