Chapter 1 —Beginnings
Christ, the heavenly merchantman seeking goodly pearls, saw in lost humanity the pearl of price. In
man, defiled and ruined by sin, he saw the possibilities of redemption. 1
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph,
before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being
a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while
he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph,
thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the
Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his
people from their sins.
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,
which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the
Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her
firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus. Matthew 1:18-25.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock
by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about
them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good
tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to
another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord
hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying
in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the
1Christ’s Object Lessons, 118.
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saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things
which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen,
as it was told unto them. Luke 2:8-20.
The Saviour’s coming was foretold in Eden. When Adam and Eve first heard the promise, they
looked for its speedy fulfillment. They joyfully welcomed their first-born son, hoping that he might
be the Deliverer. But the fulfillment of the promise tarried. Those who first received it died without
the sight. From the days of Enoch the promise was repeated through patriarchs and prophets, keeping
alive the hope of His appearing, and yet He came not. The prophecy of Daniel revealed the time of His
advent, but not all rightly interpreted the message. Century after century passed away; the voices of the
prophets ceased. The hand of the oppressor was heavy upon Israel, and many were ready to exclaim,
“The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth.” Ezekiel 12:22.
But like the stars in the vast circuit of their appointed path, God’s purposes know no haste and
no delay. Through the symbols of the great darkness and the smoking furnace, God had revealed to
Abraham the bondage of Israel in Egypt, and had declared that the time of their sojourning should be
four hundred years. “Afterward,” He said, “shall they come out with great substance.” Genesis 15:14.
Against that word, all the power of Pharaoh’s proud empire battled in vain. On “the self-same day”
appointed in the divine promise, “it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of
Egypt.” Exodus 12:41. So in heaven’s council the hour for the coming of Christ had been determined.
When the great clock of time pointed to that hour, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. 2
The King of glory stooped low to take humanity. Rude and forbidding were His earthly
surroundings. His glory was veiled, that the majesty of His outward form might not become an object
of attraction. He shunned all outward display. Riches, worldly honor, and human greatness can never
save a soul from death; Jesus purposed that no attraction of an earthly nature should call men to His
side. Only the beauty of heavenly truth must draw those who would follow Him. The character of the
Messiah had long been foretold in prophecy, and He desired men to accept Him upon the testimony of
the word of God.
The angels had wondered at the glorious plan of redemption. They watched to see how the people
of God would receive His Son, clothed in the garb of humanity. 3
Angels attend Joseph and Mary as they journey from their home in Nazareth to the city of David.
The decree of imperial Rome for the enrollment of the peoples of her vast dominion has extended to the
dwellers among the hills of Galilee. As in old time Cyrus was called to the throne of the world’s empire
that he might set free the captives of the Lord, so Caesar Augustus is made the agent for the fulfillment
of God’s purpose in bringing the mother of Jesus to Bethlehem. She is of the lineage of David, and
the Son of David must be born in David’s city. Out of Bethlehem, said the prophet, “shall He come
forth ... that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.”
Micah 5:2, margin. But in the city of their royal line, Joseph and Mary are unrecognized and unhonored.
Weary and homeless, they traverse the entire length of the narrow street, from the gate of the city to the
eastern extremity of the town, vainly seeking a resting place for the night. There is no room for them at
the crowded inn. In a rude building where the beasts are sheltered, they at last find refuge, and here the
Redeemer of the world is born. 4
2The Desire of Ages, 31, 32.
3The Desire of Ages, 43.
4The Desire of Ages, 44.
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Above the hills of Bethlehem are gathered an innumerable throng of angels. They wait the signal
to declare the glad news to the world. Had the leaders in Israel been true to their trust, they might have
shared the joy of heralding the birth of Jesus. But now they are passed by.5
In the fields where the boy David had led his flock, shepherds were still keeping watch by night.
Through the silent hours they talked together of the promised Saviour, and prayed for the coming of
the King to David’s throne. “And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord
shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the
city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
At these words, visions of glory fill the minds of the listening shepherds. The Deliverer has come to
Israel! Power, exaltation, triumph, are associated with His coming. But the angel must prepare them to
recognize their Saviour in poverty and humiliation. “This shall be a sign unto you,” he says; “Ye shall
find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
The heavenly messenger had quieted their fears. He had told them how to find Jesus. With tender
regard for their human weakness, he had given them time to become accustomed to the divine radiance.
Then the joy and glory could no longer be hidden. The whole plain was lighted up with the bright
shining of the hosts of God. Earth was hushed, and heaven stooped to listen to the song,—
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, good will toward men.” 6
As the angels disappeared, the light faded away, and the shadows of night once more fell on the
hills of Bethlehem. But the brightest picture ever beheld by human eyes remained in the memory of the
shepherds. “And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds
said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which
the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the
babe lying in a manger.” 7
Heaven and earth are no wider apart today than when shepherds listened to the angels’ song.
Humanity is still as much the object of heaven’s solicitude as when common men of common
occupations met angels at noonday, and talked with the heavenly messengers in the vineyards and the
fields. To us in the common walks of life, heaven may be very near. Angels from the courts above will
attend the steps of those who come and go at God’s command.
The story of Bethlehem is an exhaustless theme. In it is hidden “the depth of the riches both of the
wisdom and knowledge of God.” Romans 11:33. We marvel at the Saviour’s sacrifice in exchanging
the throne of heaven for the manger, and the companionship of adoring angels for the beasts of the stall.
Human pride and self-sufficiency stand rebuked in His presence. Yet this was but the beginning of His
wonderful condescension. It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take
man’s nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when
the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every child of Adam He accepted the
results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of
His earthly ancestors. He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give
us the example of a sinless life. 8
