Now that we’re past the caroling, church going, gifts and the food, what remains is the real account of Christmas i.e. that God became man and dwelt among us. The infinite condescending to the finite. The creator “mixing it up” with the creature. That will keep your thoughts occupied for a while especially when questions like these come up…“Why did He come as a man?“…”Why did God humiliate Himself?“…”Couldn’t He just “zap” us from up there to save us?“… “Why allow for controversy (fully God and fully man)?“.
It is true that Christ came to die for us because the bible says without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins – Gen 3:21, Heb 9:22. It is also true that He came to live and therein lies a pattern to living the Christian life. The Christian life not just on the spiritual realm but also the existential.
Imagine if Jesus had just showed up as a man, and a few weeks later died on the cross. The gospel message may have been different needless to say that Christmas would be very different. But it didn’t happen that way. We relate to the baby born in time and space, who grew up like other Jewish men but in whom the fullness of God dwelt – Col 1:19. He went through the normal phases of life till His death, which we can relate to in terms of living this life.
Here are a few things to reflect on…
Going about God’s business Early
From the glimpses we have of Jesus’ early life we see at the age of 12 that He was in the temple listening and posing questions to the teachers – Luke 2:46-47, 49.
Luk 2:46 Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
Luk 2:47 And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.
Luk 2:49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”
As a parent I know I need to ground my children early in the things of God. It is a huge responsibility but one that is very possible as long as I do not dumb down my children. Today, unfortunately even Christians do not give enough credit to the understanding of their child and fail to train them accordingly.
Submission to God
He submitted himself to the requirements of God and learned obedience – Phi 2:5-8.
Php 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
Php 2:6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
Php 2:7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
Php 2:8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
He didn’t learn obedience from disobedience, rather it was in the context of submission. I have to learn obedience from disobedience and submission from pride.
Obedience to God
Jesus showed us there was a love relationship between the Father and the Son which was reflected through His obedience to the father’s commands – John 14:31. Love does not exist apart from obedience. As children we are in the same love relationship. If we love God, we will keep His commandments – 1 John 5:2-3.
1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.
1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
Disciple of God
The art of true discipleship is based on the life of Christ i.e. dying to live – Mat 16:24-26.
Mat 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
Mat 16:25 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Mat 16:26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
The life that Jesus lived is part of the gospel message. He lived His life under God’s law and did it perfectly from child- to adulthood because we are incapable of meeting God’s standard. Once we put our faith in Him God sees our lives through His, and this gives us a new identity, meaning and purpose to life. That knowledge and understanding helps us through the grind of life all year round.
