In the Garden of Eden, after sin entered, God declared the way of redemption also and prophets were looking for the answer to this revelation by God. Despite all of mankind being steeped in sin, the angel from God in heaven declared the same message of salvation to the Shepherds. The expression of God’s love for mankind is further confirmed in Lord Jesus, the Son of God. Even His name was decided beforehand in heaven itself to confirm the task He was to perform as Saviour of humanity.
Main aspect of the Saviour’s birth – Lord Jesus defined a neighbour as one who is in need and illustrated this with the story of the Samaritan (Luke 10:30-35). The Jewish man, while travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho, was robbed, stripped of his clothes, and left as ‘half dead’. The priest and the Levite, his own people, saw him lying in that state but passed by, without doing anything. Then a Samaritan, whom the Jews hated, calling them half-breeds, came and ‘had compassion’ on the injured Jew. He ‘went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine’, set him on his own animal and cared for him by bringing him to the inn. While going out the next day he paid the inn-keeper two denarii for looking after him, with the assurance to pay him any additional cost of care of the wounded man.
The one who was hated opened his heart to save, care for and even pledged future care of the suffering man. In like manner God opened His heart to reach out to all of mankind, that was in rebellion against Him in sin, to forgive all of their sins, past, present and future. God saw the sinful state of mankind, before Noah was commanded to make the ark, and ‘was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart’ (Genesis 6:6). It is the same loving God who was again grieved that He had destroyed everything except those in Noah’s ark. And ‘God said in His heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done’ (Genesis 8:21).
This loving God, before whom past, present and future are all alike, for He is above time itself, was well aware of all that was to happen before He created anything. He knew about Lucifer’s rebellion with one-third angels, still created them and did not destroy them. He was aware of Adam and Eve’s sin yet came looking for them to forgive them. They blamed each other but God did neither and revealed to them the result of their sin. Because of the evil deed of the serpent, it received a curse ‘more than all cattle’ and its life was drastically changed (Genesis 3:14-15). With that the continuous conflict also came in the world through, ‘enmity between you (the serpent) and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed’. Her offspring will be perpetually afflicted by the devil and his followers, the demonic spirits.
Another thing in this is that the reference is to a single Seed to be bruised and who will retaliate to bruise the head. This speaks of a particular Individual and not about all of humanity. The sole tempter will be faced and defeated by the sole Saviour. Since this is the seed of the woman and not of man, He will not have a man as a Father. Lord Jesus suffered in the flesh through crucifixion and crushed the head of the devil in the spiritual realm by destroying his power of sin, death and separation from God. The Son of God has ‘overcome the world’ the domain of the devil and all believers stand in that victory with Him (John 16:33).
With this great victory He has given great blessing for living on the earth ‘live abundantly’ (John 10:10), where life is to know God the Father and the Son. With this flows the power of the Holy Spirit in a believer who is further blessed by the Lord. We are assured to excel in life, ‘he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father’ (John 14:12). As His representatives on earth, His followers are equipped to do and have been doing great works that have shaken up the world with the preaching of the Gospel. In the Old Testament He heard the cry of Cain, even though he had killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4:15). He revealed to Jacob the ‘Ladder to heaven’ and also assured him of continuous protection and safe return to his father’s house.
As Saviour, He walked on water to save and take the disciples out of the storm to the shore in safety (Matthew 14:25). After His resurrection, He prepared and served breakfast to the tired disciples and then restored the disciple who had denied Him three times. Apostle Peter was blessed through the question, Simon, son of Jonah, do You love Me?’ and was entrusted with the care of His lambs and His sheep. A leper, who was to stay away from people, cried out to the Lord, ‘if You are willing, You can make me clean’ (Matthew 8:2-3). Our Lord reached out, touched him and immediately healed him. He was not born in a palace that the rich could claim Him as their own but in a manger, a sheepfold, with the angels worshipping and sharing the Good News of His coming with the shepherds. He is the Saviour of all humanity, joining all equally as members of His family with no distinction of any kind. That is His blessing to humanity, to unite all into one family – His family
Importance of His name – As per the Holy Bible seven persons were named by God through His messenger before their birth and all played a crucial role on the earth. First, Hagar, the slave of Sarah, was told to name her son Ishmael, whose descendants are supposed to the Arabs (Genesis 16:11). Second, Isaac, who was born to Sarah and Abraham and is one of the patriarchs of the Israelites (Genesis 17:19). Third, Solomon, the son of King David with Bathsheba, the wisest man on earth (1 Chronicles 22:9). Fourth, Josiah, the King of Judah (southern Kingdom) who brought in great religious reforms (1 Kings 13:2). Fifth, Cyrus, the King of Medo-Persian empire, who decreed to allow the Jewish exiles, who were willing, to return to Jerusalem (Isaiah 44:28). Sixth, John the Baptist, the son of Priest Zacharias, who preached the message of repentance and coming of the Lamb of God, the Saviour, and also baptised Him (Luke 1:13). And finally, the seventh, The Son of God, the Redeemer of mankind, as told to Joseph in the dream.
In the society of that time a name revealed the identity, character and purpose of the life of the individual. They revealed destinies, as when Jacob was renamed by God as Israel after wrestling with God (Genesis 32:28). A name, even today, also carried authority, power and reputation of the individual. The name of our Lord, Yehoshua in Hebrew, which is a combination of two words; YHWH, the name of God and Yasha meaning ‘to save or deliver’. Thus, the name of the Son of God means ‘Yahweh is salvation or Yahweh saves’, as God Himself putting on humanity to be their Redeemer. Every time His name is spoken, the only revealed name of God is also pronounced.
This name represents Divine authority and love and breaks the chains of sin and opens the doors of heaven. Thus, when the angels announced His birth as ‘good tidings of great joy’, they proclaimed the arrival of the Saviour who will free mankind from the clutches of sin and its consequences – sickness, bondage and spiritual death and separation from God (Luke 2:10). In His name the heaven touches earth, for it is a door to His Divine authority and power. The name, Jesus, reveals the totality of the nature of God, revealing His roles as Creator, Saviour, Healer and Sustainer. In Him, God the Father, ensured that ‘all the fullness should dwell’, for He is God in the flesh (Colossians 1:19).
In His name two key truths are established. First, shifting of authority – The power that was associated with Yehovah is now revealed and present in Lord Jesus. Only at His name do the demonic spirits tremble and flee for His name represents the fullness of God’s authority and dominion. Second, all round dominion authority of His name. Lord Jesus’ name spoken in any language, Yehoshua in Hebrew, or Jesus or any other version carries the same authority. It is not a mantra but the faith that releases His power of salvation, authority, protection and peace, for in that the authority of heaven is activated.
We use His name in prayer to ask the Father in His name and receive the answer (John 16:23). We receive healing and the power to heal (Acts 3:6), when Apostles Peter and John healed a born lame person. In spiritual warfare, in the power and authority of His name demonic spirits are cast out and dominion reclaimed (Mark 16:17). And finally, in daily life situations we are commanded to ‘do all in the name of Jesus’ (Colossians 3:17).
God revealed the fullness of Himself in His Son, Lord Jesus, His love, power and purpose of reconciling human beings to Himself. Salvation comes, chains of bondage to evil are broken and broken relationships and hearts are restored in this name. A believer is immensely blessed to have that authority of the Lord Himself to invoke the power of the name.
Relevance in this fast age – Lord Jesus is our High Priest in heaven, who has undergone more than we, individually, will ever suffer in this life. He understands our weaknesses and prays for us before God the Father. When we gather together to worship or pray, He is among us, receiving our worship and prayers and presenting that to the Father in heaven as sweet incense (Matthew 18:20). While He was on the earth, He prayed for Apostle Peter to save him from the clutches of the devil and keep him steadfast in faith (Luke 22:32). He prayed to the Father, confirming our new state on the earth, ‘the glory which You gave Me I have given to them’ (John 17:22 &24). In our newborn state we are restored to the original state that man was created.
Then He further prayed, ‘Father, I desire that they also, whom You gave Me, may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me’. The Saviour Lord prays for us in heaven expressing His desire to have us with Him in heaven. Also, He wants us to witness His glory as Son of God in a man’s image in heaven.
Everyone wants to be in heaven and we, as believers, have God Himself longing for us to be in His Divine presence. He knows that the devil rules the earth and all that is in it but He has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Who would want to face the forces of evil and darkness without the hand of God protecting and guiding him? He chose the disciples and all those who follow Him, to transform them and equip them to be His soldiers on earth. He went to the Samaritan woman at the well to bless her and through her testimony, many others in her village (John 4:41-42). He called the woman who was suffering and was ‘bent over and could in no way raise herself up’, to heal and free her from the evil spirit that caused her sickness (Luke 13:12-13).
Your reading this is not a coincidence but as per His plan for You, for He chooses us to Himself. Turn to Him, seek forgiveness for sins and accept Him as your Saviour and He will give you eternal life and an assured place in heaven. There is no one on earth, including those who worship the devil, who does not want to get into heaven. Prophet Isaiah declared the Word from God, ‘unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder’ (Isaiah 9:6). God fulfilled this by sending His only Begotten Son to be our Saviour and to be received by anyone who turned to Him. He was born in another man’s stable, cradled in his manger, buried in another man’s tomb yet is the friend of the friendless and Saviour of all mankind.
What Prophet Isaiah had declared about all human beings as unclean (Isaiah 64:6), Apostle Paul accepted all his past learning, high place in Jewish society as the same. He compared the value of earthly knowledge, position and glory with the, ‘excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ’ (Philippians 3:8). All around us when sin and evil are the ruling forces controlling the behaviour of people, deliverance from the clutches of such is more necessary. Lord Jesus ‘is the image of the invisible God’ for nobody has ever seen God (Colossians 1:14-17). In Him ‘we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins’ and with this we are freed from the control of the evil forces around us to walk in God’s light and guidance.
He is able to do this for another reason and everyone needs Him, ‘for by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him’. Further to this is the fact that ‘in Him all things consist’ and survive. There is no one who does not need God on his side to help, to stand firm against undue oppression and trouble and then to be in heaven after this life. Lord Jesus fulfils all these needs and He alone can. God sent His Son to save the world and not to condemn or punish and we are to act in like manner. Christmas is a time of new beginnings in life for God reached down from heaven to be with the sinful humanity.
Priest Zacharias blessed his new-born son, John, later called ‘The Baptist’, ‘And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins’ (Luke 1:76-79). And then he also described the ministry of the Saviour Lord, ‘through the tender mercies of our God, with which the dayspiring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide pour feet into the way of peace’. We are also expected to reach out to others with the message of His love expressed through His Son so that God the Holy Spirit can then move them into a state of blessedness.
Lord Jesus praised John the Baptist by naming him as greatest among all born of a woman, thus terming him as greater than even all the Old Testament prophets. But then He regarded the least of the believers as greater than him, due to the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit and gift of eternal life. Like John the Baptist can we exalt the Son of God in our message to others without trying to lift self also? This is the true message of Christmas to all of us.
