What Child Is This?

Two thousand years ago, a newborn Hebrew baby changed the world forever.

Though many prophets heralded His arrival—even narrowing down the exact year He would be born—the wisest religious scholars of His time never saw Him coming. The Jewish chief priests and scribes knew that He would be a descendant of King David of old, a God-given Messiah who would deliver humankind from their bondage to sin and evil. When questioned, they revealed they even knew He would be born in one of Israel’s smallest towns, the miniscule village of Bethlehem.

Yet as the day of His birth drew nearer, these scholarly men ignored every sign. We’re still not entirely sure why.

We’re also not sure how old His mother was, but it is likely she was in her mid-to-late teens. This Jewish virgin was engaged to be married when it was discovered that she was pregnant. She insisted that her child was the promised Messiah, supernaturally conceived without a man. Centuries earlier, the prophet Isaiah had predicted such a thing saying, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

Of course no one believed her story. For the rest of her life, she endured gossip about her scandalous pregnancy, and the son she gave birth to would never live down the reputation of being an illegitimate child.

When He was born, there was nothing particularly special about Him. He was just like any other baby, though what we know suggests He wasn’t a particularly beautiful one. Isaiah spoke of this, too, saying of Him, “There is no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2). He was not the Messiah that the Hebrews had come to expect—a mighty, charismatic warrior who would overthrow their Roman oppressors. Though He was a descendant of the great King David—his mother and his adopted father were, by all rights, royalty—He was not born in a grand palace. He was born in a smelly stable, and His baby bed was a feeding trough for animals.

His own people, the Hebrews, largely ignored His birth. Only the poorest of the poor visited Him and announced His arrival to others. The religious scholars, who should have been the first to welcome Him, chose not to come. In fact, foreigners took His birth more seriously than His own people did—astrologers from the East brought presents, and the Roman-appointed king slaughtered every young child in Bethlehem, attempting to preserve His throne. The religious scholars even told the king where to look for their Messiah, not caring that they were endangering His life.

Yet despite this the child survived and grew to maturity. Though He was formally trained as a carpenter, He earned a reputation as a great spiritual teacher who understood the ways of God better than anyone else. He spent more than three years preaching all over Israel, followed by a band of loyal disciples. His teachings were radical, changing the lives of everyone who heard Him for the better. It was also said that He performed many great miracles that were witnessed by thousands of people.

While He was adored by many, the religious leaders of His time were offended by Him. They were especially troubled by His claim that He had come not to overthrow the Romans, but to conquer sin and evil in the hearts of men. As “spiritual” people, the idea that they were sinners in need of rescue was deeply offensive to them. Moreover, His open claim to be the Son of God—God in human flesh—was blasphemous to their ears, even though the prophets had clearly stated that the Messiah would be “the mighty God” whose “origins are from old, from ancient times.”

So, they discredited Him at every turn, looking for anything they could accuse Him of. Though they found nothing, they arrested Him on false charges and turned the Hebrews against Him, and then they convinced the Roman government to execute Him for treason. He was put to death in the most excruciatingly painful way possible, beaten with barbed whips and then nailed to a wooden cross to hang until He died. At that point, He could have simply faded into obscurity—another disappointing failure.

But He did not.

Today His impact on our lives is felt all around the world. Millions worship Him as the Son of God, while billions of others regard Him as an exemplary teacher. His teachings have shaped cultures, ended wars, and broken barriers between cultures, genders, and races. His birthday even divides our Western timeline into two—before and after His birth. No matter how much people criticize His teaching or minimize His legacy over the centuries, He remains undefeated. Why?

Because He came back to life.

Yeshua HaMashiach—Jesus the Messiah—changed the world forever when He was born, when He died, and when He rose from the dead. When He was born, He became fully human even as He was fully God—a mystery that believers everywhere puzzle over yet is so simple a child could grasp it. When He died, He fulfilled His mission to conquer sin and evil—He took the deadly punishment that every man and woman deserves onto Himself. And when He rose from the dead, He broke its power over all humankind forever. All who ask Him for forgiveness of sin, trusting in Him for salvation, will rise from the dead like Him.

It is because of Jesus—and what He has done—that we can rejoice even in the worst of times. We can rejoice because we know that goodness and holiness will triumph in the end. We can rejoice because no disaster or tragedy can ultimately nullify God’s love and power. We can rejoice, knowing that we will see Him face-to-face.

Two thousand years ago, a newborn Hebrew baby changed the world forever. And He wants to change your life too, if you will let Him. He loves you.

Merry Christmas!