However, I'm often reminded of the bigger reason we choose to celebrate. In Isaiah chapter 9, we're given what is probably the most well-known and most-used prophecy about the birth of Christ:
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
After this prophecy, there aren't many more about the coming of the Messiah. We see several prophecies of His death later on in the same book, but not many more of His initial entry into the world. Just think: after the Israelites were given this prophecy, it wasn't long before they had to endure over 400 years without another word from The Lord. 400 YEARS! Just for some perspective, that's longer than the USA has been a nation...by a lot!
These people had gotten so used to having prophets and leaders that brought them words from God. Whether it was Moses with the 10 commandments, or Hosea proclaiming the people had committed "great whoredom by forsaking the Lord." (1:2) they were constantly hearing from God. Then, for over 400 years, generations of Israel were born and died without hearing from God.
However, they remembered and passed down the words they had already been given. As they were oppressed and afflicted, I'm sure they thought often about the prophecy Isaiah brought them about the Messiah's coming. The longer the silence, the more deafening it became. But the promise endured.
We know the rest of the story. Christ is finally born...and much to the surprise of the Jewish people! They weren't really thinking a humble man would have come, but I'm sure they thought he would overthrow Rome with his power and might. Many of them misunderstood the purpose of Jesus' ministry. Many still do.
Why does this matter to us, today? Why do we care about the prophecy of a coming Messiah if he already came? Well, I think this should resonate with us for a couple reasons.
Firstly, this is proof to us that Jesus' coming was the plan from the beginning. It wasn't a reaction to the problem of sin, but was planned from before the garden of Eden was planted. Jesus was always going to come and restore His creation to Himself. We see in the Old Testament prophecies the consistency of Scripture, and the truth of it in the fulfillment the New Testament provides. We must care about the prophecy of the coming of Christ because it reminds us that our God has chosen to love us by sending His Son and initiating a grace we could never deserve.
Secondly, I think the prophecy of the promise of Christ should bring us back to the centrality of the Gospel. Christ came, and lived a perfect life, and died and was resurrected. Through His sacrifice, we received the grace to save us from our sins.
But I think we often forget something. We were not given grace so that we can be blessed with other things. We weren't saved in order to receive. We received grace, and therefore have been saved. We did nothing to earn or deserve the Lord's mercy. He gave us the faith to believe, and He initiated a love toward us.
The promise is not comfort. The promise is Christ.
The promise is not blessings. The promise is Christ.
The promise is not happiness. The promise is Christ.
The promise is not religious freedom. The promise is Christ.
The promise is not even heaven. The promise is Christ.
We receive Him when we are saved. We are never promised any of those other things. Is God going to care for His children? Yes, I fully believe that He will. But if He takes everything away from us, do we still trust Him that He knows what is best for us? I hope we would.
He is the gift that we receive. It's deeper than blessing, even though we might be blessed. It's deeper than freedom, even though we've been made free. It's even deeper than eternal life, even though we receive it as well. It's Him. He alone is enough for us. Because when everything else has faded away, He will remain. When this earth and all it's corruption dies, He will be alive. When He returns in the manner the Jews wanted Him to come in first place, He will be the only One left standing.
He is enough. For you, and for me. His promise of revealing Himself to us is the sweetest thing we can ever hope to possess. So remember this season that, like the Jews looked for the promise of the Messiah, we can look to the promise He has fulfilled to us by being Immanuel (God with us). He is enough.
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)
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