“Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” (Luke 2:15)
It’s wonderful to see Christmas through the eyes of children, because this time for them is full of such wonder. One of the things that children particularly want to see is Jesus in the manger. Whether it is setting up a small nativity on the mantelpiece, or observing a make-shift manger in church, children always want to peek inside the hay to see and touch the baby Jesus.
That’s not unlike how it was at the time of Jesus’ birth. How many longed to see the coming King! It began while still in the womb, when His cousin John jumped inside Elizabeth. “Behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.”(Luke 1:44). It continued with the angels, who marveled at the gift of God’s Son. This plan of salvation for humankind is beyond even their imagination, and so we are told that the events that surround Jesus’ birth and life are “things into which angels long to look.” (I Peter 1:12). Then there were the shepherds, who left their lambs in the hills to behold the “Lamb of God.” Finally, even many months later, when Mary and Joseph had already found lodging in Bethlehem, the Wisemen knocked at their door. “And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.”(Matthew 2:11)
Seeing Jesus should also be our deepest longing this Christmas. In the midst of our celebration and activity; as we face personal trials of many kinds; when our hearts hurt because of loved ones who will not be with us during these holy days; throughout all that occupies our lives, our desire is to see Jesus in our midst. Like our children, we want to crawl up to the manger and push aside the hay to make sure that Immanuel is still with us.
The writer Ben Jonson (1572-1637) penned these words in a poem he entitled simply, “Carol”:
What comfort by him we do win,
Who made himself the price of sin,
To make us heirs of glory!
To see this babe, all innocence,
A martyr born in our defense,
Can man forget the story?
When we see past the pristine picture painted on our Christmas cards, and really look at this baby martyr, it is then by faith we can see Jesus in our midst. Who can forget His story, who came to die so that we might live? Who can forget His promise, “I will be with you always, even to the end of the age”? (Matthew 28:20) This Jesus who once made sacred a sullied cattle stall now resides in our hearts, sanctifying us by His blood.
Can you remember those nights when your children were infants, and you awoke in panic at 3:00 am because you didn’t hear them asleep in their cradle? You imagined the worst -- that something had happened -- and so you quickly rushed over and pushed aside their blankets to see them. And as you gazed upon your sweet child (or niece, or grandson), sleeping in heavenly peace, your heart returned to rest.
This Christmas, may the angels’ promise of “peace on earth” begin in your own heart. With child-like faith, rush to Christ’s cradle and see your Jesus present with you. See Him in the midst of our worship. Catch a glimpse of Him in our carols. Witness His work in the lives of His people as we gather together for merriment. Don’t forget His story. He is here, and your heart can return to rest.