Being the youngest in my family meant that I never had a chance to have a younger sibling. That means that when it comes to holding babies and interacting with children, I am nearly hopeless; it seemed fitting that I ended up marrying a Kindergarten teacher (one of us needs to be an expert!). A few months ago, some dear friends of ours had their second daughter and brought her home just a couple days after her birth. We went over to their apartment to provide some dinner and hang out. This was, as I recall, the first time I had ever seen an infant that young. As I looked at her, I was almost immediately struck with the thought of Christ’s birth. The 2 day-old infant was entirely dependent on her parents to keep her warm, fed, and nurtured. Why would our Lord, the maker of the universe, arrive in such a form? I believe there are many answers to that, but here are two for your consideration. It’s my belief that these two reasons provide a deeper appreciation for Jesus.
Jesus’ Birth Fulfilled Prophecy — Isaiah 7 is an enriching text for those who doubt God and His involvement in life’s difficulties. Ahaz, king of Judah, was looking in the face of impending doom as Syria and Ephraim knocked at the door to wage war against Jerusalem (Is. 7:2). The Lord considered those threats as nothing more than “smoldering stumps of firebrand” (7:4). Yet Ahaz still seemed to struggle with courage, so the Lord delivered an involuntary sign that Ahaz may have faith in Him (Is. 7:13). That sign would be that a young woman would conceive, and the child’s name would be Immanuel. Many have come to know this name as “God with us” but it can also be known as “With us is God!” An exclamation of hope and trust in knowing God’s presence, as can be seen with the outstretched hands of Solomon and his benediction (1 Kings 8:57) or in the praise of the sons of Korah (Ps. 46:11). 700 years later, Mary gave birth to Christ the Lord — the ultimate fulfillment of God’s presence with mankind, and a dual-fulfillment of Isaiah 7. God proved through His presence that He favored mankind, not resented them.
Jesus’ Birth Familiarized Humanity — The writer of Hebrews would consider the life of Jesus as an experience that allowed Him to become a merciful and faithful high priest, entirely capable to relate to those who struggle (Heb. 2:17,18). The theology of deism, which gained traction in the 17th century, is one that considers God to be distant and not involved at all with humanity. Unfortunately many of today’s population may say they believe in a “higher power” but that the higher power is estranged from humanity, not interacting or caring at all with His creation. I would even argue that there are some in the church who have slipped into such a belief. Jesus combats this mentality with the life He lived on this earth. Christ experienced the dependency of an infant (Luke 2:1-7), He engaged with the happenings of childhood (Luke 2:41-52), He enlightened the peers of His early adulthood (Luke 4-22), and He embraced the death of mortal body (Luke 23-24). From swaddling cloth to burial wrappings, the Lord familiarized humanity. He did so that we may go before Him with our struggles, difficulties, praises, and blessings; knowing confidently that God is with us.
Tyler King