The Humble One

The bleeding, hurting, and lost desperately needed a Saviour… someone to comfort, bless, and touch them. Someone to rescue, remove, and transform them. Someone to kiss away their tears and give them hope.

The Saviour of the World came not with strength or might; not with wielding sword, shining armour, or majestic horse. To a world in emergency, He came as a baby. Soft, gentle, helpless.

No crown lay upon his brow, no jewels adorned his clothes. No sweet smelling perfumes rubbed into his skin. He lay in a food trough, surrounded with earthy smells of sheep and animals. No antiseptic, no doctors in white coats, no machines or medicines to ease any pain.

His coming was not easy. Joseph scrambled to find suitable lodging, while Mary convulsed in labour pains. These parents of incredible faith faced practical struggles. Did God make a mistake in entrusting the Saviour of the World to a couple from nowhere and with nothing? They couldn’t even get him a soft bed!

Lowly beginnings. Humble circumstances. The Saviour born in a foreign city, with no place to lay his head.

And yet a magnificent star shone, leading wise men to where the Child lay. Angels appeared to shepherds who watched their flock by night. Trumpets sounded; the heavens rejoiced. Unbeknownst to all but a handful, the shaking of the spirit world and the redemption of mankind was beginning.

A wandering man with an ordinary face. No riches, or splendid entourage. Followed by a doubting, scraggly bunch of lost fishermen and ordinary people. He had more time for sinners than religious folk. He played to a different tune, piercing through appearances, showing the hearts of men. He angered those who should have been his most ardent supporters.

He hung naked, beaten, and bleeding on a cross – the symbol of God’s curse. His miracles in the past three years did not help to reduce the pain. He suffered not by His own will. Tears of agony did not change the path before Him; He had to see it through to its tortured end.

Three days later the eternal work was completed, changing forever the course of mankind. The Saviour created a new path – the path of redemption – to unite, once again, God with man. He left the choice of this path open.

If I were God, this is not the way I would have chosen for the Saviour of the World.
As a follower, it is not the way I would have chosen for my Master.

The Servant King came not to be served, but to serve.

He came gently, not with force. He draws us with His love. He works in us, slowly, quietly, and only if we allow Him to. He stands at the door at knocks, but never forces His way in.

How humble Your entrance into the world, Jesus, and how humbling Your pursuit of man.