What’s Christmas All About Anyway?

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth ... No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” John 1:1,14,18 NASB

To children, Christmas is toys. To students, it’s vacation. To merchants, it’s money. To mothers, it’s family. To fathers, it’s bills. To many, it’s hectic! Christmas means many different things to different people. Amidst all the hustle and bustle of the season it’s hard to sense the faint probe of conscience saying, “Remember the real meaning of Christmas.”

What is the real meaning of Christmas anyway? What’s it really all about? Is the real meaning hidden in the idea of seeking to give, not to get? Is the real meaning found when one discovers that Christmas isn’t a holiday but a holy day? Or is the real meaning of Christmas understood simply as the birthday of Jesus? Now all these ideas are good and stem from the basic truth of Christmas, but none gets to the heart of the matter. John 1:14 gives us the real meaning of Christmas: “The Word became flesh.” That’s what it’s all about!

Jesus was and is the Word! Words are what we use to express our thoughts and intentions. In the person of Christ, the mind and heart of God was fully expressed. Throughout history God had spoken to man in many different ways, such as dreams, visions and angels. But now He has spoken to us in the person of His Son (Heb. 1:1-2). Jesus is God’s ultimate revelation to man. There’s nothing more to say! He’s God’s final Word.

But Christmas brings with it a lot of hard questions. How do we know there is a God who is gracious when terrorism threatens our security and happiness? How do we know there is a God who loves man when pollution and wars threaten our very survival? How do we know there is a God of truth when honesty and morality have gone down the tubes? We know because God has declared Himself in Jesus!

Although we can’t answer all the questions, we know that Jesus Christ is the Word of God. John 1:18 tells us that even though we have never seen God, everything we need to know about God was declared or explained in Jesus. The undeniable historical fact that Jesus embodied love, grace and truth reveals to us the depths of the heart of God in spite of all the hard questions. When the “Word became flesh,” God revealed Himself to be “full of grace and truth.”

John 1:1 clears up any doubts we may have as to who Jesus really is. First, His eternal existence is stated: “In the beginning was the Word.” Bethlehem was not the beginning – the Son of God always was. Think back as far as you can, and the Word was already there. Second, we have His true Deity stated: “The Word was God.” The eternal Son of God is in no way inferior to God. He is described as the “only begotten Son.” This does not mean that He descended from God. It means that as the eternal Son of God He is God in His very nature – deity to the core. And this can be said of no other person. Third, we have His distinct personality stated: “The Word was with God.” This short phrase prevents us from thinking of the Word as merely an “extension of God’s mind.” The Word is a distinct personality in the Trinity. It was at Bethlehem that the Word, the eternal Son of God, stepped into time and became the Man of history.

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The eternal Son of God became Man and lived on earth. Incredible! Marvelous! Holy! True! This was the Incarnation. The Babe born at Bethlehem and named Jesus was both the Man of history and the eternal Word of God at the same time. He dwelt among us, and out of love gave His life on the cross for us. Now Jesus, the Son of God become Man, lives! The “Word became flesh, and this incarnation did not end at the Resurrection. Jesus did not revert to His pre-incarnate state when He ascended to the Father. He is now glorified in Heaven and we will see Him some day. That God became Man forever is the real meaning of Christmas.

By David Reid