“Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Matthew 2:13–15

It begins with the angel. The angel comes to Mary and proclaims to her that she would be with child. Then conflict enters the story as Joseph learns of Mary’s pregnancy. Yet this is resolved quickly through another angel sent to proclaim the truth to Joseph. Then there is the visit to Elizabeth, pregnant with John, where the Lordship of Jesus is declared though he was still in the womb. This paves the way for the remarkable journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem where Mary, nearly bursting with child takes a 70 mile trip on the back of a donkey. They find no place at the inn to lie their head and so Jesus, the Son of God, Lord of all creation, was born and laid in a manger.

The angels then begin singing to the shepherds in the fields proclaiming the birth of Christ. The shepherds visit the humble place wherein lie the Lord of lords and King of kings. Going out from there the shepherds tell all who they come across of the remarkable work of God. Then approach the wise men bringing their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, foreshadowing the kingship, priesthood, and sacrifice that was, even then, present in the life of this small baby.

And so comes to a close the traditional Christmas story told across the world for 2000 years. Yet the wise men do not really have the last word in this narrative. After departing, another angel appeared. This angel did not bring good news, but a grave warning. A warning to flee to Egypt for Herod was determined to search out and destroy the baby Jesus.  So, when the wise men departed Joseph took his family at night and fled to Egypt, fulfilling the prophecy from Hosea 11:1.

Jesus came into the world as a helpless child, He lived a vulnerable life, and gave His life up on the cross. Yet it was in His vulnerability that Christ gained victory. He was vulnerable to temptation, though He did not sin, and so we have a savior who can sympathize with our temptations and trials (Hebrews 4:15). He submitted himself to the cross, but it was in this vulnerability that He gained victory over death. As Christians we must learn from the example of Jesus that we gain victory in our vulnerability, not our strength.