When God Became an Infant
Luke 2:4/7
“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is Called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with Child. And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Both Matthew and Luke’s gospel gives us insight into the birth of Jesus and provide much of what we know about the first Christmas. The gospel of Mark picks up the life of Jesus when He was a grown man, but the book of John begins much earlier than the other accounts.
John tells us about Jesus before He arrived in the manger, giving us information that He was in beginning. John’s report goes back before creation to show that the baby Jesus, the infant was actually the Creator of the World.
My goal is to help answer the question of two songs, “What Child Is This?” “Mary did you know? “The book of John begins with some clues about the identity of the baby in the manger.
John chapter one, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him (Jesus) was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shined in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
The reality of Jesus the Christ is found in verses one through nine. These verses reveal the infant as the Infinite, Christ the Anointed as the Creator, the Lord of Glory as the life and light. And then the reaction of the crowd is given in verses ten through twelve.
In the early days of my Christian life I thought that Jesus began life when He was born in Bethlehem’s manger. But according to the scriptures Jesus Christ has always existed. Jesus said in John’s gospel while speaking to a group of people, “Before Abraham was born I am.” He is the eternal one because He has always been.
Revelation, chapter one and verse eight, John declared that Jesus was the “Alpha and Omega,” which is like saying He is the A through the Z, the beginning and the end. Genesis starts with “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Johns’ Gospel begins with, “In the beginning was the Word” telling us that Jesus had a face-to-face relationship with the Father from the beginning. He was with God in the beginning, so the infant in the manger was the infinite God of creation.
Jesus Christ was the Creator, the Word says, “by him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
Link that with the book of Colossians chapter one and verse sixteen, we have these words, “For by him (by Jesus) all things were created, that are in heavens and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him.”
In verse four, Jesus is the Life and the Light of men, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness comprehended it not.”
The darkness did not lay hold of, or seize or grasp it. Darkness by its very nature refuses to come into the light because darkness and light are mutually exclusive. If you have one, you do not have the other.
Verse ten reveals that Immanuel was ignored. “He was in the world, and the world was made by him and the world knew him not.” The prophets had proclaimed that his name would be called Immanuel and they still missed it. He came into the world that He had created, and the “the world did not recognize him.”
Even though we celebrate Christmas, the mass of mankind have never recognized Jesus for who He really is. When He came the first time, Herod hated him the scribes ignored Him, and there was no room in the inn for Him. Only the shepherds and the wise men, the poor and the foreigners, welcomed Him to earth.
Not much has changed; today, we see the celebration of Christmas slipping from our cultural discourse. Oh, we put up our trees and decorate the home exchanging gift yet very little attention is given to the real meaning of the season we are celebrating. He came to the world He created, and the world did not receive Him.
Someone has stated, “That Jesus is the reason for the season.” That sounds poetic, but He is more than that. Jesus Christ is the creator the giver and sustainer of life. He’s the one who came that all men might have life and have it more abundantly.
If you have been ignoring Jesus, don’t let this season of celebration pass by without finding out why Jesus came to the this earth. He came as a Lamb in Bethlehem’s manger to be the sacrifice, that we might have forgiveness of sin.
While many are apathetic and ignore the Christ of Christmas, and others reject Him outright. Verse eleven says, “He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him.” He came to the people who should have known He was the Messiah, but they wanted nothing to do with Him. So, the revelator was rejected.
They should have known Him, because they knew He was coming. Every book in the Old Testament testifies to this one great truth: He’s coming, and when Jesus arrived they didn’t receive Him, they were looking for an earthly King to rule over them.
They ignored the infant who was infinite, the said away with Christ the Creator, and refused the Lord of Life and Light, and they rejected the Revelator. But if you are going to have eternal life you must receive the redeemer.
Verse twelve states, “But as many as received him, (Jesus) to them He gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” Notice two words.
Received, this literally means, “to take, or to seize.” That whosoever receives God’s gift was given the power to become sons of God. Jesus is God’s gift to us, not only at Christmas but all through the year.
Believed, this means to engage our total being, placing our trust in the Christ of Christmas committing our lives to Him. And there is no better time than now to give your life to the Lord of Life.
The moment that we received Christ into your life, God gave us the honor of becoming a member of His family. My friend that is the greatest gift anyone could receive.
