Paul doesn’t give a narrative account of the birth of Jesus but he does refer to it in his letters. In Galatians 4:4-5 he writes,” When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
He speaks of incarnation, redemption and adoption into God’s family all as a result of God sending His son. This is the message and purpose of Christmas.
Jesus came at just the right time. God’s time – planned from eternity.
Luke specifically mentions Roman officials and the census in his birth narrative, allowing us to date Jesus’ birth and consequently be aware of what was happening at the time. It was a world dominated by Rome. This brought advantages of relative peace, a common language, famous roads and engineering triumphs which would have helped the spread of Christianity.
It was a time of immorality. The real situation Jesus would have found himself in was harsher than the Sunday school images we may have of him sitting on a grassy hillside speaking of lilies and sparrows! More often it would have been in a smelly, dirty market place dealing with screaming, pain and infection as he did battle with evil.
Rome used emperor worship to unite the Empire and hold things together. It was meant to foster patriotism by providing a symbol of unity. But the oppressed people needed something more. Their expectation of a caring shepherding Messiah had evolved into the hope of a war like leader who would deliver them.
Behind all of these factors, it was the time of God’s choice. Galatians refers to God’s two-fold purpose – to redeem (buy back people who had sold themselves to sin and evil) and adopt. Paul says we can look to God as ‘Abba’ Father, not just as king and judge.
Today, there is much talk about ‘spirituality’ – many searching for something more than the materialism of everyday living. There is a spiritual hunger. People fear what the future holds. We can have hope in Jesus, the baby we celebrate at Christmas who came, not just to brighten up the short dark days of winter, but to redeem and adopt us. The time is right now for us to accept Him.