Christmas, it’s just around the corner! Everything in town is getting festive and Christmas parties are on the calendar. I love all the visiting and the wrapping of gifts (seriously, send me your packages and I will wrap them!). My husband and I have several Christmas movies we watch each year and we’re slowly making our way through the list!
It seems easy to turn eyes toward Bethlehem and that stable where Christ was born when songs like O Come Emmanuel play over the radio. Mid November through that first week of the new year, the birth of Christ is everywhere. It’s something I look forward to, hearing a song about Jesus over a loud speaker at the store or café. In the midst of so much worldly chaos and darkness, something much more powerful than “Christmas cheer” cuts through all the noise: the light of the gospel.
Who does the world say he is?
“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 16:13-18 (ESV).
In our present day, Jesus probably isn’t often mistaken for the prophet Elijah or John the Baptist. But, there are many who, if asked, would call him a “good teacher” or “one of many Christs.” Who is Jesus? As we go into this season with the Lord, reflecting on his birth, let us also reflect on who he is.
A study on the identity of Jesus would take much more than a single post! But there is a scripture that comes to mind- one that is a great memory verse for the Christmas season! The apostle Paul speaks to the identity of Jesus in the first chapter of his letter to the church in Colossae.
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Colossians 1:15-20 (ESV).
Who is Jesus Christ?
The word in Greek here for “preeminent” is προτευω, it means to have 1st place. Jesus is the beginning and the firstborn from the dead because in all things he is to have the first place!
The fullness of God dwelt in his Son, and by his sacrifice on the cross, those who believe upon and entrust their souls to his lordship have peace with God! This is the good news of the gospel and this is the true peace of Christmas. The love of a God so great that he sent his only Son, born of a virgin, to offer salvation to lost people living in a lost world. God brought us near through his own righteousness, that we might be called children of God! The most perfect and undeserved gift, made free for all who choose to believe and follow him.
We can’t tell the story of Christ’s birth without the reality of the cross. The baby in the stable is so much more than a song or a story, he is God!
“’She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).” Matthew 1:21-23 (ESV).
