The Bible account of Jesus’ birth is, by any stretch of imagination, extraordinary. It was also monumental, because it marked the arrival of the long-promised Christ, Saviour, and future king of the world. While we do not know the reactions of many people, some are described for us.

Prior to the actual birth, Mary and Joseph were surprised by the pregnancy. This is because they both knew that the baby could not be Joseph’s, and Mary knew that she was a virgin (Matthew 1:19-25; Luke 1:26-35).

We also know about somebody who was not only surprised but very angry when he learnt about the actual birth. King Herod was incensed that a ‘king of the Jews’ had been born. He even tried to get the infant Jesus killed by destroying all the young children in the area (Matthew 2:16-17).

He had been alerted by the arrival of wise men, or magi, who had travelled far to see the young Jesus. There is no evidence that they were surprised by the birth. Instead, they seemed to have been expecting it. They had seen ‘his star when it rose’, knew that he was born to be a king, and came with gifts to worship him. King Herod’s chief priests and scribes were also much more aware. They were able to tell Herod and the wise men that the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem (Matthew 2:1-12).

Another group of people who were told about the birth were shepherds near Bethlehem. They were excited and then overjoyed with the good news from the angels that a ‘Saviour, Christ the Lord’ had been born; there is no record that they were aghast (Luke 2:8-20).

Other people were well aware of the Old Testament prophecies about the Christ. In the temple, Mary and Joseph met Simeon and Anna, both of whom were expecting this special person to be born around that time (Luke 2:25-38). Indeed, many Jews had wondered whether John the Baptist was the Christ, as they were ‘in expectation’: expectation that Christ would soon come (Luke 3:15). However, they were later confused when arguing about Jesus himself. This was partly because they too were aware that he was to be born in Bethlehem, but assumed that he came from Nazareth (John 7:41-42).

The account of these reactions may be interesting, but is it important? Yes: because there are lessons for us. Jesus has said very clearly that he is coming back and that we should be ready for him (eg Luke 12:35-48). We can only prepare for this by reading the Bible to find its exact message and advice. We do not want to be taken by surprise when Jesus comes. We do not want to deny that it is Jesus. Surely, we want to be like Simeon and Anna who were faithfully waiting and praying for God’s promised Christ to come.