We all want the peace, love and comfort of that “perfect” Christmas. However, the reality is, oftentimes Christmas time is a roller-coaster of emotions if not downright agony. We carry on with our family Christmas traditions, striving to feel the wonder of the season as we did as children, only to be slapped with the loss of innocence and a dose of reality. We look to our own emotional state without comprehending the awful agony of Christmas for God our Father and Jesus His Son.
Who would believe what we have heard?
To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
He grew up like a sapling before him,
like a shoot from the parched earth;
He had no majestic bearing to catch our eye,
no beauty to draw us to him.
He was spurned and avoided by men,
a man of suffering, knowing pain,
Like one from whom you turn your face,
spurned, and we held him in no esteem.
Yet it was our pain that he bore,
our sufferings he endured.
We thought of him as stricken,
struck down by God and afflicted,
But he was pierced for our sins,
crushed for our iniquity.
He bore the punishment that makes us whole,
by his wounds we were healed.
We had all gone astray like sheep,
all following our own way;
But the Lord laid upon him
the guilt of us all.
Though harshly treated, he submitted
and did not open his mouth;
Like a lamb led to slaughter
or a sheep silent before shearers,
he did not open his mouth.
Seized and condemned, he was taken away.
Who would have thought any more of his destiny?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
struck for the sins of his people.
He was given a grave among the wicked,
a burial place with evildoers,
Though he had done no wrong,
nor was deceit found in his mouth.
But it was the Lord’s will to crush him with pain.
By making his life as a reparation offering,
he shall see his offspring, shall lengthen his days,
and the Lord’s will shall be accomplished through him.
Because of his anguish he shall see the light;
because of his knowledge he shall be content;
My servant, the just one, shall justify the many,
their iniquity he shall bear.
Therefore I will give him his portion among the many,
and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty,
Because he surrendered himself to death,
was counted among the transgressors,
Bore the sins of many,
and interceded for the transgressors.
Isaiah 53
This prophecy was given a little shy of 700 years before Jesus was born. It shows that Jesus’ dying on the cross was always part of the plan of salvation for His people. Can you imagine 700 years of waiting for physical agony? And yet, Jesus didn’t pull out at the last minute. He knew the pain and agony coming, and still agreed to come to earth as a man so that you and I may spend eternity in Heaven with Him.
I can’t even imagine how difficult the waiting was. When I have a difficult situation ahead of me, I’d much rather get it over, then have to sit and stew over it and wait. But that is exactly what Jesus did, He waited until the exact perfect time in history to come down as a little baby to be born in a manger to a poor family. Physically, just as was prophesied in Isaiah, there was nothing remarkable about Him. He looked like every other boy in his neighborhood.
The thing about going through pain is that when it is all over, there is joy. We are so happy to be done with the pain that we celebrate getting back to the “normal” in our lives. I’m sure the Father and Jesus celebrated Jesus’ return to Heaven after the crucifixion. However, the pain is still there. Jesus is still taking the pain of our sins on His shoulders, and cries when He sees us acting in sinful ways that only hurt ourselves and others. And yet, He keeps His promise and washes Believers as white as snow so the Father doesn’t see our ugly sins. Maybe this is why so many of us enjoy a white Christmas, so we are reminded that we are white and made pure because of Jesus’ sacrifice.
If you are like me, and struggle with moments of agony at Christmas because of the loss of a loved one, let’s try to also remember the joy after the pain. Because of Jesus willingness to suffer for us, we will only be separated from our loved ones for a tiny bit of time compared to being with them in eternity before the throne of God. This is the true joy of Christmas.
Photo 101667250 © Kevin Carden | Dreamstime.com
