4 Bible Characters Who Showed Immense Faith in the Christmas Story

The Faith of Mary (Luke 1:26-38)

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.’ ‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.’ ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her” (Luke 1:26-38). 

Last year when I was reflecting on the Christmas story, I was overwhelmed by Mary’s immense faith. Within a few minutes, she was told that she was pregnant and that she would give birth to the Messiah. Not to mention she was also visited by the angel Gabriel, who told her all these wonderful things. However, if we look at the text, we are never told how Mary feels. 

We are never told directly if she is afraid, anxious, or doubtful. We also don't see Mary drawing back or telling Gabriel “no.” Instead, we see Mary stating she is the Lord’s servant and His will should be done. This shows to us Mary’s intense dedication and trust in God. 

She knew that being found to be pregnant before marriage would cause her to be cut off from the community. After all, how many people would believe an angel visited her and she was carrying the Messiah? Despite Mary knowing this information, she still chose to obey God and follow His will for her life. If God were to ask us to do the same thing, how many of us would respond with bold faith? 

Prayer: “Dear God, Mary’s faith is incredible. I don't think I could have the same faith as her. Please help me to develop the same faith she had and to not be afraid of where You might lead. I trust in the plan You have for me, even if I don't understand it right now. Amen.”

Challenge Questions: 

• How would you have responded in Mary’s place? 
• What do you think caused Mary’s faith to become so strong? 
• How can you cultivate this same type of faith in your life? 

Photo Credit: ©iStock/GettyImagesPlus/kipgodi 

The Faith of Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25)

“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus” (Matthew 1:18-25).

Joseph is often overlooked in the Christmas story; however, his life also shows immense faith. From the Bible, we are told that Joseph was a man who followed the Jewish Law. He obeyed God, served Him, and didn't want to do anything to slander His Lord’s Name. When Joseph heard about Mary’s pregnancy, he had in mind to separate from her privately in order to not bring disgrace upon her and her family. In other words, it was within Joseph's power to have his betrothed publicly humiliated and ridiculed for being unfaithful to him, yet he didn't choose this route. Instead, he chose the route of being kind, loving, and compassionate. 

Jewish Law at this time allowed husbands-to-be to have their wives-to-be stoned if they had been found guilty of sexual immorality. Even though Mary hadn't done anything wrong, what may have become of her if God hadn't divinely chosen Joseph to be her husband? Would another man allow her to be stoned and killed? As it is, God chose Joseph for a reason and many of us could argue it is because of his immense faith. 

When Joseph was deciding whether or not to separate from Mary, an angel came to him in a dream and reaffirmed everything that Mary had said. She was indeed pregnant, but not in the ordinary way. A virgin, yet she was carrying the Messiah. Once Joseph heard this information from the angel in his dream, he took Mary home to be his wife. 

What great faith we see in Joseph’s actions! He could have shrugged off the dream or believed it to have no special meaning, yet he had faith in God that it was true. Due to his faith, he became the earthly father of the Messiah. We are not told much more about Joseph after Jesus was born, yet he did teach Jesus carpentry, spend time with Him, and love Him. 

Prayer: “Dear God, the faith of Joseph is astounding. Yet again, I don't know if I would have this same kind of faith. Please help to cultivate this type of faith in my life and to always trust You. Amen.”

Challenge Questions: 

• What is particularly amazing about Joseph’s faith to you? 
• Would you have taken the dream seriously or shrugged it off? Explain. 
• Has your faith been similar to Joseph's in the past? Why or why not?

Photo Credit: ©SparrowStock 

The Faith of the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12)

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ‘In Bethlehem in Judea,’ they replied, ‘for this is what the prophet has written: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.’ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route” (Matthew 2:1-12). 

The Magi came from the East (modern-day Persia) to find the Messiah. They had been following the star of Bethlehem in order to celebrate the birth of the King. The Magi would have traveled over five hundred miles in order to see Jesus. While the Bible doesn't tell us much about the Magi, we do know they were wealthy, most likely astrologers, and understood the Jewish prophecies of the Messiah. Due to the exile of the Jews to Persia during Daniel's time, the Magi would have been familiar with Jewish texts. 

The faith of the Magi is seen in their long travel to see the Messiah and present Him with gifts, but it is also seen in the way that they prevent Herod from finding Jesus’ location. The Magi trusted in God more than they feared Herod. This caused them to show their faith in matters of life versus death. 

Chances are high that Herod would have ordered the Magi to be killed if he had caught them worshiping the Messiah. This didn't scare the Magi because they had immense faith. They wanted to come and worship the King more than anything else. By taking note of their faith, it can encourage us to also have faith in God. 

Prayer: “Dear Jesus, my faith compared to the Magi seems non-existent. I cannot say with certainty that I would have done the same things as the Magi. Please increase my faith so that I can truly worship, praise, and follow You with all my heart. Amen.”

Challenge Questions: 

• Would you be willing to travel over five hundred miles to see the Messiah? 
• Do you think the Magi’s faith ever wavered on their journey? 
• How rewarding do you think it was when the Magi got to worship Jesus?

Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Robert Thiemann 

The Faith of the Shepherd (Luke 2:8-20)

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told” (Luke 2:8-20). 

The shepherds in the field showed immense faith in many ways. From the passage above, we see that the glory of the Lord shone around them and that it scared them. An angel of the Lord tells the shepherds to not be afraid as he has wonderful news for them. The angel proceeds to tell the shepherds that the Messiah has been born into the world. The shepherds would have been well-equipped with knowledge of the Messiah, therefore, they were overjoyed by the news. 

Rather than doubting the angel, they listened to his instructions and found Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in a manger. They worshiped Jesus and then departed to tell others about His birth into the world. The faith of the shepherds shows us that if we trust in God, then wonderful things can happen. With proper trust in the Lord, we can also have the same immense faith as the shepherds. 

Similar to departing out into the fields, we can depart on the mission field to share the Good News of our Lord. We don't need to keep the knowledge of the Gospel and Jesus to ourselves. Instead, we need to share the truth of the Gospel with all people. With the same joy and faith as the shepherds, we can proclaim His wonderful Name. 

Prayer: “Dear Jesus, I am prone to doubt You, but I don't want to do this anymore. Help me to have the faith of the shepherds and to joyfully tell others about You. You are so amazing and wonderful, Lord. Thank You for everything you have done and everything You do. Amen.”

Challenge Questions: 

• Would you have believed the angel’s words? Why or why not? 
• Would you have run to see the Messiah? 
• How can you foster a stronger faith in your own life?

Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Dan Kiefer