The Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon who Jesus was, what He was going to do, and how great He would be. And yet because Jesus was in the form of a little helpless baby, Simeon ran over and picked Him up! (Luke 2:25-32) Simeon held GOD in his arms that day! That was God’s intent! Jesus came as a baby so that we could approach Him the same way Simeon did, without fear or reservation on our part. He was fully approachable, incredibly lovable, totally accessible!

Jesus came to be an ordinary person before He became our Savior. Jesus came not as a warrior, not as a ruler. Instead, He came in the fullness and the height of innocence. Jesus first needed help from His parents to teach Him how to walk. Then Jesus taught us how to walk in this world with the Father! Jesus came first to be one of us, someone who identified with us, and someone with whom we could identify.

Jesus coming as a child means that He is able not only to understand adults but children as well. Jesus knows what it is like to be a two-year-old, to be 12 years old, to be 18 years old. And Jesus knows what it is like to be 30 years old. Jesus can relate to anyone and everyone, no matter what our age.

Jesus knows what it is like to have trials and hard times, to have responsibilities. Jesus affirms us, “Yep, it’s really like that down there!” Why can He say this? Because Jesus walked a mile in our shoes!

So why did Jesus come as a child? Hebrews 4:14-16, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Merry Christmas from Emil and Karen!