Unto Us a Child is Born

 

            “For unto us, a child is born…”

            Did you ever stop for a moment to wonder why God came to earth as a baby?  We know that to provide salvation, a perfect sacrifice was necessary.  That’s why the Old Testament required that the animal sacrifices be “without defect” (Leviticus 1:3).  A blood sacrifice was also required to make atonement for sin (Leviticus 17:11).  God knew from the beginning that His Son was the only one who could provide the unblemished, perfect sacrifice and shed His blood for the sins of mankind.  Still, the question remains, why a baby?

            For the sacrifice to be complete, Jesus had to be both God and man, human and divine.  By coming as a baby, He learned what it was like for a human being to be dependent on someone else for everything they needed.  As that little baby in a manger, He was dependent on Mary and Joseph to feed and clothe Him.  He watched His earthly father work to put food on the table for his family, and Jesus probably learned to work with His hands as well. 

            We don’t know much about His childhood, but He may have been bullied by the other kids as the “know-it-all” after His experience with the teachers in the Temple courts.  He may have even been called the “goodie-two-shoes” of that time.  The bottom line is that He learned what it was like to be a child in a poor family, living in a small village.  He may have even heard the rumors surrounding His birth and the shame it caused His parents.

            As a young man, He knew what it was like to be homeless.  He knew what it was like to have friends like Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and to feel the pain of their sorrow.  He also felt the pain of betrayal by one that He had shared His life with.  At the cross, He even felt the burden of caring for His elderly mother. 

            By coming to earth as a baby, He experienced life just as we do, with the good times and the bad.  He understands our trials and our sorrows because He experienced them firsthand.  I think He chose to come to us as a baby so that we would know that He knows!

            As we celebrate the birth of our Lord, may we never forget that the baby born on that blessed day became the perfect, unblemished sacrifice who willingly shed His own blood for the atonement of our sins. 

            For unto us is born this day, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!

Merry Christmas!