The time in which this story takes place is different from today. Adultery and pregnancy before marriage were punished severely. Mary's pregnancy is therefore a major problem. She is unable to convince her fiancé Joseph of what has happened to her. Some time earlier, an angel came to her with a special message: "You will conceive and give birth to a son. You are to name him Jesus (= 'God saves'). The Holy Spirit will come to you, and the power of the Most High God will come upon you. As a result, a holy child will be born in you, and he will be called 'Son of God'" (Luke 1:26-38). What the angel said turned out to be true. Despite the fact that she is still a virgin, a baby begins to grow in her womb.

According to the law, Joseph has every right to have Mary punished publicly. Yet he remains loving and does not want to put her in a bad light. He decides to break off the engagement and leave her secretly. This way, it seems as if he has made the mistakes. But before he does that, an angel comes to him in a dream during the night. He reassures him and says, “Joseph, go ahead and marry Mary, because her child is from the Holy Spirit. Mary will have a son, and you are to call him Jesus (=‘God saves’). For he will save his people from their disobedience to God.” (Matthew 1:20-25).

Joseph wakes up and does what the angel said: he marries the pregnant Mary. He chooses to do what the angel told him, no matter what the other people say.

After Joseph and Mary's wedding day, the Roman Emperor Augustus orders a census. Everyone must register in their place of origin. For Joseph, this is the town of Bethlehem. Together with his heavily pregnant wife, they make the journey of several days to Bethlehem.

Bethlehem is busy. Many people have traveled to the town to register. All the inns are full. With Mary about to give birth, there is no other option than to be creative and settle down in an unusual place. They find a spot in an animal enclosure. There, in that humble place, baby Jesus is born. Mary wraps her child in cloths and places him in a feeding trough for animals. There was no better bed. And there he lies. The Savior, the new King. Not in a large palace, in a luxurious bed with soft sheets, but in an animal enclosure, in the feeding trough for animals. The Son of God, who comes from heaven to give people hope and salvation, is born in these special circumstances.

A star appears in the sky, which is noticed by astronomers many kilometers away. And shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem are startled by an angel who brings good news. A baby has been born who comes to bring salvation and restores the relationship between God and people! It does not matter whether you are poor or rich, whether you never make a mistake or 100 every day, whether you already know Jesus very well or are just getting to know him. Jesus is born, the savior has come! Also especially for you!

Do you want to read more about the shepherds? Then click here.

Joseph and Mary will increasingly discover how special baby Jesus is. And that he is very different from an ordinary baby. Jesus will grow up to be a man who is full of God. He will give people hope and a path to a new life with God. They just don't understand that yet.

When Jesus is an adult, he tells them about the kingdom of God. A place where God rules justly and where people can live in peace with each other, but above all with God. He shows how beautiful life with God is and goes to great lengths to bridge the gap between God and man, that is what Christians think of on Good Friday.

Just like Joseph and Mary, you can increasingly discover how special Jesus is. Do you want to know more about Jesus? Learn more about Jesus in this article.

Do you want to experience the Christmas story even further? Then here are a few tips for you:

Read the story in the Bible from Matthew and Luke

Listen to the song 'Face of God' by Phil Wickham