Jesus is God incarnate; he is the God who became man and was born on this day.
He is the complete incarnation of God as Krishna is in Hinduism.
Fr. William Horo
(gbjayanta@gmail.com)
History is full of holy people who founded different religions. However, none of their birth except that of Jesus Christ was foretold. Jesus is the promised Messiah. His birth was prophesied both in the Biblical and the secular traditions. Prophet Micah, in the Bible, had prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Mic.5: 2) and it was fulfilled at his birth in Bethlehem. (Mt. 2: 1) Another Prophet Isaiah of the Bible had said that the Messiah would be born of a virgin (Is. 7: 14), and Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary. (Lk. 1: 26-31). Yet the third prophet in the person of Samuel predicted that the Messiah would be heir to King David throne (2 Sam. 7: 12-13). Jesus fulfilled that too for the evangelist Luke writes about him, "God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom, there will be no end." (Lk. 1: 32-33) Every line of the Old Testament testifies to his coming.
As we turn to secular history, we locate references to the prediction of Jesus' birth. A famous Roman historian, Tacitus writes, "People were generally persuaded in the faith of the ancient prophecies that the East was to prevail and that from Judea was to come to the Master and Ruler of the world." And Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. (Mt. 2: 5) The Latin poem, Fourth Eclogue by the Roman poet Virgil Edwin Floyd reads, "A chaste woman, smiling on her infant boy, with whom the Iron Age would pass away." Jesus had the virgin birth. (Lk. 1: 26-38) Again the great philosophers like Plato and Socrates also spoke of the Logos and the Universal Wise Man respectively and that too got fulfilled in Jesus Christ. For St. John, the evangelist speaks of Logos in the very preamble of his Gospel. "In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (Jn. 1: 1) Thus Jesus is the promised Messiah of the world even though the Jews are still waiting for him. That is why Evangelist Saint John writes, "He came to what was his own and his own did not accept him." (Jn. 1: 11)
Today the whole world celebrates the birthday of its saviour. For Messiah in Hebrew, Masih and Hindi masiha means the saviour. The very name Jesus means the one who saves. The name Jesus was given to him by the angel Gabriel before he was conceived in her mother's womb. (Lk. 1: 31) He is God incarnate; he is the God who became man and was born on this day. He is the complete incarnation of God as Krishna is in Hinduism. After him, there is no more incarnation of God on earth. Now God speaks to mankind through his Church. As a man, Jesus became the ransom for the whole of mankind. Now we, mankind need not offer the bulls or goats' blood to appease gods for Jesus has become, for once for all the Lamb of God (Jn. 1: 36) He shed his blood on the cross (Lk. 23: 33) and saved us. This was the love he had professed while teaching, "No one has got greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." (Jn. 15: 13)
On this day, Jesus was born during the rule of the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus. (Lk. 2:1) Caesar Augustus was the first Roman Emperor in the ancient Roman Empire and ruled from 27BC to 14AD. Before the Empire system of government, Rome had two different systems, the Kingly (625-510BC) and the Republican system (510-31BC) It was none other than Caesar Augustus who led the transformation of Rome from a Republic to an Empire. He was given the title Augustus (exulted) because he was a very benevolent emperor. He brought peace and prosperity to the Roman Empire. Its many provinces were governed with a heavy hand, yet with some local autonomy. In Israel, the Jews were allowed to maintain their religion and culture. Their Sanhedrin held power over many aspects of their daily life.
The Gospel of Luke records that Emperor Caesar Augustus issued a decree that the entire Roman world should be registered. He did so, most probably to check the tax evasion. Palestine was part of the world, so Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, is from the line of David, (Mt. 1: 17) the king of Israel (1Sam 16: 13), took his pregnant wife Mary to Bethlehem, the king David's city, from Nazareth in Galilee to register. When they were there, the time for Mary came to deliver her child. She gave birth to her firstborn in a stable in Bethlehem because they did not find a place in any inn. Thus the founder of one of the biggest religions in the world, and whose birth divided the time into two - BC and AD, had a very humble birth. He was born among the cattle in the stable.
The heavens rejoiced at the birth of Jesus. With the angel a multitude of the heavenly host was there, praising God saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!" (Lk. 2: 13-14) Again, a special star appeared in the sky at his birth that led the wise men from the East to Jerusalem in search of him. For at their arrival there, they asked the king, Herod of Judea, "Where is the child who has been born King of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising and have come to pay him homage." (Mt. 2: 2) Having risen as the king of Judea, the Roman province from the governorship of Galilee, Herod the Great could not reconcile himself with the concept of another King of the Jews being born, he ordered his army to kill all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under. And the infants were massacred. (Mt. 2: 16)
Following the star, the three wise men of the East, their names being Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar set out on their journey again, after they had met Herod the king. They continued their journey till the star stopped above a house in Bethlehem. They were overwhelmed with joy to see the star halting, for they knew it was the birthplace of Jesus. They entered the house and found the baby Jesus and his mother, Mary; they knelt and paid homage to the babe. The gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, they had brought; they offered to Jesus. (Mt. 2: 10-12) Jesus was visited at his birth not only by the rich and the wise men from the East but he was also visited by the poor people like the shepherd of Bethlehem.
On the night Jesus was born, an angel of God appeared to the shepherds of the Bethlehem region who were keeping watch over their flock by night. Seeing the angel, they were all frightened, but the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord." (Lk. 2: 9-11) After the angel had gone, the shepherd went to Bethlehem with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in a manger. They were all overjoyed and told Mary and Joseph, and all who were present there, all about the child they had been told by the angel. (Lk. 2: 15-18) Thus at the birth of Jesus, both the rich as well as the poor rejoiced.
On Christmas day we recall that our reconciler is born. Before his birth we were all the enemies of God; (Rom. 5: 10) we were all sinners (Rom. 5: 8) but we were reconciled to God through the death of Jesus. Now peace prevails between us and God. He is our peace; in his flesh, he has made all races of humanity into one by breaking down the dividing wall between us. (Gal 2: 14) As we celebrate Christmas, we have all accepted him as our messiah and according to St. John we have become the children of God in Jesus. "To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave the power to become children of God." (Jn. 1: 12)
He called God his Father (Mt 6: 9) and the Scripture had announced this identity of his, as the Son of God before he was born. (Lk. 1: 32) Once asked by Philip, one of his disciples to show them the Father and then they would be satisfied, he retorted, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." (Jn. 14: 9)
On this day, the 25th of December, the whole world celebrates the birthday of the promised Messiah. People wish each other Peace, Joy and Love for Christmas. Followers of Jesus are estimated to be more than 2.382 billion all over the world.