The magnitude of Christmas

The understanding of the miracle birth of Jesus and the events surrounding it are foundational to our faith.

However, the magnitude of that birth isn’t fully realized without understanding the why behind the delivery. Thinking about the why behind our celebration of Christmas gives us an opportunity to refocus on what it is we believe and why it matters. What happened on the night that Jesus was born has incredible significance on your life, right now.

Paul highlights the magnitude of Christmas in 1 Corinthians 15.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. 1 Corinthians 15:3-11

To celebrate the birth is to celebrate truth, the resurrection, and grace, while being called to a perpetual challenge.

Christmas is a celebration of truth.

Right before He is brutally murdered on the cross, the Bible records a conversation between Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor who ordered the execution, and Jesus in John 18:35-37.

“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” John 18:35-37

Pontius Pilate is trying to understand what Jesus had done and why. Jesus states that the reason he was born was to “testify to the truth.”

Jesus is saying that everything written in the Old Testament, the Scriptures, was fulfilled through Him. From the detailed accounts of the crucifixion in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22, written over 500 years before his birth, to the over 300 prophecies of a coming Savior, all of Scripture is about Him. Jesus claims that His life is fulfilling the Old Testament Scripture.

Jesus was born to display truth, and Christmas causes us to refocus on what we believe is truth.

The world can become mirky on the question of “what is truth,” but, if Jesus is who is says He is, then what the Bible says matters. The truth from the Bible stands in front of any truth of the world. Absolute truth came to earth. The magnitude of the birth of Jesus, of Christmas, is increased.

Christmas causes us to refocus on the resurrection.

Without the resurrection, Christmas loses it’s magnitude. Paul argues that if Jesus did not resurrect to life after being dead, any faith we have is in vain.

To prove the resurrection, Paul points to over 500 eyewitnesses of Jesus after his death, saying that many of them were still alive at the time of his writing. And, in verse 8, Paul says that Jesus appeared to him (written about in detail in Acts 9).

The resurrected Jesus approached Paul. The same is true of anyone that has ever believed that Jesus is the Christ. The resurrected Jesus approaches people just as He came to Paul.

The celebration of Christ should cause us to celebrate the resurrection, the fact that Jesus defeated eternal death.

Christmas causes us to refocus on grace.

Before being approached by Jesus, Paul brutally murdered and attacked the church of God. He was present and behind the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7. Paul was steadfastly against anything of God.

Then, Jesus gave grace. He showed up, erased Paul’s past.

“and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:9

This grace changed Paul forever. What kind of God freely gives grace, past failures, past sins?

Perhaps the most impactful part of the celebration of Christmas is the refocus of grace. All of us have fallen short, just like Paul, and we have received or can receive grace in an instant. Grace is a free gift that should be magnified at Christmas.

Christmas offers a perpetual challenge for the new year.

1 Corinthians warns us not to believe Jesus is the Christ in vain. Said differently, if Jesus is who He says He is and did what He says He did, then followers of Him should aspire to love, to obey, to live as He did.

By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:2

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 1 Corinthians 15:9-10

There is no greater love than a person laying down his life for another. And, there is no greater gift than the free gift of grace. The challenge of Christmas is not to receive the grace in vain, but to fully follow Him.

This Sunday and Monday, as you celebrate the miracle of Christmas, let it be a time to reflect and refocus on the depth of the what the birth of Jesus means.

The celebration of the birth of Jesus is a call to each of us to refocus our lives on Him

Check out the Bible in a Year Goal for 2024.

Impact others. Live generously.

Follow my blog.