The Birth of Christ
Brief explanations on the following regarding the birth of Christ: Virgin Conception - Swaddling Clothes - Shepherds - Traditional Song - Gifts - December 25th. The Birth of Christ Virgin Conception Often during the Christmas season, Scriptures are looked at which apply to the birth of Jesus Christ. First let us turn to Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." We see that this prophecy is fulfilled in the Gospels. In Matthew 1:18, we read, "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." Here is an Orientalism which people of the Western world do not understand. Westerns say that Mary and Joseph were engaged, but before they could be married, she was found with child. This is not so. The wedding customs of the East are such that the priest consults the stars and fixes a date for the couple to come together, sometime after the wedding ceremony has been performed. Easterners think it is important to have one's children born "under a certain star", and in this way they try to fix the future characteristics of children by causing them to be born at a certain time. In this verse, we see the word "espoused", which means married, and we further see that in verse 20 of the same chapter, the phrase appears, "…fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife ... " These details are emphasized in the Scriptures so that we may be assured that the virgin conception is a fact and is a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. Swaddling Clothes Luke 2:7, "And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." In the East, it is not unusual for the people to sleep with their animals; in India the poor people have to sleep in the street sometimes. At least with the animals there
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and heard. Traditional Song Whenever an Eastern prince is born, the musicians of the court are informed and they sing this traditional song: Unto King Micah a child is born; Unto King Micah a son is given! We find the same type of song recorded in Isaiah 9:6; the difference is that this is the prophecy of the coming of Christ, therefore the words read: "For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given:" www.kcpillai.org 2 Ordinarily, the name of the father is inserted in that space. The servants of Brahmin priests go about making the official announcement about the royal heir in India, so that the whole country may rejoice and sing praises to the new arrival. But God Himself announced the birth of Jesus through the shepherds and the heavenly hosts gave praises. Gifts Each person in the kingdom is expected to bring a little bit of gold, and other nearby kings will send gifts also. This