It is the time of year when many minds are on the birth of our Lord Jesus. Nativity scenes adorn yards, Silent Night is sung, and the story of His birth is read from the Scriptures. Although the nativity scenes are typically inaccurate by the Bible's record and the Christmas holiday was not ordained by God, it is always good to remember the birth of Christ at any time. Jesus was born of a virgin just as Isaiah foretold (Isa. 7:14), having been conceived miraculously by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). His birth itself was ordinary, but the circumstances were extraordinary. Jesus was born away from home while His mother was travelling in Bethlehem, and she laid the Son of God in a manger, "because there was no room at the inn" (Luke 2:7). He was announced by an angel to shepherds in the nighttime fields (Luke 2:8-14) rather than to the king, the priests, the scribes, or the Pharisees. It was these shepherds who told others of the Christ, and they glorified God and praised Him for what they had seen and heard.
The story of the Lord's birth is an amazing and important episode in the life of Christ, but it was only one of the necessary steps that facilitated the true purpose of His coming. In fact, only two of the four accounts of Christ's life in the Bible describe how He was born. Mark and John told the story of Christ's life without even mentioning His birth, and yet their accounts are not deficient in any way. It is not that His birth was insignificant to them, but rather they emphasized the latter years of His life, which were much more significant than the time of His birth.
The fact that is most necessary for us to know about the birth of Jesus is the reason for His birth. When His coming was told to His mother by the angel Gabriel, he said of Jesus, "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end" (Luke 1:32-33). When an angel told Mary's husband Joseph, he said that Jesus "will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). When the angel announced His birth to the shepherds, he said, "Today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). By the words of the angels, we see that Jesus was born to be a King and a Savior for His people.
Why was birth necessary for the Son of God to become a King and a Savior? Before He was born, He existed in the form of God with a full measure of divine glory, power, and wisdom (John 1:1; 17:5; Phil. 2:6). At that time (even before time), He was already far more qualified to serve as King than any man could ever be. However, His kingdom is no ordinary kingdom. As Gabriel told Mary, "His kingdom will have no end." Jesus Himself said that "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). Jesus was not born to be a king on this temporary earth, but He was born to be the eternal King of the kingdom of heaven.
This is an amazing paradox: Jesus was born on earth in order to become a heavenly King. He left heaven to come into the world so that He could leave the world and become a King in heaven. The key to understanding this paradox is grasping Christ's role as the Savior. His roles of King over the eternal kingdom and Savior of the world are not mutually exclusive. Instead, they are one in the same, for Christ's kingdom is comprised of those whom He has saved from their sins. When we are rescued from the kingdom of darkness in this world, we are transferred into the kingdom of God's beloved Son in heaven (Col. 1:13).
For Jesus to execute His roles of King and Savior, one thing was necessary: He had to die for His people. While He was in the form of God, He could not die, so He was born as a man in order to suffer death. "Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives" (Heb. 2:14-15). Jesus was born to die for us in order to atone for our sins, redeem our souls, and free us from bondage. Although He would be a King, "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).
Therefore, let us remember that Jesus was born so that He could die on our behalf. Moreover, let us remember that He not only died, but He was also raised from the dead, which gives us the hope of our own resurrection (1Cor. 15:20-28). These are the facts of the gospel (1Cor. 15:1-4), and they are the foundation of our faith in Christ. All four biblical accounts of the life of Christ record His death, burial, and resurrection. These are also the subject of the true memorial that was instituted by Christ, the Lord's Supper (1Cor. 11:23-26). While we should remember His birth as part of the gospel truth, it is His death and resurrection that He has commanded us to memorialize. Indeed, He was born to die, and let us never forget that.
Stacey E. Durham