Consider all the questions surrounding the holy-day we celebrate on December 25th:
- The Jews questions how long it would be until their much-anticipated Messiah would come (Dan. 9:25; John 1:41). Since the conclusion of the Old Testament, God had been silent for four centuries. When was the Anointed One coming?
- Mary questioned how it could be that she would bear a son when she had known no man (Luke 1:30-34); yet, she magnified God for regarding her for such a role (Luke 1:47-55).
- Joseph initially questioned Mary’s faithfulness to him and her purity (Matt. 1:19, 20), but he still took her as his wife and cared for her Son (Matt. 1:24, 25).
- The shepherds questioned who the beings were in the night sky (Luke 2:9, 10), but they still searched for the child in the manger, just as it had been made known to them (Luke 2:15-17).
- The people of Bethlehem and the surrounding countryside questioned the shepherds’ sayings regarding the Savior (Luke 2:17, 18). They marveled at or admired the shepherds’ faith.
- Simeon, the just and devout man of Jerusalem, questioned how long it would be until the Consolation (or the Messiah) of Israel would come, but he trusted that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Christ (Luke 2:25, 26), and God blessed him for his faith (Luke 2:29-32).
- Anna, a prophetess, questioned how long until Jerusalem’s redemption would appear (Luke 2:36-38). Even so, she did not depart from the temple and served God daily because she anticipated the Redeemer’s coming, and she witnessed His appearance.
- Wise men of the East questioned the significance of the star they saw in the sky, and asked where the King of the Jews had been born (Matt. 2:1, 2). Because of their inquisitive natures, they followed His star and pursued the way to worship Him (Matt. 2:10, 11).
- Herod questioned how anyone could be considered king besides himself (Matt. 2:3); yet, he believed Old Testament prophecy enough to become a genocidal maniac because of his jealousy (Matt. 2:6, 16).
- Mary questioned all the prophetic statements she was told and all the amazing events she witnessed regarding her firstborn’s birth, and she pondered them in her heart (Luke 2:19).
- The world questions how a rather nondescript Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief (Is. 53:2, 3) can bring peace and joy to our world (John 15:11), and save the world (John 3:16; Matt. 1:21).
All the questions surrounding Christmas are answered in one glorious word: JESUS. Jesus—the Son of God, God incarnate, “Jehovah is salvation”—is the Savior of mankind (John 3:14-17). Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life that can reconcile us to the Father (John 14:6; Eph. 2:16; Col. 1:20). The arrival of the Jehovah of salvation on that cold Christmas night over two millennia ago, to a manger bed surrounded by two awe-struck earthly parents and a few humble shepherds, was the answer to all of life’s questions—past, present, and future.
We pray that you have no question about your eternity with this Messiah through His work on the cross and victory over death (1 Cor. 15:1-4, 21-28). We hope you have a blessed Christmas celebrating the earthly arrival of the Answer to all of life’s questions. May you have an unquestioningly joyous Christmas!