Born to Die

Born To Die

Many of us go through the Christmas season spouting out cute little phrases like, “Jesus is the reason for the season!” But how often do we reflect on the awesomeness and magnificence of Christ’s birth? We tend to easily brush off the significance of the virgin birth—not only that it happened, but even more amazingly that it was prophesied to happen hundreds of years before it came to pass. As we reflect on the account of Jesus’ birth this year, can we pause and be amazed at the wonder of God’s sovereignty, purpose, and plan in the birth of our Savior?

Put simply, God’s sovereignty means that He is in control of every big and little event in life. His sovereignty is magnified in the Biblical account of Jesus’ birth.  The Old Testament book of Micah foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. God in His amazing sovereignty and foreknowledge decreed the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, to order a census. In God’s providence, this census pulled Joseph and Mary out of Galilee, landing them in Bethlehem just in time for the birth of the Messiah. No coincidence, by any means.  It would also be no coincidence that this census made Bethlehem such a busy town that it provided no room in any inn for Mary to stay. God perfects each detail and we will see why having no room in an inn was so significant.

With no vacancies for travelers in Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to the baby Jesus in a stable. Next, in the Book of Luke we are told of angels who visited shepherds in a nearby field announcing the birth of Jesus. Why shepherds in a field? Was this random? Of course not; we know nothing God ordains is random!  If we back up to the Old Testament, we see that the coming Messiah was described to be like a lamb being led to the slaughter (Jeremiah 11:19; Isaiah 53:7) and whose sufferings and sacrifice would provide redemption for Israel.  Law observing Jews were familiar with sacrificing lambs to God in the Temple. Bethlehem was nearby Jerusalem, and many of the sheep used in the temple sacrifices would have come from these very shepherds who saw the angelic hosts announcing Christ’s arrival. These sheep were born to die for the sins of the people; Jesus was born to die for us as a complete and perfect sacrifice. The shepherds raised lambs for sacrifice in the Temple, but now they were seeing angels above announcing the birth of THE Lamb of God.  

An interesting note about the angelic hosts who were praising God above the heads of these shepherds is seen in ancient tradition. Often when a firstborn son was born it was cause for great celebration in Israel. The firstborn son would be the heir and would assure the continuation of the family. Fathers who could afford to do so would often hire musicians to parade down the streets singing and dancing in celebration announcing the birth of their son. It sounds like God’s announcement was the biggest one to date.

A significant verse that I believe is easily overlooked in Luke is when an angel declares this: “And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” The sign: swaddling clothes and a manger.

I think it is significant to note that we aren’t told the baby would be simply wrapped in a blanket, but in swaddling clothes. Swaddling clothes were long strips of material very similar to what a deceased person would be wrapped in for burial during this time. In fact, it is said that during long travels (which back then all trips were long), each person would take long strips of material and wrap it multiple times around their waste as the bottom layer of clothing.  Due to the fact that many of these long journeys would end in the death of some of the individuals, these long strips of material would then be used to wrap the deceased traveler from head to toe so they could complete their journey. It is very possible that the baby Jesus was wrapped in Joseph’s death cloth.  Could it be that the sign for the shepherds wasn’t that they’d find a baby wrapped in a blanket, but that they’d find a baby prepared for death? Again, like the sacrificial lambs previously mentioned, we see Jesus was born to die.

The swaddling clothes were a sign to the shepherds. The other sign was the manger, or trough. If Bethlehem had not been so overcrowded as a result of the census, Joseph and Mary would not have ended up in a barn where they would place the baby Jesus in a manger. This had to happen, because it was the sign God had given. God’s sovereignty again illustrated!

After Jesus’ birth (after Mary and Jesus were no longer in a stable, but settled in a house), the wise men from the East followed the star that God used to direct them to Jesus.  We are told in the Book of Matthew that they brought gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  As we can guess from the previous details that hold so much significance, these gifts were very significant, as well. The value of the gifts implied great honor and status; they were gifts fit for a king. That should be no surprise to us knowing that Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16). But each gift was even more significant. Gold represents kingship, frankincense represents priestly royalty (Hebrews 4), and myrrh was used for embalming—again foretelling us the significance of how Jesus was born to die.

So what can we glean from these incredible insights from God’s Word? First—God’s sovereignty. His providential plan has purpose and is perfect. He told the shepherds it would be a sign to them to find a baby in swaddling clothes and in a manger. God worked every detail in accordance with His will to place Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem and in a stable. What if Mary, like many of us, had been dissatisfied with the not-so-ideal circumstances God had provided her with? What if she had told Joseph, “No, I will NOT travel to Bethlehem this late in my pregnancy! Are you crazy?!” Or, “you want me to have my baby where? In a barn?!? No way!” How often do we argue with God about the circumstances He has placed us in, when in our finite minds we do not realize that He has us exactly where He wants us.  We tend to sweat the small stuff and forget that from God’s perspective—every detail is meaningful and unraveling in accordance with His perfect will, regardless of whether it looks the way we think it should.

The second insight is even more significant: Jesus was born to die. How often do we consider that? If you are like me, it is easier to think about how Jesus lived to be an example of a pure and sinless life. While His life is a great example for us to emulate, His life had a greater purpose. Jesus was the perfect lamb who was born to be led to the slaughter where He would take on our punishment of sin and impute His righteousness on us.  So what does that mean of us? Think of it this way—Jesus came from the spiritual realm and experienced a physical birth so that we could die to our physical self and be born spiritually. In John 3:3 Jesus tells us, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” Jesus died so we could be born—spiritually. Sin made us dead in our transgressions (Ephesians 2:5), but Jesus was born to die so we could live. What a magnificent thing! If you have never come to the point in your life when you have been born again by dying to yourself and your desires, turning from your sin, and following Jesus, then the Christmas story won’t have much significance to you. The fact that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger for the providential purpose of dying will have no impact unless you have come to the Cross and been born into new life. Don’t let the nativity story casually pass you by this season. Stand back in awe of our Sovereign God and if you haven’t done so already, turn to follow the One who was born to die so you could live.