Manger to Messiah

Galatians 4: 4         NLV

But when the right time came, God send his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.

Do you believe God is all powerful? Do you believe He has supernatural powers and can do things which supersede and confound physical law? If so, then why did He send his son to earth by way of a normal, human birth? Jesus already existed, did he not? “He was in the beginning with God,” (John 1: 2). So, why did God send him as a human person. In fact, many believe that Jesus visited the earth many times by simply manifesting in a physical form. So, why didn’t God send the Messiah to earth using His supernatural powers? Why didn’t Jesus simply manifest physically and begin his ministry?

The answer is in the verse as well as lurking in some of the questions. Jesus didn’t come to earth as a supernatural being. He didn’t come as the second person of the trinity. He came into the earth as we all do. He came as a human person subject to all the laws to which we are bound: spiritual laws, physical laws and legal pronouncements from both man and God. Because He was born of a woman, he was subject to the law of Moses even though in his position in heaven as the Son of God, he was far above it. This is one of the most fundamental aspects of the divine replacement miracle and redemption but also a profound and important concept. Jesus came to earth subject to the law so that he could ultimately free us from the law.

In thinking about Christmas, we think of the birth of the child, and it brings these questions to mind. It is amazing, is it not, that the Messiah should come in such humble means. The Apostle Paul, in this letter to the Galatians, and then eventually to us, demonstrates why it was so important for the Son of God to humble himself, as he did, and enter earth as each one of us did. From that first breath, he experienced life on the earth as we do. He was subject to gravity and hunger. He had to pay taxes and deal with family who didn’t respect him. He had all the challenges we do because he was born of a woman. He came as a human.

In order to free us from the bondage of the law, he too had to be subject to it. He didn’t come in his godly visage and superimpose his will. That is what we would expect. It represents the way we deal with problems. Jesus, though, gave himself to the problem. He didn’t use force to make us change. He didn’t come preaching damnation if we didn’t line up and obey him. He came preaching redemption and salvation none of which would be the result of our actions but rather because of an act of love that he would perform. He made himself subject to the law, even to the point of death so that we could be freed from the slavery of the law. If you are not astounded by this, I have not explained it well and hope that you will pray for God to show you beyond the words, what He intends to convey for it is the greatest of miracles, the most profound gift, and a philosophy that perhaps no great thinker has every truly comprehended.

Jesus changed the world without force, without self-aggrandizement, without recruitment, without a powerful office or position. It was the very fact that he was made subject to the law that we were able to become free of it. When Jesus was above the law, when he was living in the supernatural heavens of God, he humbled himself to be born into the earth like any other little child. He shattered the shackles of the law so that we might be free, but he did it by submitting himself to the law. He changed the world by being obedient and a servant. He observed the requirements of the law changing the system from within rather than from without.

Although Jesus was subject to all the laws of the physical and spiritual realms, he was not a slave to them. He listened to God, his father, and our God taught him to be the master of the laws. So, he was subject to them but not mastered by them. This is our legacy, but we do not understand our position in him. If we truly understood who Jesus is and that he lived in the earth as any other person, we would do as he did and we would be truly and magnificently free. We would walk on water and more.

We are severely limited in our thinking and in our faith. As you look towards Christmas Day and to the beautiful gift of love, remember that Jesus was just a baby. He was born of a woman. He had to grow up, just as we did. He didn’t always have things go his way; life wasn’t always easy. Yet, as he grew, he put on his mantle and walked into his role as the Messiah, the savior of the whole world. How did he get from the manger to Messiah? If you answer that question, answer it without making excuses like, “Oh, but he was the Son of God,” because now we know he was born human, answer it truthfully, intelligently and introspectively, you will have one of the greatest revelations of all time. You will transform your life and the lives of everyone around you. Merry Christmas!