What Child Is This?

-December 20, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“And she brought forth her first born Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the Inn” (Luke 2:7).

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we be beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

The baby Jesus was born. Just like a new borns, He required twenty-four hour care. He needed milk, changing, holding, and most of all loving. But He was different, He was the innocent, sinless Son of God. He, like all babies, was far from the speaking stage. All that being said, He was fully divine and fully human. We know very little of his upbringing. Luke 2:39-40 says, “So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.”

When He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem at the time of the feast (i.e., Passover), His parents packed up for the trip back home but they forgot one thing – their Son. They didn’t realize He wasn’t with them until they had made a day’s journey. They had relatives and acquaintances with them, and they made an about face, and went back to search for Him. Imagine Mary’s greatest fear, Jesus was lost! It took them three days to find Him; where was He? In the temple, sitting with in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.

Jesus first recorded words are found in Luke 2:49, “And He said to them, ‘Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business’”? We don’t know at exactly at what point He realized that He was the Christ, but it must have been sometime in those first twelve silent years. For thirty years He worked as a carpenter in Nazareth with His family, until being baptized by John the Baptist and being tempted by the devil. He then began His three year earthly ministry.

What Child is this? Who is He? The Son of God, the Son of Man, the Lord of all, the Prince of life and glory, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, the Messiah, the Son of David. The list goes on and on. The hymn writer William C. Dix expressed it so well in the great Christmas hymn, “What Child Is This.”

“The second line says, “Why lies He in such mean estate where ox and ass are feeding? Good Christian fear: for sinners here the silent Word is pleading.” The chorus says, “This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing: Haste, haste to bring Him laud, the Babe the Son of Mary.” Jesus even as a Babe was the silent Word who was pleading. Pleading for the world, pleading for each person, pleading for me and you. His mission was the cross to die in our place bearing our sins.

The lesson we can learn for our lives is to wait patiently for God’s will. It may take years, but God has a plan for us too. God is never in a hurry, His timing is perfect. He does everything in perfect order, without contradiction.

Have a blessed day walking with Jesus and have a Merry Christmas. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean