A Humble Beginning (Daily Refresh, 12-19-25)

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35

Generations of anticipation. Prophets foretold it and the people hoped for it. There, in a simple town, it happened. The Son of God took on the vulnerability, frailty, and weakness of man by beginning His life as we all do—as a a baby. Holiness and power were made present in humanity. And to Mary, He was born.

Do you think anyone imagined, after all the prophecies of Jesus’ coming, that He would begin ‌His life on earth as a baby? That He would grow from an infant to a child to a teenager to an adult, the same way that man has since the offspring of Adam and Eve? Even during His ministry, people loved to view Jesus as a conqueror—a man of power that was going to topple the Roman government and establish Himself as their king. They wanted Jesus to show His power in a way that gave them power, too. 

And yet Jesus was humble to His core. 

He willingly began His time on earth completely powerless, born to His mother Mary into a simple life. 

Jesus went from being one with the Father in Heaven, powerful and supreme, to willingly taking on a human beginning, being born as an infant inherently dependent on others. Such humility marked His life and ministry. He did not come to topple governments but, by His loving sacrifice, topple sin by taking on a human life and then giving it up of His own accord. 

The Son of God. Mary’s son. God’s perfect plan made manifest at last.

Humility. It marked Him from the beginning.

My Thoughts

Jesus did not have to come humbly. He could have come as a conqueror, with all the power and might of heaven behind Him. Instead, He was born just as we are, through the labor pains of a willing servant of God. The people of the day looked for a new ruler, a new king to overthrow the Romans. What they (and we) got was someone not interested in power but in real “peace through strength.” His strength was demonstrated in His humility. We would to well in this very divided world to emulate our Savior and show His peace to others who need to know what a real leader who loves regular people looks like.