Man was sentenced to death because of his sin as the Scripture says “the wages of sin”. But because God loves man Christ came to save him from death by dying on his behalf; “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”(Jn 3: 16).
In His love of mankind, Christ, being the Son of God, became man to make man again a Son of God.
Therefore He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. He became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross (Phil 2: 7,8)
Any talk about the Lord’s Nativity without mentioning the love implied in it will not be right. For Christ so loved man that He wanted to restore him to his former rank in which he had been created as the image of God (Gen 1: 26) in righteousness, piety, and holiness. Therefore He was born in that image, righteous without sin, that He might be an example to be followed, that people might walk just as He walked (1Jn 2: 6).
Man, in his sin, lost his power, became weak before the devil, and fell. But the Lord Christ came to give him power and authority over all the devils and unclean spirits (Mt 10: 1) (Lk 10: 19). In this His love of mankind was manifested.
Man’s fall caused conflict between his body and his spirit. As
Man’s life in the world is full of troubles and hardships. He is heavily burdened. But the Lord Christ, in His incarnation, said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”(Mt 11: 28). He came, as the prophecy of Isaiah the prophet tells us, “to preach good tidings to the poor…to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of prison to those who are bound”(Isa 1: 61).
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows (Isa 53: 4).
The sin of man caused the earth to bring forth thorns and thistles (Gen 3: 18). So the Lord Christ bore the thorns on His head instead of man and in love of man! Throughout the period of the Lord’s incarnation, people suffered from the teachers who shut up the kingdom of heaven against them and laid on their shoulders heavy burdens hard to bear (Mt 23: 13,4). And behold, the Lord Christ in His love rebuked those teachers, calling them blind guides, and said to them, “you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in”.
Those guides despised the sinners, but the Lord Christ in His love showed compassion on those sinners. He even defended the woman caught in the very act. He said to those who wanted to stone her, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”(Jn 8: 7).
He ate at the tables of the tax collectors who were despised by the leaders of the Jews. And when the Pharisees criticized Him for that, He said to them, “ Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick… I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance”. (Mt 9: 11-13).
In His love the Lord Christ accepted Zacchaeus the tax-collector and went to his house, saying, “Today salvation has come to this house”. When the Jews grumbled because He went to be a guest with a sinner, He said, “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”(Lk 19: 9-10). He was kind to the sinners, attracting them to repentance, and comforting them that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine persons who need no repentance (Lk 15: 7-10).
In His love the Lord Christ was moved with compassion for the multitude because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd (Mt 9: 36). He was more compassionate for the fallen than for the proud who think themselves righteous. He gave the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax-collector as an example, and showed how the contrite-hearted tax-collector went down to his house justified rather than the other (Lk 18: 14).
The Lord Christ had compassion also for those disregarded by the Jewish community, like women and children. About children He said, “unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”(Mt 18: 3). And when the chief priests and scribes were indignant when the children cried out on His entry into Jerusalem, He said to them, “if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out” ( Lk: 19: 40). Then He reminded them of the words of the Psalm, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise.”(Mt 4: 16) (Ps 8: 2). He loved the children, took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them (Mk 10: 16). Though women had not received due honour in the Jewish community, the Lord Christ gave them a distinguished place. Many women followed Him from Galilee and provided for Him from their substance (Lk 8: 3). Even Mary Magdalene, out of whom He cast out seven demons, that became His disciple, He appeared to her after the Resurrection, and called her to go and tell His disciples that He was alive (Mk 16: 9).
He also blessed the house of Mary and Martha in Bethany, and raised their brother Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11). And when Mary poured the costly fragrant oil on His head and some were indignant, saying that it was wasted for it could have been sold for much and given to the poor, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me…she did it for My burial.”(Mt 26: 10-12).
Indeed the Lord’s Nativity was a joy to the whole world, but rather more to the other nations. The Jews thought themselves alone God’s selected people, but the Lord Christ in His love accepted the Gentiles and Samaritans, who were despised by the Jews, among His people. He praised the Gentile centurion, saying, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. (Mt 8: 10-12). In His love He called all the people to His kingdom. He said to His disciples, “Go unto all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”(Mk 16: 15); “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you”(Mt 28: 19, 20).
Before His ascension, He said to them, “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1: 8).
He treated with love the Samaritans with whom the Jews had no dealings (Jn 4: 9). He brought the good tidings to the Samaritan woman and her city, so they all believed in Him (Jn 4: 42). In telling the Jews the story of the Good Samaritan, He wanted to show them that the Samaritan was more righteous, more merciful, and better than the Jewish priest and Levite (Lk 10: 30-36). And He praised the leper whom He cleansed with nine others because he alone returned to give Him thanks (Lk 17: 12-18).
The Lord Christ in His love used to encourage the weak, the poor, and the sinners who were disregarded or despised by the society.
In His love He was also compassionate upon the sick, “He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them”(Lk 4: 40); He went about teaching and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and diseases among the people. They brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them (Mt 4: 23,24). He went about healing all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10: 38).
In His love He converts the minds from the literalness of the Law to its spirituality. It is written that when He met His disciples after the Resurrection, “He opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures”(Lk 24: 45). He went about doing good (Acts 10: 38). What a lesson to all of us in love and in doing good, to follow His example! Wishing you a merry Christmas and a happy year!