The Real Christmas

The story of the birth of Jesus is one of the most joy-filled accounts in the Bible. The birth of Jesus itself is the first miracle of the New Testament and no other gospel details the event more than the Gospel of Luke.

Luke was clearly trying to emphasize the deity of Jesus and also the very goal of the ancient Greeks: Perfection. The Greeks were pagans but they were earnest seekers of the 'Perfect' God and their numerous idols tried to reflect their search for perfection. But their quest failed miserably and the gods of the Greeks turned out to be more or less like humans. If we read some of the Greek mythology we can see how the gods argued, did mischief, were arrogant, and even ignorant at times. That is how the Greeks failed in their quest for perfection and in their spiritual anguish they made an altar to the Unknown God. One day Paul would declare that unknown God to be finally a known and personal God.

In about 3 AD the Christ Jesus was born in a place far from the nation of Greece. The very nature of Jesus' birth was perfect, he was born not of human nature but that of divinity. The angel Gabriel made this known to Mary who was to give birth to Jesus.

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1.35)

From the day of His birth to the day of His ascension to heaven, Jesus lived a sinless life. There was no sin in Him and even Satan failed to tempt Him. Christ Jesus lived a perfect life, a life of love and sacrifice.

Christ Jesus was perfection personified. He was the man the Greeks had been looking for centuries and when the apostle Paul finally proclaimed Him to them they ridiculed and mocked him, only a few accepted the Savior.

Indeed it is written in the Gospel of John:

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. (John 1:10)

But today we Christians know Him. We recognize Christ Jesus as the perfect and infallible example of how every Christian should be. Let us then meditate on the perfection of the Lord Jesus Christ and glorify God's name.

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:8)