“And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us…” – John 1:14 (AMP)
His birth foretold
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is important to note that both the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible predicted that Jesus Christ would come as a baby (Isaiah 9:6). In the Old Testament, Isaiah 7:14 (NIV) declared, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanuel.” In Micah 5:2, the Prophet prophesies that Jesus will be born in Bethlehem, and in the New Testament, Matthew 2:4-6, the Scribes knew the prophesied birthplace of the Messiah.
It is important to note that when the Magi (wise men) from the east came to Jerusalem to enquire from King Herod about the birthplace of Jesus, “King of the Jews”, Herod, in turn, posed the question to all the chief priests and teachers of the law and was informed that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, in Judea. Terrified and lacking understanding, Herod felt threatened and intended to assassinate the Christ child. He then attempted to deceive the Magi into believing that they should inform him of the Child King’s whereabouts so that he (Herod) may worship Him. However, God warned them of his intention, and they returned to their country using another route. Warned by an angel of Herod’s intention also, Joseph took the child and His mother and fled to Egypt (Matthew 2:1-14).
Brethren, like Herod, the devil, is attempting to erase the message and mission of the Messiah by trivialising Christ’s importance during the festive season. Santa Claus is seasonally promoted by the commercialised business tycoons as the god of Christmas. This Santa idol overshadows the real meaning of Christmas by ensuring that the world is caught up in a cloud of gift shopping, much eating and alcohol consumption, sexual immorality, Christmas fetes, and decorations, with just a miniature token to the birth of Christ.
Moreover, these days, Christmas cards that are on sale only have “Merry Xmas”. The letter ‘X’ symbolises something unknown. On the international platform, viewers of television are wished “Happy Holidays” instead of Merry Christmas. Friends, there has always been a sustained strategy by the devil to remove Christ from Christmas, and it is our God-given duty to resist every evil intention of the enemy in this regard. Remember, His birth brought the gift of salvation. It’s about Him and His marvellous work.
Read: John 1:41; Romans 3:22
Bible Reading Guide: Psalms 144:1-8; Revelation 7; Malachi 2:17; Malachi 3; Malachi 4
