Jesus Christ
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January 12, 2009 |
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 " ... But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4-5).
Around Christmas time, even people of this world rejoice and say, "Merry Christmas!" to one another. Yet, most of them do not really know why Christmas is indeed a day of joy and bliss. Even some church-goers are not aware of the true meaning of Christmas and merely enjoy the day.
No matter how diligently or for how long one has attended church, confesses to believe in the Lord, and delights in Christmas, without knowing the significance of Christmas he could not lead a true life in Christ. Therefore, I urge each of you to delight in Christmas and come to love Our Lord even more by retracing the spiritual significance of the birth of Jesus.
1. Jesus was Born in a Fold of Beasts and Laid in a Manger
The almighty God could easily have His Only Begotten Son born in a splendid palace or at least in a comfortable home. Jesus was born in a fold of beasts because He was to atone for us who are but beasts. Ecclesiastes 3:18 tells us, "I said to myself concerning the sons of men, 'God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts.'" Why would the Bible say that we "are but beasts"?
In man God created a spirit and man thus became a "living being." According to His own image, God created man blameless and spotless. On account of Adam's disobedience, however, sin entered man and the spirit within him died; man could no longer communicate with God. Instead, he came under the influence of the enemy devil and Satan and with the passing of time, he became increasingly drenched in evil. Having forsaken the image of God and man's whole duty, man over time became nothing but beasts.
As God's Word is evident, people who are nothing but beasts cannot enter heaven. For that very reason, in order to atone for people who are but beasts, Jesus was born in a fold of beasts. In addition, He was laid in a manger that contains food for animals. Luke 2:7 tells us, "And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." The fact that Jesus was laid in a manger signifies that He became food for man that is no different from beasts. Here, "food" refers to "food that gives eternal life."
In John 6:51 Jesus says, "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh." Therefore, making bread of God's Word is to eat the flesh of the Lord, "the living bread"; only those who eat of "the living bread" can receive an eternal life.
In order to give eternal life to man living his/her life as beasts, God allowed His Only Begotten Son to be born in this lowly and humble world. On top of that, through the love with which He gave up His own life, Jesus gave us the eternal life.
2. Jesus Became Poor
In order to redeem us from our poverty, God allowed Jesus to be poor. 2 Corinthians 8:9 tells us, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich."
God had the first man Adam live in abundance and he lacked nothing. Things changed, however, following Adam's disobedience to God's Word. Adam suffered from poverty and hunger. As poverty itself is not sinful or evil, Jesus did not need to shed the blood of redemption. However, as poverty is an attribute of the curses that resulted from Adam's sin, Jesus redeemed us from poverty by leading a life in poverty.
For that reason, each of us must lead an affluent life. If we heed God's Word and walk in the right path, we will receive blessings, become affluent, and magnify God.
3. Jesus Was Scourged
Jesus was scourged by Roman soldiers without donning any clothes. As lumps of lead hung from the end of the whip, each time Jesus was scourged the whips wound around His body and chunks of His flesh came off. The last portion of Isaiah 53:5 tells us, "And by His scourging we are healed." It does not say we "will be healed" but that we "are healed" already. The last portion of 2 Peter 2:24 also tells us, "For by His wounds you were healed."
The resolution of the problem of diseases and infirmities must be preceded by the resolution of sin because the cause of all diseases is found in sin. In Matthew 9 is a scene in which a paralytic lying a bed comes before Jesus. To that man Jesus says, "Your sins are forgiven" (Verse 2), and resolves his problem of sin first. At that point, the man is healed of his paralysis.
In John 5, after He had healed a man who had been ill for 38 years, Jesus tells the man, "Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you" (Verse 14b). Even though the man has been healed, Jesus warns that if the man should sin again, he could be stricken down by even a greater disease. From such verses we know that the cause of disease is found in sin.
Hebrews 9:22 tells us, "And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." Therefore, in order to be forgiven of sins, the shedding of blood must take place. Jesus was scourged and He shed blood so that He could redeem us from our sins, the cause of all diseases. When we believe this from the heart, our sins will be forgiven by the blood of Jesus and we will be healed of any diseases.
4. The Crown of Thorns
The thorns on the crown of thorns forced on Jesus were very long and strong. The width of the crown of thorns was smaller than that of Jesus' head so that when it was forcefully pushed on His head, the thorns would tear at and penetrate the scalp.
Jesus was afflicted in such a manner and forced to shed blood so that He could redeem us from the sins we commit with our thoughts. How often and much do we commit sins, ranging from jealousy, envy, hate, judging, condemning, to adultery with our thoughts? Some may ask, "How can we not sin with our thoughts?" Yet, God's children who have received the Holy Spirit must throw away the sins stemming from their thoughts and can do so.
In Old Testament times, as long as sinful thoughts were not manifested in deed, they were not deemed sinful. Even if people harbored evil thoughts, as long as the thoughts were not displayed in deed, they were innocent. Ever since the Holy Spirit has made His dwelling within the heart of God's children, however, harboring a sinful thought can be an act of sinning.
In Matthew 5:28 Jesus tells us, "Everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." 1 John 3:15 tells us, "Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." When sinful attributes in one's heart are manifested in thought, they are the same as acts of sinning.
Some may now ask, "Is it okay for sinful attributes to remain within us as long as one does not think of them?" As remaining sinful attributes are manifested in thought, evil in every form must be abstained. Furthermore, until one can completely throw away all forms and elements of evil, he can still commit sins in a variety of fleshly thoughts. In order to forgive us of even such sins, Jesus was forced to put on the crown of thorns and shed His blood.
5. Jesus Was Nailed through in His Hands and Feet
In Mark 9:43 and 45, Jesus tells us, "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire," and "If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell."
He is telling us that it is better to enter heaven while you become physically crippled in this world than to fall into hell with your hands and feet intact. Sins harbored in one's thoughts are manifested in deed through his hands and feet; he indulges and sins as he pleases. In order to atone for us who commit sins with our hands and feet, Jesus was nailed through in His hands and feet.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, if you truly believed that the reason Jesus shed His blood on the cross and died on it was because of your sins, you could only fight sin and do everything to throw it away. When such individuals, whose faith is manifested in deed, proclaim, "Happy birthday, Jesus! Thank You!" they will be a true delight and joy to Our Lord.
By grasping the love of Our Lord deep in your heart, may the joy of Christmas abound in every day of your life, in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ I pray!
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