The concept of the incarnation has been debated ever since Christ’s birth. It is hard to understand why God would subject Himself to be completely dependent upon mankind- to have to be bathed, fed, clothed, washed, burped and changed. Yet Philippians 2 tells us that Jesus indeed humbled Himself lower than the angels and emptied Himself to take on the form of a servant.
When we look at the details of His birth, we see how mighty a God He is. What other baby born has a host of angels, glorifying and praising God in the heavens, where shepherds saw the light and the glory and beauty of the heavenly hosts were all around. To Mary, Gabriel said, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35. To Joseph he told him.“ He will save his people from their sins.”
No man can save people from their sins. A man is a sinner. He is unable to save himself from his own sins. If Jesus was a man there would be no salvation. His death would mean nothing, but as the perfect Son of God, He could atone for the sins of the world. Jesus was not in need of a savior. He was salvation. Only God can save His people from their sins.
Not only in His virgin birth, but also the evidence of the unusual star that led the Magi to the place of worship, did the heavens themselves declare the incarnation of the Mighty God. No other baby had a star directing people where to find Him. This seemed to be a fluke in astronomy. Planets were subjected to the will of the Father that the Son be glorified. No one in his right mind would think a peasant girl and a carpenter from the hicks would be parents of a King. No wonder Herod was worried. No wonder he sent out soldiers to slaughter all the little baby boys because that would mean Herod’s family would be overturned from power. Is there any doubt from the onset of His birth that He is mighty God?
In His earthly life the prophet John the Baptist was the voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Prepare you for the way of the Lord.”.
if Jesus was a prophet of Jehovah, He did a poor job deflecting worship from Himself to the Father alone. If He was only a man, He would have been a poor prophet to say, “Rise and be healed your sins are forgiven.” Religious authorities asked “Who but God can forgive sins?” They had their theology right only their understanding of Jesus was wrong. Jesus points to Himself when they wanted to see the Father. Since He was mighty God, then He was not just a prophet.
He asked a crowd to show Him His sin and no one could do it. When Jesus declared, “I and the Father are one,” He was saying that He and the Father are of one nature and essence. John 10:30.
Application: Ponder today how Jesus life and power were vastly different from anyone else ever born.
Prayer: Prepare my heart Lord to be fertile soil for Your Word during this Christmas season.
