Everything about Jesus’ birth points to poverty, obscurity, and rejection. One couldn’t have much more of a meager beginning. With His beginning one couldn’t have much prospect for the future. Mary, very much alone, wrapped baby Jesus herself and laid him in the manger. We embrace the nativity scene and marvel at Jesus’s birth. In reality, Jesus’ birth is totally bizarre. Yet, millions have been martyred because they would rather die than renounce Jesus. There is a lesson here. Understanding Jesus’ birth helps us understand the work of God. This humble birth reveals the very nature and character of God.