Under the Radar

Luke 2:15-16  KJV  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.

1 Corinthians 1:27  NLT  Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.

I mentioned a couple of days ago that I was curious as to the contrast between the mighty king that is prophesied in Isaiah and the "babe lying in a manger" that is portrayed in modern depictions of the nativity.  As I have been focusing on being a kingdom citizen and getting to know my King better, this depiction of such seemingly humble, modest beginnings doesn't balance.  But perhaps that is what is so good about it.

As I considered this contract, 1 Corinthians 1:27 popped up in me about how God chooses the foolish to confound the wise.  As you go on in the verse it says he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 

If we were discussing the prophesies of Isaiah and talking about the government being on his shoulders and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Might God....and of His reign will be no end to a Hollywood director how would that screenplay be written?  Clearly with a mighty warrior played by Brad Pitt or perhaps The Rock.  This king would wield a sword and ride a white stallion across the sands leading an army to battle to establish a new kingdom.  How am I doing here?  Sound about right?  Is this how this actually worked?  Not hardly.  Instead the King of kings and Lord of lords comes into this word born in a stable and rested comfortably in a feeding trough for livestock filled with hay.  If Melchior, Balthazar and Caspar hadn't stopped by, Herod would have had no clue that the one that threatened his reign most was a tiny baby in Bethlehem. 

I've got a couple of thoughts to tack onto this in the coming days as I begin to unpack this concept a bit more for myself.  It seems that we make such a big deal about how diminutive we make Jesus' beginnings on the earth in our depictions.  Consider that this humble beginning was just what was necessary to come in "under the radar" so to speak. 

Merry Christmas.