Jesus is King, but our Savior first

Several years ago I visited a birthing center in a huge metropolitan city. It was a popular place and women expecting babies put their names on a list months in advance to take advantage of the trendsetting facility.

With the appearance of an upscale hotel rather than a hospital, the facility had individual waiting areas and birthing rooms designed with certain elegance. Sitting areas with plush chairs were in each room so family members could relax and visit while they awaited the wonderful event.

A few steps out each room and down the hall, one could buy flowers for the new mother. With a call, a photographer would come to take pictures of the baby and also of the proud parents and grandparents that stood alongside the new parents.

Music filled the halls, animal and whimsical characters were painted in forest and jungle murals on the walls, and nurses wore vibrant colors in bold patterns.

On the last night before the mom and baby were dismissed, Mother and Dad were treated to an elegant steak dinner by candlelight, served by the hospital staff.

My guide said: “The birthing experience here is unique … we treat the mom like a queen and the dad like a king.”

Those new facilities are wonderful for today’s new mothers and dads. But the setting for Mary and Joseph when Jesus was born that night in Bethlehem was far from the comfort and conveniences.

The setting was less than comfort or convenience. The birthing site for the Christ child was a stinky and dark stable, no doubt filled with the odor of manure. His bed was a dirty manger that was used as an eating trough for the animals.

The stable stall had not been decorated and color coordinated for the event. The only coordinating colors were the browns of cows, the yellows of the hay and the grays of the donkeys and worn wood on the walls of the stall.

There was no place to sit accept on the hay and no doctor was on call.

Mary and Joseph did not have the support of extended family. They tended to the baby Jesus all by themselves. They had no layette for the baby so they wrapped baby Jesus in clean strips of cloth.

And the last meal that the young parents had before starting back home? Who knows? They may have had only meager portions of bread or dried meat or maybe some figs. I suppose they were fortunate if they had that.

Was that the best conditions for the Son of God to make his entrance into the world? We as humans would think that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords would have been born in a palace, with all the jewels and precious stones and servants and atmosphere that fit for a king.

Yet, we can never know the thoughts of God or his plan that he ordained before the world began. Could it be that God chose humble circumstances and unassuming circumstances, so the rich and powerful all through the ages have had to humble themselves to come to him? Then could it be that because Jesus was born in humble circumstances, not in a castle, the poor and lowly seeking the Lord have not had to struggle with thoughts that Jesus is only for the prestigious and powerful.

Jesus did not have to be born a king to prove himself. No matter how feeble and lowly it may seem, God in his splendor was confident in who his Son was and confident in what his purpose was to be. Therefore he chose those humble beginnings because God looked down through the centuries and knew all people needed a Savior.

Corrie ten Boom, the Holocaust survivor and Christ proclaimer wrote: “Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that he gave his only Son. The only requirement is to believe in him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.”

Jesus is the King of Kings … but the Bethlehem story tells me that he is first our Savior.

Judy Brandon writes about faith for The Eastern New Mexico News. Contact her at: [email protected]