Jesus’ birth fulfilled a promise — Unto us a child is born. His death satisfied a covenant — To us a Son is given. His resurrection forever opened the gates of Heaven — So that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.
The Son of God became poor so that we might become rich.
Jesus was born in the humblest of circumstances. Rather than fanfare, He was born in poverty. Rather than comfort, He came into the world in a stable. His cradle was a feeding trough for animals and His first visitors were poor shepherds keeping watch over their sheep in the fields near Bethlehem.
Christ, the Son of God and Creator of everything, laid aside the unimaginable riches and glories of Heaven. He stripped Himself so poor that on the night of His birth He didn’t even have a place to rest His head.
Why such a modest entry into the world for the Son of God? Through the simplicity of His birth, Jesus demonstrated humility, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes became poor, so that you, through His poverty, might become rich,” 2 Corinthians 8:9.
The Son of God set aside His glory to take on the form of a man and be BORN into the race that He created. He did all this for love of you and me so that by His deep poverty we might become rich.
Jesus came into a fallen world not to condemn it, but to save it.
Jesus’ humble beginnings fulfilled a promise. A prophecy foretold in the Old Testament that God would one day send a Messiah to save His people. Through meekness and compassion, rather than power and might, Christ was GIVEN by the Father as a sacrifice for the salvation of humanity. Thus, in order to save humanity, Christ humbled Himself before humanity.
Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus lived, walked, and preached among the poor, the sick, and the downtrodden. He broke bread with sinners, reached out to the lost, and extended His messages of love, forgiveness, and grace to every soul He encountered. However, nothing exemplifies Christ’s humility more than the manner in which He died.
Crucifixion was a shameful and excruciating way to die and in Jesus’ time was reserved for the lowest criminals in the Roman Empire. That the Son of God would suffer and die in this manner was also foretold in the Old Testament. More than that, it is in keeping with the humble manner in which Christ lived and preached.
Jesus was GIVEN by the Father so that we might be FORGIVEN.
Jesus was GIVEN by the Father as the Son of God, a gift of grace from God to a lost world so that all who believe on His name would be saved.
Christ’s crucifixion signifies His obedience to His Father. In the midst of His suffering, He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” In that moment, a sinless and perfect Jesus acknowledged that the full and complete darkness of the sins of mankind He bore had separated Him from His Father.
God cannot look on sin. So, for the three hours that Christ hung on the Cross He was completely cut off from God. The beloved and anointed Son of God hung on the Cross as our Redeemer, paying the price in full for our sins.
Christ’s death was not the end. In order to fulfill the covenant, Jesus rose from the dead, overcoming the darkness and forever shining the light of grace into the world. We are no longer enslaved by sin and death. No longer separated from the Father. Christ’s resurrection is God’s unshakable and irrefutable declaration to the fallen race of man that He has GIVEN us ETERNAL LIFE and this life is in HIS SON.
JN Fenwick (© 2024)
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