The Actual Gift Is Better Than All The Expectations

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘(4) But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, (5) to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to Sonship.’ (Galatians 4:4-5)

The Israelites during the time of Jesus’ birth were perhaps somewhat expecting a Messiah.  It was roughly the same amount of time (400+ years) between the latest writings of the Old Testament (either Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, or Malachi; depending on the historical reference used) and Jesus’ birth, and the time between the Israelites moving into Egypt and the appearance of Moses. 

Subjugated and enslaved by the ruling parties of their days, both generations prayed (with perhaps some skepticism) for God to send them a Deliverer.  In the case of the Israelites living in Egypt, Moses came as an adult who had the demonstrated ability of God’s power to call upon God to send plagues until securing their release and leading them out of Egypt and eventually into the Promised Land of Canaan/Israel. 

For the ‘Tweener’ Jews, those living between the Old Testament and New Testament days, the Romans had come to Israel and subjugated them.  There were attempts to overthrow the Roman rule (as described in the 3 apocryphal books of the Maccabees) but none succeeded.  The Jews looked for another Moses, this time like a King David with the God-given abilities Moses had to defeat the Romans and reestablish a dominance in the region that Israel once had. 

But God did not send such a Messiah; He sent His Son Jesus in the form of a fragile baby, born of a frail human girl, Mary.  Like Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree, Jesus did not come readily built looking like Conan The Barbarian to smite the Romans out with a sword (which many of the Zealots were looking for), or even a Moses who would rain down plagues on Rome until they gave up, but instead provided us Jesus in the most humble way imaginable – a baby born in a barn housing livestock, with all the trappings (and smells) of where such animals would live. 

Charlie Brown believed he had killed that fragile tree when putting a single bulb onto it, but Linus, Charlie Brown’s friend, believed the tree really was special and after the Peanuts gang stripped Snoopy’s doghouse of its award-winning decorations and put them on the tree, it became the best and brightest Christmas tree.  Like that fragile and humble tree, Jesus grew and walked the Earth as a man while giving us glimpses of His true nature. In the end the actions of men, both Jew (the Pharisees) and Gentile (the Romans) believed they had killed Jesus by crucifying Him. 

However, the frail and humble Jesus, resurrected by the His Glory and Power, is the best, brightest and only Messiah we could ever want or need, leading all of us who believe in Him into everlasting life.  His true nature is now fully revealed, and when He comes back He will be that conquering King who will lead His church into Eternity with Him.  But we have to accept Him first as the frail and humble servant that He was in order to also accept Jesus as that strong and mighty King that He is!

In order to be strong, we also must be humble and recognize our frailties, and accept Jesus as our Savior who will help us overcome them.  This Christmas, don’t look at the stuff gifted from others as gain, but instead look at Jesus as the Gift you’ll gain the most from!