The Surprising Origins of the World's Salvation

Bethlehem’s ruler and the way of God.

Each day during Advent, as we read through Luke 1-2, we’ll consider a passage from a Hebrew prophet alongside. Advent blessings to you.

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Luke begins his gospel with a commitment to clarity and accuracy, a careful preservation of theological orthodoxy. Addressing Theophilus (“lover of God”) to ensure that he understands the truth about Jesus, this desire for certainty reflects a hunger for something solid, trustworthy, and lasting in a world filled with uncertainty. Orthodoxy matters because it roots us in God’s reality and not our speculations.

Yet, from the outset, this orderly account tells an extraordinary, even unexpected, story. Micah foretells that salvation will arise from Bethlehem, an insignificant town. Not Jerusalem, the center of religious power. Not Rome, the seat of worldly authority. From Bethlehem—“too little to be among the clans of Judah.” This startling choice reminds us that God’s power is made perfect in weakness.

More than that, the ruler from Bethlehem will bring peace, not through conquest or might but through humility and restoration. “He shall be the one of peace,” Micah declares. In the world of human “order,” power and victory came through domination. Yet here, God’s promised ruler upends expectations. He will establish His reign through gentleness and love, securing peace for His people through sacrifice, not the sword.

This intersection of God’s way (righteousness - theological orthodoxy) and surprise is at the heart of the Gospel. Advent invites us to hold these truths together: to seek certainty in the promises of God while remaining open to the unexpected ways they are fulfilled them. The one who comes from Bethlehem, born in a manger, defies our assumptions about power, importance, and peace.

As we begin this Advent season, let us anchor ourselves in the truth of God’s Word, even as we marvel at His surprising ways. The same God who brought salvation from the least of places and through the gentlest of means is still at work today, surprising us with His grace and His peace.

Luke 1:1-4

Many people have already applied themselves to the task of compiling an account of the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used what the original eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed down to us. Now, after having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, I have also decided to write a carefully ordered account for you, most honorable Theophilus. I want you to have confidence in the soundness of the instruction you have received.

Micah 2:2-5a

As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, though you are the least significant of Judah’s forces, one who is to be a ruler in Israel on my behalf will come out from you. His origin is from remote times, from ancient days. Therefore, he will give them up until the time when she who is in labor gives birth. The rest of his kin will return to the people of Israel. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. They will dwell secure, because he will surely become great throughout the earth; he will become one of peace.

Prayer

God,

I have a bit of a weird request. Help me to see the story of your entrance into the world through Christ with child-like eyes this year. What I mean is that I want to read and receive these things without attachment. This may not be possible, exactly. But I truly desire to know how and why you did what you did such that my life be shaped by its character rather than by the extra stuff we add to the narrative.

Simply put: help me to see Jesus as you sent him.

By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.