I’m fascinated by how intrigued we are with royal births. When British royalty, like Kate, Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to a royal child it draws international attention. We can’t wait to see pictures of the baby surrounded with regalia, pomp and circumstance.
This Christmas we will be reminded of how different it was with the royal birth of King Jesus. King Herod, driven to mad jealousy by the news that another King of the Jews had been born, edicts the death of all male children two years and under, driving Jesus and His parents into exile in Egypt. And that was only the beginning! In Isaiah 53, the prophet dropped the hint that their King would be despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He would be pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, and interestingly enough, that through His wounds we would be healed!
When you look at the nativity scene and see the baby Jesus, you need to be reminded that He is not just a conquering King, but that He would first be a suffering King—and for that, we can be grateful. His sufferings, as Isaiah predicted, offer to us the gift of being made whole … forgiven, healed from the wounds of our sins. Hell canceled, and Heaven guaranteed! This makes the royal birth of King Jesus, our suffering Savior, the best Christmas gift of all … which should be enough to keep us grateful and worshipful through all the business of this Christmas season!
