And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2: 10-11

The King of Glory stooped low to take humanity. Rude and forbidding were His earthly surroundings. His glory was veiled so that the majesty of His outward form might not become an object of attraction. He shunned all outward display. Riches, worldly honor, and human greatness can never save a soul from death;

Jesus purposed that no attraction of an earthly nature should call men to His side. Only the beauty of heavenly truth must draw those who would follow Him. The character of the Messiah had long been foretold in prophecy, and He desired men to accept Him upon the testimony of the word of God.

Desire of Ages, p. 44

The angels had wondered at the glorious plan of redemption. They watched to see how the people of God would receive His Son, clothed in the garb of humanity. Angels came to the land of the chosen people. Other nations were dealing in fables and worshiping false gods. To the land where the glory of God had been revealed, and the light of prophecy had shone, the angels came. 

With amazement, the heavenly messengers beheld the indifference of the people whom God had called to communicate to the world the light of sacred truth. The Jewish nation had been preserved as a witness that Christ was to be born of the seed of Abraham and David’s line, yet they knew not that His coming was now at hand. In the temple, the morning and the evening sacrifice daily pointed to the Lamb of God, yet even here was no preparation to receive Him. The priests and teachers of the nation knew not that the greatest event of the ages was about to take place. They rehearsed their meaningless prayers and performed the rites of worship to be seen by men, but in their strife for riches and worldly honor, they were not prepared for the revelation of the Messiah. 

Desire of Ages, p. 44

Angels attend Joseph and Mary as they journey from their home in Nazareth to the city of David. The decree of imperial Rome for the enrollment of the peoples of her vast dominion has extended to the dwellers among the hills of Galilee. As in old times, Cyrus was called to the throne of the world’s empire so that he might set free the captives of the Lord, so Caesar Augustus was made the agent for the fulfillment of God’s purpose in bringing the mother of Jesus to Bethlehem. She is of David’s lineage, and the son of David must be born in David’s city. Out of Bethlehem, said the prophet,

“shall He come forth . . . that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.”

Micah 5:2, margin

Weary and homeless, they traverse the entire length of the narrow street, from the city’s gate to the eastern extremity of the town, vainly seeking a resting place for the night. There is no room for them at the crowded inn. In a rude building where the beasts are sheltered, they at last find refuge, and here, the Redeemer of the world is born.

Above the hills of Bethlehem, an innumerable throng of angels are gathered. They wait for the signal to declare the glad news to the world. Had the leaders in Israel been true to their trust, they might have shared the joy of heralding the birth of Jesus. But now they are passed by.

God declares,

“I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground.” Isaiah 44:3;

“Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness.”

Psalm 112:4.

To those seeking light and who accept it with gladness, the bright rays from the throne of God will shine.

In the fields where the boy David had led his flock, shepherds still kept watch by night. Through the silent hours, they talked together of the promised Saviour and prayed for the coming of the King to David’s throne. “And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2: 10-11

At these words, visions of glory fill the minds of the listening shepherds. The Deliverer has come to Israel! Power, exaltation, and triumph are associated with His coming. But the angel must prepare them to recognize their Saviour in poverty and humiliation. “This shall be a sign unto you,” he says; “Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

Desire of Ages, p. 48

Oh, that today, the human family could recognize that song! The declaration then made, the note then struck, will swell to the close of time and resound to the ends of the earth. When the Sun of Righteousness shall arise, with healing in His wings, that song will be re-echoed by the voice of a great multitude, as the voice of many waters, saying,

“Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”

Revelation 19:6.

The story of Bethlehem is an exhaustless theme. In it is hidden “the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” Romans 11:33. We marvel at the Saviour’s sacrifice in exchanging the throne of heaven for the manger and the companionship of adoring angels for the beasts of the stall. Human pride and self-sufficiency stand rebuked in His presence. Yet this was but the beginning of His wonderful condescension. It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take man’s nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every child of Adam, He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations and to give us the example of a sinless life.

The heart of the human father yearns over his son. He looks into the face of his little child and trembles at the thought of life’s peril. He longs to shield his dear one from Satan’s power, to hold him back from temptation and conflict. To meet a bitterer conflict and a more fearful risk, God gave His only-begotten Son so that the path of life might be made sure for our little ones.

“Herein is love.” Wonder, O heavens! and be astonished, O earth!”

Romans 11:33

Desire of Ages, P. 43-49 in part