What
Child Is This?
TiffanyAnn Lewis
Jesus is the reason for the season
but what’s the reason for Jesus? Let’s take a walk
past Bethlehem and kneel before the Lamb that was
slain before the foundation of the world to see
where it all began.
After 5 days of creating the entire
universe, God was still not satisfied. His heart
longed for a type of relationship that the majestic
mountains, rolling oceans, and breath taking sunsets
couldn’t offer Him. He was unable to rest because
there was still something missing, you could say
that God had a restless heart. “God is love”
(1Jn. 4:8) and true love desires to be shared
and not remain locked up inside. So on the 6th
day God created something in His image that could
be loved and love Him in return. God created man
saying “let Us make man in Our image, according
to Our likeness…” (Gen. 1:26) Now everything
was complete and God could enter into the 7th
day and rest.
Adam and Eve had a real relationship
with God; He enjoyed being with them and they enjoyed
being with Him. However, sin entered the picture
and a veil of separation was placed between God
and man where there formally was none. Scripture
teaches us that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom.
6:23) and “without the shedding of blood there
is no forgiveness of sins.” (Heb 9:22 ESV)
Alas animal sacrifice, alas the Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world. But wait, this
is where it gets really interesting; Jesus was not
a last resort that God came up with to save us because
of our sin. God wasn’t like “oh great look what
they have done now” being suddenly forced to come
up with an alternate plan. Scripture reveals that
Jesus was “the Lamb that was slain (in sacrifice)
from the foundation of the world.” Rev. 13:8
(AMP) The “foundation of the world” is the first
6 days of creation, the beginning, the Genesis of
it all.
“In the beginning (before all time) was the Word (Christ),
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God
Himself…all things were made and came into existence
through Him..”
(John 1:1,3 AMP) “All things” includes humanity.
Jesus was there at the beginning and was part of
the discussion of making man in “Our” image. Jesus
knew what it was going to cost Him before
man was even created. He knew we weren’t going
to be perfect. He knew we were going to sin/miss
the mark. He knew we were going to choose our will
over His will. Yet because of God’s great love
and desire to dwell with us, Jesus said yes to the
cross so God “breathed into his (Adam’s)
nostrils the breath of life…” (Gen. 2:7) Thus
setting in motion a plan where one day a virgin
would conceive and bear a son and “call His name
Immanuel, which is translated “God with us”
(Matt. 1:23)
And so in the fullness of time on one silent night, it came
upon a midnight clear that in a little town of Bethlehem
someplace away in a manger “… unto us a Child
is born, unto us a Son is given…” (Is. 9:6)
Angels from the realm of glory appeared to certain
shepherds who were watching their flock by night
announcing; “there is born to you this day in
the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And this will be a sign to you; you will find a
Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
(Luke 2:8-12)
Of coarse the angels appeared to
the ones who were watching the sheep. Who else
would they appear to but to the ones whose job it
was to raise the lambs that would one day be offered
for a sacrifice? The angels informed the shepherds
that the final Sacrificial Lamb had been born and
where they could find Him. When the shepherds arrived,
they found the Lamb of God wrapped in swaddling
cloths and lying in a manger. The little Lord Jesus
laid down His sweet head not in a crib but in a
feeding trough instead. Jesus was not born at an
inn or a hotel because all the rooms were full.
The Lamb of God was born in a stable just like all
the other lambs.
The King of Glory stepped down from
Heaven to be born a babe in a little stable in Bethlehem,
which literally translates, ‘house of bread’ and
grew up to reveal Himself as the true Bread from
Heaven. (John 6:32) And on the night before He
gave His life Jesus took the bread saying “this
is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance
of Me”. Then he lifted the cup and said, “this
is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for
many for the remission of sins.” (Luke 22:19
& Matt 26:28)
Hark the herald angels sing, glory
to the newborn King. Peace on earth and
mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled. Through
the tearing of His flesh, the veil of separation
was “torn in two from top to bottom…” (Matt.
27:51 & Heb. 10:20) There is no more separation
between us because of the shed blood of the Lamb.
Jesus Christ was born to restore the relationship
with God and man, and bring God’s family together
again. Jesus is the reason for the season and we
do it in remembrance of Him. Fa la la la la—la
la la la.
*All
scripture is quoted from NKJV unless otherwise noted.
