In the spirit of Christmas, the whole world has been bustling with holiday cheer as people decorate homes, prepare gifts, and enjoy merry festivities with family and friends. But to most, Christmas has nothing to do with the birth of the Messiah. Instead, Christmas has increasingly become a secular holiday. Even ten years ago, you would have been able to spot traditional biblical images displayed during the holiday season, but the meaning of Christmas has been completely tarnished by the world. Unbelievers miss out on the true joy of Christmas- that God became man to bring peace on earth. To understand the true meaning of Christmas, the only place we can look to is the Bible.
Christmas is an important Christian holiday. Without Christmas, there would have been no cross, and without the cross, there would have been no resurrection, no ascension, no church, no salvation. The birth of Jesus Christ is historical and Luke records the event with significant detail. Joseph and Mary went up to Bethlehem because of Caesar’s census. Luke specifically wrote “went up,” which precisely speaks of Bethlehem’s higher elevation than its surrounding towns, but the phrase is also significant considering how it is used throughout the Bible. Joseph and Mary were not merely returning to their hometown, but their trek to Bethlehem had to do with God’s restoration.
Jesus’ birthplace was prophesied by God 800 years before Jesus was born. What can the birthplace of Christ teach us in relation to Christmas?
Jesus is our spiritual food. Bethlehem means “house of bread” and its full name Ephrath Bethlehem means “fruitful house of bread.” In Jerusalem was born He who declared, “I am the bread of life.” Jesus is our spiritual food, and only He is able to satisfy man. Are you fed on Christ? Those who have Christ consider all else secondary.
The love of Christ. One of the greatest love stories in the Bible is of Ruth and Boaz, who came together in Bethlehem, and who became ancestors of Jesus. In relation to Bethlehem, we can see how much Jesus loved us, that He came to be with us to save us. Why do we not see the love of Christ much? When we fail to consider ourselves as the worst of sinners, we lose sight of how great of a love Christ had for us, that He would die for us even while we were yet sinners.
Jesus can quench our spiritual thirst. When David was in a dire situation of warfare, he yearned for a drink of water from his hometown Bethlehem. The water from Bethlehem was able to quench his thirst, just Christ alone is able to satisfy us.
Christ brings hope. Only hope in Christ is able to restore. In any situation, Christians have living hope because of Christ who was born in Bethlehem.
How do we know the baby born in Jerusalem is the Messiah?
- The Messiah would perform miracles. During Jesus’ ministry on earth, no one has ever witnessed the kind of miracles He accomplished. By His Word, He was able to raise Lazarus from the dead. Jesus is truly our Yahweh who deserves all worship.
- The Messiah came to suffer. God became man to die for our sins. He went through the ultimate suffering, as He died on the cross in our place.
- The Messiah would be accepted by God. There are many false Messiahs but God accepts Jesus’ sacrifice alone, and it was proven by His resurrection.
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