The message of Christmas was revealed thousands of years ago by the prophet Isaiah. Emmanuel (which means God with us) would come. Some of the verses are set within passages that describe the return of Messiah where He would rule forever, as well as short term parts that describe what God is going to do with Israel. Jesus later revealed that the events foretold were sequential and limited. Messiah would come and accomplish all they were expecting-but not all at the same time.
For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel. Isaiah 7:14.
Chapters 11 and 12 of Isaiah hold more. (Is.11:2,3.) The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him-the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord, and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
These things were known before Jesus' birth. It was not merely a matter of followers of Jesus misunderstanding the passages. The verses had been treated as foretelling the Messiah long before He came on the scene. When the wise men came seeking the baby, Herod could call the religious leaders asking where Messiah was to be born. What were the prophecies? And the soldiers were sent to Bethlehem accordingly-to slaughter the male babies. Unfortunately, that was also prophesied.
Recently my daughter ridiculed the idea of the Almighty making Himself so small that He could inhabit the body of a man. I tried re-emphasizing what I'd thought I had conveyed to her as a child. It is a miracle!
Yet I have to agree, it is more than we can fathom. God Himself, the eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent, maker of the universe could insert Himself, not merely into the form of a man, but of a baby. It is stunning. That is why we worship. And here's a further mind blower. The Bible records that when Mary went to visit Elizabeth who was six months pregnant with John, the babe (Yahya to Muslims) leapt within her womb. By the Spirit, he recognized Him. So meditate on the fact that God could put His essence within a fetus, or embryo. (Jesus was several months younger than John.)
As Jesus later said, "If you don't believe my words, believe me for the sake of my works." He gave signs to prove it: From angels appearing to shepherds, wise men who followed the star, and prophets who occupied the temple and recognized Him even as an infant as He entered there.
Ultimately it comes down to this. We don't have to understand how He could do it. We have merely to ask and answer, is there anything too hard for God? Can the One powerful enough to create the universe and everything in it not be able to do something? He can create an infinite space with stars shining through billions of miles-from the power of their nuclear reactions. He makes wind and water capable of gently stirring our senses, yet strong enough to wipe all evidence of life away. He can create billions of humans, intricately managing their development from single cells to old age. Mountains or microbes, His artistry, His complexity, His knowledge empowers the large and infinitely small. He is Spirit. Can He not control where He places Himself?
Jesus set His godhead aside. Thus that body does not need to hold all His glory. He left the Father in Heaven, who still reigned, continuing His work of managing the Universe. Perhaps it is like a phone. Forgive me for the inadequacy here. When my baby granddaughter has a phone stuck to her ear, she hears the caller. She communicates with the essence of the callers-hearing their actual voices and the words they speak. She may look into the phone and wonder how her mother got so tiny as to be compressed into the contents and size of a cellphone. But she does recognize the genuine voice of the loved one.
Christians do believe Jesus was fully God, fully man. So I do not mean to imply he was somehow mystically transmitted as a mirror reflects something that is not actually present within it. Or as the moon reflects light, that it does not create. But He was not the only part of God in Existence. So the spirit of God transmitting Himself down in and through a baby, however it was done, was done. And we have received the benefit of it.
While you consider the concept ridiculous, I have to wonder at your lack of belief. After all, if you can believe that the Almighty would use a robber of caravans and villages, an admitted murderer of his opponents, someone who captured and enslaved women and others, a destroyer of his son's marriage, you seem to have a great capacity to trust in faith. Or else you have not considered the truth of the reports contained even within the Koran and the hadith.
I regret having to be deeply harsh. Please examine if what I say is true. It is not that I would want you to deny your mind. But perhaps you could ask the Almighty to reveal Himself. Jesus promised that if anyone needed wisdom, and asked in faith, it would be given. So if you are willing to examine your credulity, ask. At least let your faith be placed in one who is worthy.
Jesus told us to
A-sk
S-eek
K-nock.
Merry Christmas.
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