What's missing from your Nativity? Most of us would say nothing. We have Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus, angels, animals, shepherds and a stable. Isn't this all? There's more to the scene. But before I get to this, let's agree that the Wise Men came sometime later with a guiding star.
The night of Jesus' birth is often visualized in sacred, romantic, and solemn ways. We have angels singing and shepherds adoring the newly born Jesus in quiet and hushed tones.
But there is more to the story. There is a missing character mostly hidden but very much engaged. Revelation 12 reads, "And another sign appeared in heaven: behold a great red dragon...And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it." vs. 4.
The red dragon's identity is given in vs. 9, "And the great dragon was thrown down, the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan." The missing character in the Nativity is the Red Dragon. Herod would attempt to do the wishes of Satan to kill the Christ Child. He ordered all the male babies killed who were two years old and younger in the region of Bethlehem.
So, when we now look at the Nativity, we are reminded of the efforts of Satan to "kill, steal, and to destroy." Thanks be to God that his efforts failed as Mary and Joseph took Jesus safely to Egypt. Merry Christmas!
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