Emmanuel

Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see,
Hail the incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with men to dwell, 
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Hark, the herald angels sing, 
"Glory to the newborn King."

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us (Matt. 1:23).

God, manifest in the flesh, with us in a sin-sick world. Almighty Lord and Creator of heaven and earth, left His glory and took on human flesh. God, inside a human body. He did not stop being God; rather, He became fully God and fully man. One night in Bethlehem, the One Who holds the world in His hands, at Whose word the earth was formed and is upheld and the storm stilled, became a baby. A helpless, weak baby. It is a mystery too great for us to wrap our minds around! It is well for us that we are not asked to understand, but only to believe this unfathomable truth. And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh…(1 Tim. 3:16a).

And so, He experienced human life in all its fullness, its joys and sorrows. This does not take away from His glory, but rather adds to the wonder of His Godhead. None can accuse God of standing aloof, looking down, uncaring, upon the suffering of His creation. He came and experienced it with us. He suffered with us and for us. For He hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath He hid His face from him; but when he cried unto Him, He heard (Psalm 22:24).

He was a baby, so He knows what it is to be helpless.

He was a child, so He knows what it is to submit Himself to an imperfect authority.

Based upon the absence of His earthly father in the narrative of His adult life, He knows what it is to lose a parent.

His brothers refused to believe on Him, so He knows what it is to experience familial conflict and rejection.

He was born into a nation under Roman rule, so He knows what is to be oppressed by those in power.

He was born into what we would call a “low-income family,” and worked as a carpenter for most of His life, so He knows what it is to be poor.

He was personally tempted by the devil for 40 days, so He knows what it is to be tempted.

He fell asleep in the boat during the storm, so He knows what it is to be physically exhausted.

He was human, so He knows what it is to be hungry and thirsty and sick.

He said He had “nowhere to lay His head,” so He knows what it is to be homeless.

His friends failed to understand His mission and forsook Him and fled at His arrest, so He knows what it is to be lonely and forsaken.

His teaching offended many of His followers and they turned away, so He knows what it is to be misunderstood.

He wept at the grave of Lazarus, so He knows what it is to lose a friend.

He agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Bible says that He “feared,” with “strong crying and tears,” so He knows what it is to face a trial and not want to go through it.

The people whose diseases He had healed, whose devil-possession He had cured, and whose loved ones He had restored to life, screamed out for His death, so He knows what it is to be hated without a cause.

False witnesses stood and accused Him of blasphemy, so He knows what it is to be lied about and persecuted.

Judas betrayed Him for 30 pieces of silver, so He knows what it is to have a friend stab Him in the back.

He was publicly mocked, beaten, and nailed to a cross, so He knows what it is to experience pain like most of us will never come close to experiencing it.

He hung naked upon a cross, so He knows what it is to suffer the depths of shame.

He died a cruel and excruciating death, so He knows what it is to walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

But He also experienced what we need never. The horror of having God Himself turn His back on Him as He suffered for sin He never committed. We deserve death as the just sentence upon us for our sins against God, but Christ endured it for us, shedding His blood on our behalf. He offers—freely—eternal life, to all who will believe on Him, repent of their sin, and call upon His name. This is why He came. This is the true meaning of Christmas, friend. A manger and a cross. A God Who chose to come and be made perfect through suffering.

But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour: that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings (Hebrews 2:9-10). Of course, Christ was perfect before as in being sinless. This means that He is now fully qualified to be our great High Priest.

Friend, I don’t know what you’re going through right now. Maybe this is one of those years where it doesn’t really feel like Christmas. Maybe all the lights and the happy carols and the gift-giving are falling flat for you this year because of heartache and pain. My prayer for you is that you will know, beyond a shadow of doubt, that you have a Savior Who knows exactly what you are going through. He is with you, and He waits to hear from you.

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16).

And if you don’t yet know Him—there is no love like this. You will never find anyone who will love you more fully, sacrificially, unconditionally than Jesus Christ. He died for you, He will live for you. Why not forsake sin and come to Him in acknowledgement of your utter need and His sacrifice on your behalf?

This Christmas, let’s worship the One Who came to dwell with us at such great cost to Himself. Let’s bow in humble devotion at His throne, where He now sits, exalted in glory at the Father’s right hand. O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!