Christmas Joy

“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5)

It’s very strange, especially the week before Christmas, to consider the content of the verse cited above. After all, Christmas should bring us joyful thoughts. It’s supposed to be the most joyous time of the year! Why think of a verse that reminds us of our inborn wickedness, our bent toward evil? Those were the thoughts I dealt with as I meditated on the above verse this past week. 

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Christmas joy is magnified to an even greater degree if we understand why it was necessary. And further, our joy is intensified as we realize that God did not have to do what he did to rescue us from the wickedness and evil of our hearts. That’s a staggering thought. 

You see, if we take God at his word, then he knows better than we do that every part of our hearts, our intentions and our thoughts are evil; not some of the time, but all of the time. In that light, why would a perfectly holy God devise a plan in eternity past to set in motion a series of events for the purpose of rescuing those whose hearts are continually wretched, wicked, worthless and vile? 

Well, I believe the answer to that question is found, at least in part, in Jesus’ prayer in John 17. He prayed, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify You.” 

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus’ birth was part of the eternal and predetermined plan of God. The purpose of his birth was so that he might become a man and live a holy and sinless life, thereby making him the perfect sacrifice for the sin of mankind. But, according to Jesus’ prayer, what was the purpose of his sinless life and death? Well, the purpose his birth, death and resurrection was for the glory of the Father; “…glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify You.” So the birth of Christ was for the purpose of bringing a sinless sacrifice to the cross in order to glorify the Father. Thus, the cross was all about God’s glory and not primarily man’s salvation. Yet having said that, we must not forget that whenever God works for his glory it is always for the good of man. 

I don’t know about you, but my joy at Christmas is way over the top when I consider the wickedness and evil of my heart and the birth of the One who acted for the Father’s glory in making a way for the salvation of lost sinners. As Christmas Eve approaches, would you take a minute to consider that the birth of Christ is part of God’s redemptive plan for you? If that does not bring you joy, I am not sure what will!