He came knowing He would die. Yet He came

Luke 2:11 "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."

1) Jesus came to die.

- Cloth Linen. Jesus the babe was wrapped in swaddling cloths. When He died, He was wrapped in burial cloth. "So Joseph (of Arimathea) bought some linen cloth, took down the body (of Jesus), wrapped it in the linen..."

- Manger. Jesus was lying in a manger. During that time, a manger is a concrete trough cut out of rock. When Jesus died, He was placed in a concrete cave. "... and (Joseph) placed His body in a tomb cut out of rock."

- Feed. A manger is where horses and animals feed from. Jesus came to be fed upon when He said, "This is My body broken for you. Eat this in remembrance of Me."

2) Jesus came to save.

- Birth. Born to us. A birth signifies new beginning, new hope. The old has passed, the new has come. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus..."

- Saviour. In the city of David, a Saviour. That is His name - Yeshua, meaning 'He saves'. "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

- Babe. You will find a babe. A baby is in total submission to the hands that hold him. "During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the One who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission."

3) Jesus gave Himself both as a present and His very presence.

- Present. Born to us a Saviour. Jesus is a gift. A gift is not a gift if we try to earn or purchase it. The only thing we can do to honor God is to receive with thanksgiving. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son..."

- Presence. Jesus will never leave nor forsake us. He gives us His peace and abides with and in us. “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”)

- Light. Born to us this day. When all is dark and bleak, see Jesus in the situation today. While the skies were dark in the night, glorious light and songs of joy burst forth amid the shepherds at the birth of Jesus. "I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life."

Luke 2:9-14 "An angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

  Glory to God in the highest heaven, 

  and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

Did you notice that peace was only given to those whom His favour rest? Today God's favour rests on each one of us because we are the beloved in Christ Jesus. We have the peace of Christ which the world cannot understand. We cannot fail but have successes in every area of our lives because of His favour.

The shepherds were then in their throes of mundane life. Just like us who are milling about our daily lives. They were caring their sheep in the middle of the night. And so are we who are caught up with our cares, bills to pay and Christmas shopping. At times life's journeys can be as dark as night.

An angel appeared bearing the good news of a Saviour, and the heavenly hosts suddenly exploded in the midst singing praises to God. Likewise heavens are opened and the glory of God will fill our dark nights when the good news of Jesus is shared. The power of the gospel will transform lives and bring hope to all who hear. Our fears are dispelled; our nights become days. His praise will automatically fill our lips.

Luke 2:15-20 "When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”


So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them."

No one told the shepherds to go to Bethlehem. Yet they were willing to leave their flock to search for Jesus. No one reminded them to spread the word concerning Jesus. One look at Jesus was enough for them to spread the word concerning what they had seen and heard. And the people were amazed. Throughout our daily lives, all we need is to behold Him. One glimpse is all we need. One revelation  from His Word is enough to light up our dark situations to change our perspective of life and give us the strength to carry on.

The message of the good news (gospel) the angel spoke drew the shepherds to Jesus. The Word the angel carried was actually Jesus Himself. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God. This Christmas, not only is the message of the birth of Jesus important, the Jesus we bring especially the Saviour gives hope and light more than people care to admit it.

It was not His birth that saved us but His death and resurrection.

Jesus came knowing He would die. Yet He came.