Curious wonder…
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
Psalm 136:3-4
I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.
Psalm 9:1-2
Today I reflect on how witnessing the miraculous events surrounding Jesus birth might have changed the perspectives and lives of those involved in the nativity story.
Did the Magi, who invested a lot of time, money, and energy to witness the arrival of the King of Jews, ever try to find out more about Judaism, the God of Israel, or Jewish prophecies? Did they ever think about returning to see what had become of Jesus or sending others to do so since it’s most likely that they died before Jesus grew up and came into his ministry? When they met Jesus face to face, did they sense that they were in the presence of God? Did Joseph and Mary tell the Magi of the miraculous things they experienced?
Zechariah and Elizabeth were beneficiaries of multiple miracles in their lives due to Jesus birth. Zechariah had an angelic encounter, temporarily lost his voice, regained his voice to name his son, John, as well as to praise God and prophesy. Elizabeth, despite her age, became a mother and experience John’s joyful movement in her womb when Mary visited, then Elizabeth was moved to prophesy. She spent months with Mary as they both continued through their miraculous pregnancies before Zechariah and Elizabeth raised their son, John the Baptist, with the sure knowledge that John was to prepare the way for Messiah. I wonder if they had any interactions with Joseph and Mary and Jesus while raising John in the wilderness. Did they choose to live in the wilderness as it made it easier for them to raise John with the knowledge of the part that John was to play in preparing hearts for Messiah? Were they still alive when John was brutally murdered? Or when Jesus died and then resurrected?
Finally, I’m curious whether the angelic experience and witnessing Jesus’ birth began or strengthened faith of some of the shepherd. Did it change how they saw the world? Indeed, some of the shepherds may have been young enough to remember the angelic encounter AND see Jesus come into his ministry years later. Perhaps some of them became his first followers.
Are you curious too? Though the Bible often generates unanswered questions, could it be that God wants to spark curiosity in us so that we stop and consider the many people that are part of Jesus story. Ordinary people, just like you and I, that experienced miracles and extraordinary circumstances. Won’t it be amazing to learn their stories when we are together with God and others in heaven? Praying that each of us understands that we have our own Jesus story too, filled with the miracles of faith!
