What Child Is This?

We just sang What Child Is This? This is a very appropriate question to ask at this time of Christmas. What’s the big deal with a child born in a manger over two thousand years ago? Why all the songs, carols, lights,  bells, and gifts? Why is this Child—the Child that we celebrate every Christmas—so special? We become so preoccupied with preparing for Christmas, the cards and cookies, the gifts we give and receive, that the real reason for Christmas becomes a byline, a footnote, a sidekick to our Christmas celebrations. So it is important that we pause and consider this question, What child is this? Who is this Child for you? This Child, Jesus, is God with us, God for us, and God over us.

1. Jesus Is God with Us

Let’s go back 2,700 years, about 700 years before Jesus’ birth. Israel was divided into two kingdoms, Judah, in the south, and Israel in the north. In the days of Ahaz, the king of Judah, Pekah, the king of Israel, came together with the king of Syria to invade Judah. We read about this in Isaiah 7. When Ahaz and his people heard about this their hearts shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind (Is 7:2). They were afraid. But then God sent Isaiah to Ahaz to tell him, “Be careful, keep calm, do not fear, and do not lose heart … It will not take place, it will not happen” (Is 7:4,7). God basically told him, “Don’t worry. Trust me. I have everything under control. Everything is in my sovereign rule.” And so the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven” (7:10-11). But Ahaz was weak and did not trust God. Perhaps he did not believe God, and he rejected God’s sign, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test” (7:12). So God became angry with him, and said, “That’s fine. I’ll go ahead and give you a sign.” “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (7:13-14). Immanuel means “God with us.” God promises his people that He will be with them.

When God created the world He was with man in the Garden. God was with Adam and Eve. But man rebelled against God. He rejected God’s rule over him, and God removed him from his presence. But there was a promise, and the promise was that a child of a woman would make war with Satan, and he would be victorious. Now fast forward 700 years to the birth of Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-25 — Now, the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way: When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and unwilling to put her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

When Jesus Christ was born Matthew says, “This is it. This is the child that will be God with us.” This child is Immanuel, God with us. Christmas is not the beginning of the story, Christmas is the middle of the story. It’s the moment when God’s promises to reunite with his people begin their fulfillment. Christmas is not just about a rescue, it’s about a reunion. The reunion of God with man.

When Adam and Eve had sinned and were hiding from God, there was God seeking them out to be with them and to show them that He was for them. The purpose of the Tabernacle and the Temple in the Old Testament was to communicate that the “God above us” is the “God with us.” God’s heart and desire is to be reunited with his people. And this finds its fulfillment in Jesus. Jesus Christ came into this world to be God with us.

God is with you. This is true, but this could easily become a cliche, the Christian thing to say, and so it loses its practical meaning in our lives, and we forget the practical implications of what God with us really means. God is not only deeply concerned about our world and our lives, but he knows what it’s like to suffer. He is incredibly empathetic and understanding. Have you shed tears? Jesus wept. Have you been betrayed by a close friend? Jesus was sold for 30 pieces of silver. Have you ever felt alone and forsaken? He was despised and rejected by men. Have you faced temptations? So has he. Have you faced poverty? So has he. Have you faced challenges and trials of various kinds? So has he.

This is who Jesus is. He is fully God and He is fully human. Jesus is God with us. He is God from heaven who came to earth to be with his people. And He is coming back to take us into his new creation where God and humans will be forever reunited and live together.

2. Jesus Is God for Us

But this is not the only reason why we make a big deal about this child. In Isaiah 9:2-7 we find this promise:  The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

God’s people were experiencing a time of darkness. In this time of darkness, God promises them that a great light will come and that this one who brings light is going to put an end to war, oppression, and darkness. This light, the light of hope comes with a child. This child, born in a little town called Bethlehem, is not only Immanuel, God with us, but He is also God for us.

He is called Wonderful Counselor. This Child is a king, who has wisdom and counsel that are from above. He is different than all the other kings in the line of David who received and gave foolish counsel and led God’s people astray. He has divine wisdom and counsel. He is all-wise and all-knowing. He is the Word, the Word of God, and it is to his counsel that we should listen, not the counsel of flawed and sinful human leaders or false prophets and teachers.

He is called Mighty God. This Child is our mighty Warrior, God himself who comes down, and makes war with the enemies of his people. He fights for us and on our behalf. This Child fought against the devil when he lived a perfect life of perfect obedience, and in obedience he went to the cross. And on the cross, He fought for us and defeated Satan, evil, sin, and death. Dying on the cross He received God’s wrath upon himself for our sins. He defeated the devil by paying the penalty for sin so that “Whoever believes in Jesus Christ has everlasting life.” And on that day of the final judgment when we stand before God as Judge, and Satan accuses us, Jesus will reply, “I died for that sin.” “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). Thus, Jesus is God who saves us. He is our Savior.

This Child is also called Eternal Father. Jesus acts as a father. He rules on behalf of his people with care and compassion. Unlike selfish human leaders who rule for selfish gain, this Child, this King rules his people with justice, compassion, care, kindness, and mercy. He deals with his people in a fatherly way.

He is called the Prince of Peace. This Child is the Prince who brings peace. He is the King who has come and is coming. He rules and his government will continue forever and ever. This is the King who brought God’s kingdom into the world. He is the Lord of the universe, and so this Child, Jesus, is God over us, our King who has come, is with us, rules over us, and will come to establish his eternal rule over us.

3. Jesus Is God over Us

And that is why in the song, What Child Is This? we sang the words, “the King of kings, salvation brings, let loving hearts enthrone him.” How do we enthrone him? We surrender all of our lives to the rule of Jesus Christ. We receive and submit to Him as King, as Lord, as God over us. Look at what Joseph did in Matthew, “he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” Joseph didn’t take notes. Joseph didn’t say “Ah what a wonderful dream!” No, he accepted the Lord as his King even at the cost of his reputation. He publicly identified with Jesus even when he knew that it was going to cost him socially. We enthrone and treat Jesus as King by believing in Him, obeying Him, and taking Him at his Word even when it’s going to cost us, cost us everything.

We do live in a broken world that seems to be ruled by evil. When Adam sinned, chaos, disorder, disease, sin, evil, and death entered this world. Because of this, we experience suffering and darkness. Where do you find yourself today? Is there darkness in your life and family because you are facing death, disease, or some other kind of darkness? Maybe you are in darkness because of the sins of others. Maybe someone has sinned against you. Someone has done something to you. You’re experiencing a time of darkness because someone has cheated you out of something. Maybe someone has cheated you in business, relationships, marriage, or life. Somewhere, somehow someone has done something to you. Maybe they’ve done something to your family, and there’s a cloud of darkness over your life, over your family. Maybe you are in darkness because of your own sin. You have done certain things. You have made certain choices, and because of those choices, there’s a cloud of darkness over your life. The good news is that Jesus is God with us, God for us, and God over us. He is the light that comes to push the darkness away. Perhaps this child is not such a big deal for you. However, you can put your hope and trust in Him regardless of the situation that you are in. Believe and know that He will be God with you, God for you, and God over you. He will bring you out of the darkness of this world and out of the darkness of the sin that is around you.

Jesus was born King. In the song, we sang “This, this is Christ the king.” Are you treating Jesus as your King? Are you taking him at his word? What Child is This? He is none other than God for us, God with us, and God over us! This truth brings incredible courage into our lives. This truth calls us to endure the sufferings, tribulations, and hard times of life that we don’t understand. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” All hell could be breaking loose in our lives, but because we know that this Child, Jesus, is God for us, we know that somehow, He is going to work all things together for our good.

This is the reason that we make such a big deal about this Child. This Child is the promised one who is God with us, God for us, and God over us. He has come to save us from our sins, and He is the only hope that we have. He is our only Savior, and our only Lord and King.