Matthew 1:18-2:23, Luke 1:26-56, Luke 2

“It is one thing to say that the details of Jesus’ death were predicted in the Old Testament. But it is much more to say that Jesus himself was making his choices precisely to see to it that the Scriptures would be fulfilled. That is what Jesus said he was doing in Matthew 26:54. “I could escape this misery, but how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” I am not choosing to take the way out that I could take because I know the Scriptures. I know what must take place. It is my choice to fulfill all that is predicted of me in the Word of God.”

John Piper

It is by no accident that it took the Messiah hundreds of years to first arrive. It is by no accident that we are still awaiting His return for His people, for us. Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, is intentional. He is purposeful and deliberate. His choosing of you is not a mistake; you aren’t a new creation due to the actions of a thoughtless Creator. He knows what He is doing, and He always has, even in the form of an infant.

After 400 years of silence, the cries of the baby Jesus, God in flesh, humbly taking on a lowly form, break the silence. That is no accident. Even in His most humble form, Jesus is intentionally fulfilling prophecies, and He’s not missing any details. We are blessed when we believe Him and the promises He has made (Luke 1:45). 

The genealogy presented in Matthew 1 traces back to Abraham through Jesus, via Joseph. Although not biologically a part of the story, Jesus intentionally includes Joseph, fulfilling prophecy once more (2 Samuel 7:13-14). The baby born in Bethlehem in Matthew 1 and Luke 2 always had the beginning and end in mind. If our God has it all rigged, what have we to fear? Surely, He has proven Himself to be trustworthy through the intricacies of His intentional narrative. 

Jesus was never in a hurry; from His arrival to His departure, He patiently set up the scene. From waiting for Mary and Joseph to be together, to the line of David progressing, to the state of the world amidst His birth, and John the Baptist preparing the way, Jesus knew exactly what He was doing. The same is true of His second coming; He awaits the bride that our Father is preparing. That is the Man we await this season. Lift your eyes to the King above, the one who isn’t in a hurry, who writes a story far better and deeply incomprehensible, because He loves us, because He cares, and because He is deserving of the glory.