Articles
Treasure Where You Least Expect It
Reading: Luke 2:1-24
Nothing about the birth of Jesus met the expectations of his contemporary Jews. The King of kings, God’s own Son, the Redeemer and Savior, was born into some of the humblest circumstances at the time.
His parents hailed from no-good Nazareth (John 1:46) and were registered for the census in the little town of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Rather than receiving royal furnishings and treatment at his birth, the infant Son of God was laid in a feeding trough for animals because of the limited space. Instead of attracting the attention of movers and shakers of the time, God announced this birth to low-class shepherds who were out in the field. And did you notice the offering the family gave when baby Jesus was presented in the temple? Leviticus 12:8 tells us that the two-bird offering was an accommodation for the poorest of Israelites.
On the surface, the birth of Jesus was a modest, seemingly insignificant event. Yet something is said of His mother during all of this: “But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (v. 19, emphasis added). She saw past the rough exterior of circumstances to catch a glimpse of the spiritual realities that were unfolding. Indeed, as Paul later summarizes in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “…though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”
Even today, the life of a genuine Christian may not look glamorous or even enviable by the world’s standards. But those who trust in the Lord Jesus find true riches worth treasuring in a right relationship with their Maker.
