Born Under the Shadow of a Cross

What will you tell your Children about the Christ of Christmas this year? Perhaps they are old enough to learn that Isaiah calls Him a man of sorrows; and is it any wonder? From the moment of His conception Jesus was feeling loss. With loss comes grief. And yet somehow, in the very midst of grieving, our Lord found joy. “…for the joy that was set before Him…” Hebrews 12:2b

Scripture gives us a glimpse of the eternal infinite God. We know that He created time, space, and matter out of nothing, Genesis 1 and John 1:3. Then, Galatians 4:4 tells us that when it was appropriate, God Himself stepped out of eternity and into time. Imagine the feeling of loss for that tiny one when the Holy Spirit came to Mary and the virgin conceived. John 1:1 Tells us that the Word was God. God became the God man, John 1 :14. The infinite Son of God took on flesh and bone, He, who was capable of being everywhere at once, unlimited by time or space, confined Himself to a finite body.

What did it mean for Jesus to become a man? Paul gives us a glimpse of the loss He experienced in Philippians 2:5-8, ^“You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, who though He existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross!

Ah, but that is the worst of it. He not only became a man but from the moment He was conceived the Christ child was headed for the cross. The message of the manger is the message of a cross.

What love God has for us, the depth of His love is unfathomable. 1 John 4:9-10. The Father sending His Son to take our place and punishment so that we might become the sons of God, and the Son willingly giving up His place in Heaven to take on flesh and bone so that He might die in our place, amazing love. Amazing grace.

Yes, over the manger was the shadow of a cross. He was born to die so that we who are destined to die might be born again to live forever with Him. “God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

The message of the manger is a message of love. It is also a message of loss so that we might gain. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, he became poor for your sakes, so that you by his poverty you could become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 It is the Gospel message, the Good News of Jesus! “Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up. You have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed in your struggle against sin.” Hebrews 12:2-4 In the midst of His loss He found the joy to endure the ultimate loss, death in our place.

The message of the manger is one of death; but it is also one of life. Jesus said in John 10:17&18 ^“This is why the Father loves me—because I lay down my life, so that I may take it back again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of my own free will. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it back again. This commandment I received from my Father.” We know that Christ who died for our sins did not stay dead but rose again. “For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received—that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-5

The message of the manger is more than the celebration of the birth of a baby boy. It is the birth of the Messiah, the Savior of the World. It is God taking on human flesh. Without a body he couldn’t have died. Without the manger there would be no cross and without the cross there would be no redemption. As we celebrate Christmas may we help our children to contemplate the joy that is ours because Jesus became the Godman.