A child is born

“For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders...” Isaiah 9:6
This is a familiar Christmas verse to most of us, but it shows us a glimpse of the profundity that is the Incarnation of Christ.
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus, God’s Son, as a human baby. A child was born, who would grow up to bear the sin of the world and provide salvation for all mankind. This child would grow into a man, and succeed in every place that Adam failed. Yet Jesus existed before His Incarnation. He was intimately involved in the creation of the world. He was the one who appeared to Abraham (Gen. 18:1), the one who wrestled with Jacob (Gen. 32:24-30), the one who fought the battle of Jericho (Josh. 5:13-15), the one who appeared to Samson’s parents (Judg. 13:17-18).
Since Jesus always existed as God the Son, it is in the sense of His Deity that He was given up for the sin of the world by the Father. Thus in the phrase “a Child is born... a Son is given”, we see both the humanity and the Divinity of Jesus Christ.
In the Old Testament, Jesus appeared to people from time to time in human form. But in the Gospels, He was born as a human. The difference between these is huge. We might behave like an animal, perhaps to entertain children by giving piggy-back rides or making animal noises. But to become an animal, 24-7, would be unthinkable. Yet Jesus took an even greater step down in putting on flesh and dwelling amongst us, subjecting Himself to human physical limitations.
My pastor made an interesting point when he taught on this verse last week. Jesus was born as a baby. He wasn’t created as a full-grown man, like Adam was. No, He was born as a baby, vulnerable, completely dependent on His earthly parents. He grew up, just as we did. He knows exactly what it’s like to be completely human, yet still being God.
As we think about the baby in the manger, let’s take time to consider the enormity of what happened. God stepped into our world to rescue us from sin. Isn’t that worth celebrating?