The “Silent Miracles” Of Christ’s Birth

Miracles surround the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Of course, all miracles are from the Lord’s hand. Some are obviously supernatural including:

There are some circumstances in the Christmas narrative that seem to be “coincidences,” which happened in the natural course of human events. These could be called “the silent miracles” of Christ’s birth.

One such “silent miracle” could be Caesar Augustus’ decree, “that the whole world should be enrolled.” (Luke 2:1) Ceasar Augustus didn’t know about Messianic prophecies, or care about the hopes of the Jewish people, or believe in their God when he decreed that a census would be taken of all inhabitants of his empire. However, God used Augustus’ decree to fulfill Messianic prophesies about which Augustus was ignorant.

Mary lived in Nazareth and was expecting her first child. One of the most dangerous times for a woman to travel is during the last trimester of a pregnancy. The road to Bethlehem was mountainous and arduous so normally, Mary and Joseph would not have chosen to travel to their ancestral home, especially not at this time, but they had no choice. Rome ruled with an iron fist. An empirical decree could not be ignored or delayed. 

So they set out for Bethlehem at this very inconvenient time. But it was God’s time and Micah 5:2, which describes the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem, was fulfilled, “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.”

It seemed unfortunate that Mary and Joseph could not find any room in the inn. But perhaps it was another “silent miracle.” Often a Palestinian inn was no more than a large, bare room. Travelers provided their own food, floor coverings, and bedding. There was seldom any privacy. Inns were partly places of rest but also partly houses of ill repute. If Mary had delivered her Baby in the inn, she would probably not have had any privacy.

But a stable offered privacy. It shielded the family from bad associations and unwanted attention. It was a place where the shepherds could easily find the baby and then tell all who would listen about the Savior’s birth.

These “silent miracles” surrounding Christ’s birth assure us that God is in control and is working out His perfect plans, even when our circumstances seem to tell us otherwise.