We set out below 7 groups of people involved in the Christmas story.
The first group was the Magi. The Magi were “wise men from the east”. They were not Jews, were from a land east of Israel, and appeared to be men of nobility and wealth. They could have been men from Persia, Babylon, India or further east. The Magi became known because they had travelled to Jerusalem, enquiring, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2). Further guided by the star, the Magi arrived in Bethlehem. When they entered the house where the baby Jesus was, they bowed down and worshipped him, and brought out of their treasures gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh which they presented to Jesus. They thereafter returned to their country, bypassing Jerusalem, having been warned in a dream to avoid King Herod.
The second group was King Herod and his henchmen. Scholars tell us that Herod was of Arab origin, and was the Roman-appointed king over Judea. Judea and Israel had previously been ruled by kings descended from David, and Herod was not in that blood line. When Herod heard about the Messiah’s birth from the Magi, he became disturbed and found out from the Jewish chief priests and teachers that the the Jewish scriptures prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem in Judea (Matthew 2:3–6). He met the Magi in secret in Jerusalem, and sent them on their way to Bethlehem, asking that they report to him once they had found the Messiah. When the Magi did not return to Herod, he then gave the order to kill all the boys two years old and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity, in an attempt to kill the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:16).
The third group was the shepherds in the vicinity of Bethlehem. They were out in the fields keeping watch over their flocks at night, when an angel appeared to them and said, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” The shepherds then witnessed the appearance of a great company of the heavenly host who praised God: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.” The shepherds found Mary and Joseph, and the baby Jesus lying in the manger, just as the angels had told them. The shepherds glorified and praised God for all that they had heard and seen, and spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, amazing all who heard them. (Luke 2:8–20).
The fourth group were Simeon and Anna. Simeon was a devout Jew, to whom the Holy Spirit had revealed that he would not die before he saw the Lord’s Messiah. When Joseph and Mary brought the baby Jesus to Jerusalem to be consecrated at the temple according to the law of Moses, Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms and said, “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” Anna was a prophetess who worshipped day and night at the temple with fasting and prayer. When Simeon held the baby Jesus, Anna came up to them and gave thanks to God, and then spoke about the child to all who were hoping for Jerusalem to be set free. (Luke 2:22–38).
The fifth group were the chief priests and teachers of the law, whom Herod had turned to to determine what the Jewish scriptures (what is today known as the Old Testament) said about the birth of the Messiah. This group of people were able to give the right answer from the scriptures, that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem of Judea. They however seemed to have missed out on the birth of their Messiah. The angelic announcement of the Messiah was not made to them, but was made to shepherds living out in the fields. The Bible records that Herod and all Jerusalem were troubled by the news of the birth of the Messiah; the chief priests and teachers of the law did not seem to have been positively excited about the fulfilment of the prophecy, appearing nonchalant and perhaps unbelieving that the Messiah had been born to them. We would see that in due course (3 decades later), this group of people would plot for and demand the crucifixion of Jesus (Matthew 27:1, John 19:6).
The sixth group in the Christmas story were Mary and Joseph. Mary was the biological mother of Jesus, who was troubled when an angel announced to her that she would be with child though she was a virgin. Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, a descendant of King David. An angel had appeared to her, saying: “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Mary was perplexed and asked the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” to which the angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:26–38). Joseph, being a righteous man, had thought of divorcing Mary quietly as he did not want to expose her to public disgrace, but was stopped by an angel of God who said to him, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Joseph did what the angel commanded him, and when the baby was born, gave him the name Jesus. (Matthew 1:18–24).
The final group is the people who were not there in the original Christmas story. Does the birth of Jesus mean anything to them? You and I are in this final group. The Bible tells us that the birth of Jesus was of the Holy Spirit, in fulfilment of biblical prophecy. Concerning prophecy, the Bible says that no prophecy of scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things, but prophets spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:20–21). If one wonders if God is real, the birth of Jesus proves that He is. The apostle Paul tells us that the gospel of God was promised beforehand through God’s prophets in the holy scriptures, and that God’s Son Jesus Christ was born a descendant of David according to his earthly life and through the Spirit of holiness was declared to be the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4). Jesus was born to save us from our sins that separate us from God, dying on a Roman cross at the hands of sinners to die for us (sinners too) that he might redeem us from the law that we must die for our sins. After he had received the Holy Spirit, the apostle Peter preached and three thousand Jews believed, when Peter proclaimed, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off — to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (Acts 2:38–39).
You and I are in the beneficiaries of the Christmas story. Christmas happened so that we can have Jesus as our Saviour and Lord. We need Jesus as our Saviour and Lord because we are all created by God to know Him, love Him and serve Him. Our lives have not been pristine — each of us is tainted with sin. Sin separates us from God and keeps us from wanting to come near to God or to believe in Him. We can only believe in God and Jesus if the Holy Spirit enables us to. If you feel a tug in your heart to believe, that could well be the Holy Spirit prompting you to respond to the gospel. The Bible says: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). That is the starting point for a life of faith in Jesus Christ, that will well up to eternal life. God will place His Holy Spirit in the hearts of those who have believed, as a guarantee of what is to come (2 Corinthians 1:22). Eternal life will be yours to have, and is the best present you can receive this Christmas, or at any time.