The past looks forward to the future. Nothing in the past will satisfy the hearts of men. We may ransack antiquity but we shall find there no substitute for Christ.

W.F. Adeney, 19th c. minister and biblical scholar

What does Alexander the Great have to do with the advent of Jesus Christ? Or what does the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra at a battle in Greece have to do with His coming?

This time of year we like to go straight to the stable, backlit, with all the figures carefully arranged around the baby in the manger. But have you ever asked yourself, Why then? Context enriches the Christmas story and this is certainly true when considering why God sent His Son at that particular time in history.

First, there was a great silence.

The voices of the prophets that had encouraged and comforted, warned and judged the Jewish people throughout their history had been silent more than 400 years. Just imagine no word from the Lord since 1620. We would be working, raising kids, attending temple worship (well, the men would – women could under restricted conditions.)

True, temple worship continued, but the Law had been corrupted. The people were now crushed under a mountain of manmade rules imposed by a tough religious hierarchy. And their territories were occupied by the greatest military force the world had ever seen.

But, God is never haphazard. When He sent His Son, even language and empire were in place.

Alexander the Great: Language

Three hundred years before the birth of Jesus a young Macedonian general named Alexander conquered the world from Greece to present-day Pakistan.

He showed great consideration to the Jews, sparing Jerusalem. He also offered immunity to Jews settling in the new city in Egypt bearing his name: Alexandria. This may have been where Joseph took his small family while Herod raged in Judea (Matthew 2:13-15).

And wherever he conquered, Alexander built cities, spread Greek culture, and established his mother tongue as the language of the realm.

Question: Thinking ahead, how was the Gospel going to be preached across numerous cultures in a short amount of time? Thanks to Alexander the Great, it would be in a common language: Greek. And he had no idea.

Caesar Augustus: Empire

Thirty years before the birth of Christ, the Roman general, Octavian, defeated the combined forces of Marc Antony and Cleopatra in a battle off the coast of Greece. Rome now had its first emperor: Caesar Augustus. His reign marked the beginning of a long period of stability known as the pax romana with orderly government and rule of law. And trade flourished on the remarkable roads engineered and built by Roman legions throughout the Empire.

The Gospel spread swiftly throughout the known world on that very efficient system of roads, traces of which are still visible around Europe.

It all mattered.

It is a remarkable thing to consider that the mighty forces of conqueror and empire were all rising and falling, moving inexorably forward, to prepare the way for the birth of a Baby. When Jesus was born every detail had been Divinely attended to, from emperor to innkeeper. For us. That we all might be within reach of His love.

And our lives, as we lead our families here in the 21st century, are not uncharted, moving on some random river of time. Our trust in the Savior sets in motion the all things work together for good of Romans 8:28.

It’s something to ponder and give thanks for at this Christmastime.