It is the time of year when many minds are
on the birth of our Lord Jesus.Nativity
scenes adorn yards, Silent Night is
sung, and the story of His birth is read from the Scriptures.Although the nativity scenes are typically
inaccurate by the Bible's record and the Christmas holiday was not ordained by
God, it is always good to remember the birth of Christ at any time.Jesus was born of a virgin just as Isaiah
foretold (Isa. 7:14), having been conceived miraculously by the Holy Spirit (Luke
1:35).His birth itself was ordinary,
but the circumstances were extraordinary.Jesus was born away from home while His mother was travelling in
Bethlehem, and she laid the Son of God in a manger, "because there was no room
at the inn" (Luke 2:7).He was announced
by an angel to shepherds in the nighttime fields (Luke 2:8-14) rather than to
the king, the priests, the scribes, or the Pharisees.It was these shepherds who told others of the
Christ, and they glorified God and praised Him for what they had seen and
heard.
The story of the Lord's birth is an
amazing and important episode in the life of Christ, but it was only one of the
necessary steps that facilitated the true purpose of His coming.In fact, only two of the four accounts of
Christ's life in the Bible describe how He was born.Mark and John told the story of Christ's life
without even mentioning His birth, and yet their accounts are not deficient in
any way.It is not that His birth was insignificant
to them, but rather they emphasized the latter years of His life, which were
much more significant than the time of His birth.
The fact that is most necessary for us to
know about the birth of Jesus is the reason for His birth.When His coming was told to His mother by the
angel Gabriel, he said of Jesus, "He will be great and will be called the Son
of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father
David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will
have no end" (Luke 1:32-33).When an angel
told Mary's husband Joseph, he said that Jesus "will save His people from their
sins" (Matt. 1:21).When the angel
announced His birth to the shepherds, he said, "Today in the city of David
there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).By the words of the angels, we see that Jesus
was born to be a King and a Savior for His people.
Why was birth necessary for the Son of God
to become a King and a Savior?Before He
was born, He existed in the form of God with a full measure of divine glory,
power, and wisdom (John 1:1; 17:5; Phil. 2:6).At that time (even before time), He was already far more qualified to
serve as King than any man could ever be.However, His kingdom is no ordinary kingdom.As Gabriel told Mary, "His kingdom will have
no end."Jesus Himself said that "My
kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36).Jesus was not born to be a king on this temporary earth, but He was born
to be the eternal King of the kingdom of heaven.
This is an amazing paradox: Jesus was born
on earth in order to become a heavenly King.He left heaven to come into the world so that He could leave the world
and become a King in heaven.The key to
understanding this paradox is grasping Christ's role as the Savior.His roles of King over the eternal kingdom
and Savior of the world are not mutually exclusive.Instead, they are one in the same, for
Christ's kingdom is comprised of those whom He has saved from their sins.When we are rescued from the kingdom of
darkness in this world, we are transferred into the kingdom of God's beloved
Son in heaven (Col. 1:13).
For Jesus to execute His roles of King and
Savior, one thing was necessary: He had to die for His people.While He was in the form of God, He could not
die, so He was born as a man in order to suffer death."Therefore, since the children share in flesh
and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He
might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and
might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their
lives" (Heb. 2:14-15).Jesus was born to
die for us in order to atone for our sins, redeem our souls, and free us from
bondage.Although He would be a King, "the
Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a
ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).
Therefore, let us remember that Jesus was
born so that He could die on our behalf.Moreover, let us remember that He not only died, but He was also raised
from the dead, which gives us the hope of our own resurrection (1Cor.
15:20-28).These are the facts of the
gospel (1Cor. 15:1-4), and they are the foundation of our faith in Christ.All four biblical accounts of the life of
Christ record His death, burial, and resurrection.These are also the subject of the true
memorial that was instituted by Christ, the Lord's Supper (1Cor.
11:23-26).While we should remember His
birth as part of the gospel truth, it is His death and resurrection that He has
commanded us to memorialize.Indeed, He
was born to die, and let us never forget that.
