Short Christmas Story of the Birth of

Jesus
You have likely heard the saying, “Jesus is the reason for the season”, describing Jesus
and Him being the reason we celebrate Christmas. It is wise to remember the reason
why we celebrate in the first place and to not lose sight of this as life gets hectic and the
to-do list overflows. The easiest way to maintain the right focus throughout the entire
season is to focus on the Christmas story itself. While many great stories make their
rounds this time of year like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Here Comes Santa
Claus, Elf, Frosty the Snowman, and It’s a Wonderful Life, not even the most beloved
classics can compare to the true story of Jesus’ birth. To sum up the greatest story ever
told, let’s start at the beginning before Jesus made His triumphant appearance on the
earth:
Mary Was Told What Was Coming
Mary was just a young lady who was betrothed to be married to the love of her life. She
was likely enjoying the planning process, getting ready for the big event that would
allow her to live happily ever after with Joseph. Then, her world got a bit more
complicated when the angel, Gabriel, came to her and told her that God had chosen her
to bring Jesus into the world. While she took the news admirably, she had to have been
troubled. How was she, a virgin girl, going to bring a child into the world? What would
her parents think? What about Joseph? Would he break their engagement?

Thankfully, an angel also took the time to speak with Joseph and collaborate on Mary’s
story that she heard from Gabriel. Therefore, Joseph knew that Mary had remained true
to him but was in fact carrying the Holy Son of God in her womb via the immaculate
conception. This must have been scary for both of these young people. Who would
believe Mary and Joseph's story? Would their families disown them? They had to
wonder and fret. Thankfully, it all seemed to work out, likely due to their immense faith.
A Journey To Bethlehem
The next significant element of the birth of Jesus Christ's Christmas story is when Mary
and Joseph travel to Bethlehem to be counted among the census to fulfill the
requirements of the Roman Empire and ensure the proper taxes were paid. Each citizen
had to travel back to their hometown to be counted, so Mary and Joseph went to be
counted in Bethlehem, Joseph’s hometown.
As you can imagine, because of the immense draw of the census bringing people from
all over into Bethlehem, there wasn’t anywhere for the young couple to stay. They
ended up staying in a stable with the animals, as this was the only place for them to find
rest. During that time, Mary gave birth to baby Jesus and laid Him in a manger wearing
swaddling clothes.
The Shepherds Came to See Jesus
Sometime after Mary gave birth (but before they made their way back home) some
shepherds in a nearby field were keeping watch over their flock by night. Suddenly, an
angel appeared before them and told them the good news of Jesus' birth and explained
where they could find the baby. The shepherds were understandably a bit frightened
when the angels first appeared but were told “Don’t be afraid, I have good news for you
and everyone. Today in Bethlehem a Savior has been born for you. You will find the
baby lying in a manger.” The shepherds said to themselves, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and
see what has happened.” The shepherds found the babe just as the angel told them.
The Wise Men Followed A Star

Finally, the last piece of the beloved story of Jesus’ birth includes the wise men. These
men who studied astrology noticed the huge star that had appeared in the sky when
Jesus was born. Because of their immense knowledge and study of ancient teachings,
they knew the star signified a momentous event and meant the birth of a great king.
Consequently, they wanted to travel to see this king and bestow gifts upon Him. So, the
wise men followed the star all the way to the country of Judea, to its capital of
Bethlehem. When they arrived they asked people “Where is the child who was born the
king of the Jews?” Herod was jealous of this perceived new threat to his power. He
devised a plan to find Jesus and have Him killed. He told the wise men to report back to
him once they found Jesus. He, of course, lied and said that he wanted to go worship
Jesus, but in reality, he only meant to take him out.
The wise men eventually tracked down Jesus and His family and bowed down to
worship him, giving him gold, frankincense and myrrh. It is often assumed that there
were only three wise men, because only three gifts are listed. However, most experts
agree this would likely have been a larger group of travelers, traversing the area
together and would likely have included more than merely three individuals.
King Herod’s Initial Plans Were Fraughted
Thankfully, the wise men were warned during a dream about the true intentions King
Herod had towards Jesus. Therefore, they did not go back and reveal His location to
King Herod. Instead, they returned east to their homes. Unfortunately, Herod was still
determined to find Jesus and figured out that the wise men had tricked him. Jesus and
His family were warned in a dream of Josephs’ to flee to Egypt to protect the baby from
discovery. Therefore, the young family eventually ended up in their old town of Nazareth
where Jesus grew up.