The Christmas Story of "What ifs"

What if?

What if Mary had told Angel Gabriel to get lost?

What did he mean telling her she would get pregnant by the Holy Spirit? That couldn't even be possible. Even if it was, after she'd saved herself and found the perfect man, and was about to get married, what did Angel Gabriel mean, what would her family say, what would the man think of her, what would his family say? She would surely lose him.

What if Mary had said no way, thus ending the Christmas story even before it had begun.

What if?

What if Joseph had said no way!

What if he had said there was no way he was going to marry a woman already pregnant. And how does a person get impregnated by the Holy Spirit? That certainly must be a load of hogwash! What would society think of him and that whole situation?

What if Joseph had said he would do what any man in his position would do, leave Mary, tell everyone what Mary had done, resulting most likely in Mary being stoned to death, thus the death of baby Jesus even before He was born.

What if?

What if King Herod had embraced the idea of another king!

Baby Jesus would have most likely had a totally different upbringing. He would have lived in a palace, had all the finer things in life, lived life to the utmost!

What if baby Jesus had lived like the king He is? How would life be today? Would salvation have come to the world? Would He have been crucified? How would our sins have been atoned for? 

What if?

What if the Magi (wise men) had ignored the dream and returned to give baby Jesus' location to King Herod? He obviously had no intention of going to worship Jesus like he had told the Magi.
What if the Magi had led Herod right to baby Jesus?
Herod would most likely have killed baby Jesus, killing him before His time.

What if?
What if the Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law who obviously knew the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (they did tell Herod about it when he asked), had gone to look for the Messiah. What if they, based on the information they already had, had gone looking for baby Jesus, acknowledging who He is?
Would they have persecuted Jesus as they did? Would they have schemed to have Jesus arrested, and crucified? Would Jesus have died for our sins?

But, salvation has come to the world.
Mary received Angel Gabriel, and with all humility, accepted what God had destined her for.
Joseph took already pregnant Mary as his wife and Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph.
King Herod did not embrace the idea of another king, and did all he could to eliminate Jesus.
The Magi did not ignore the dream. They did not return to Herod.
The Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law did not act on what they knew. They persecuted, schemed, had Jesus arrested and crucified.
All these unfortunate circumstances had to happen, so we could receive the marvelous gift of Jesus.

Going through something not so exciting, and asking where God is?
What can I say? Same place He was when His one and only begotten son, the Messiah, was being born in a stable and laid in a manger.
Sometimes, the not so exciting has to happen to pave way for the marvelous to happen!

Let's remember, Christmas begins what Easter completes!
Merry Christmas!