Ah, how sweet—a little baby.
Cue the "ooohs" and "awwws." Cue the baby shower. But this wasn't your typical "goo-goo, gaa-gaa" moment. This was not just a child; this was a coronation.
The magi didn't show up with rattles and diapers. They brought gifts fit for royalty—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Those weren't tokens of affection; they were offerings to a King. Not a metaphorical king. A real-deal, crown-worthy, heaven-decreed King.
Yes, King.
The birth of Jesus, as strange as it may sound in our 2025 understanding, was not primarily a religious event. Not in the "bow your head and sing a hymn" sense. It was political. Cosmic. Subversive.
Still with me?
When Isaiah wrote, "The government shall be upon His shoulder," he meant exactly what he said. Not a church program. Not a spiritual retreat. A government. This child's arrival triggered both worship and warfare. Shepherds bowed. Herod plotted. No one orders the slaughter of innocent children unless they understand the threat is real.
This wasn't just sweet baby Jesus. This was the long-prophesied heir to the throne. The true King of Kings.
A child is born. Innocent and vulnerable—but entirely authoritative. And the world responded accordingly. The magi paid homage. The angels heralded his arrival. The shepherds bowed in awe. And the reigning king of Judea? He resorted to bloodshed.
Why? Because he knew. This baby wasn't just a symbol. The child's birth was the beginning of a revolution.
Isaiah 9:6 says it plainly: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder..."
Ready or not, the King had come. And the world would never be the same.