When Jesus came into the world, they were almost completely unaware of the extreme hope that he represented. Some were partly aware and awaiting the great phenomenon that was about to occur. Certainly, Mary, the mother of Jesus was aware of what was happening, as she was the very first to receive and be visited by the Holy Ghost.
Even the man who was blind from his birth, maybe knew love from his mother, but he never knew of real hope until he met Jesus Christ that day and was made to see. God came to visit the Earth through Jesus Christ and to show his manifold blessings to the people.
“And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.”
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/John-9-7/
Jesus was the hope that was sent as a manifestation of God's love and blessings on a lost world, that knew nothing of hope. Nothing like him had ever been experienced before, even in the laws of Moses, which God gave to the world to make it a better place. So, even a very few knew of what was about to happen. The Three Wise Men from the East had been informed by certain signs and wonders of God that the world was about to experience a great awakening and salvation from its eternal sin, which had left millions destitute of any hope. The words that the Savior of the world would give to mortal sinful men made death null and void. With Jesus Christ, death would be swallowed up in victory.
“So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1-Corinthians-15-54/
The partition veil of the temple that separated normal human beings from God would be torn from top to bottom and a door opened up through Jesus Christ to petition God for forgiveness in order to receive salvation.
The Holy Ghost would begin to visit the Earth in fleshly human form through Jesus Christ and then spiritually come to rest upon the Disciples and minister healing and benevolence through millions of believers. In the New Testament there is an order in which the Holy Ghost came to release God's healing energy and transfer love and blessings to all the believers up to and through the time of the great awakening in the Upper Room in the second chapter of Acts.
“And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Luke-1-35/
“And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:”
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Luke-1-41/
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
68 Blessed [be] the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Luke-1-67_1-68/
25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name [was] Simeon; and the same man [was] just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Luke-2-25_2-29/
“And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:”
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/John-20-22/
“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Acts-2-4/
Jesus left us his Holy Spirit even after his death to be a comforter to all the believers. The world never knew of such a blessing and phenomenon as this, since its entire existence. A mere baby, a child, that had been pursued by evil and yet was confounded in its search to kill him, had overcome all odds and powers to achieve victory on Earth over death. Herod gave out orders to kill all the children two and under in the kingdom, after hearing the predictions and prophecy of the coming savior of the world, as told to him by the Three Wise Men, who visited King Herod and inquired of where the savior child was. Yet, they returned not to him as he had requested, after they had found the child by further following his star in the East.
“Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.”
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Matthew-2-16/
Jesus defeated death all his life on the Earth, and then finally after giving up his life willingly to take on the sins of the world, he broke the final bonds of death and arose into heaven to be with God. But, he left us his eternal Spirit on the Earth to comfort and reprove us, making us into like sons of God, who seek to do his will.
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/John-1-12_1-13/
So, we Christians as sons of God, can also overcome death, through Jesus Christ our savior, by not being born of this bloody world, not of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. We have received a new birth, being born of the spirit, born again into doing the will of God, by following the words of Jesus Christ. This Christmas we celebrate not only the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ, but also of our own priceless precious gift from God and the new phenomenon that he gave to us, being born again.
Rembrandt (1606-69), Adoration of the Shepherds (1646)