When we think of what Jesus sacrificed to redeem us to himself, we tend to picture the cross. While him offering himself on our behalf to conquer our sin once for all, this is far from the only sacrifice he made for us.
He Had Everything To Lose
Paul reminds us that what our Lord gave up for us started the moment of incarnation.
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Philippians 2:5-7
To really understand the miracle of the incarnation, we need to have in mind the glory that was Jesus’s by right.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:1-5
There’s not a single thing in all creation that does not owe itself to Jesus. Yet rather than live in that glory, he surrendered it, becoming a part of creation, and suffered for his creation.
He Was Tempted
People are generally familiar with the tempting of Jesus at the hands of Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4). The master tempter offering Jesus some small part of what he had given up to save us but he holds fast to his father and his promises. However, this was far from the only temptation Jesus had. He lived as a man into his 30s. He experienced every temptation that people commonly experience living here.
Being, by nature, God, his desires were not for these things and he resisted every temptation. However, even this compounds the humiliation. Like an honest judge being offered bribes, every temptation was an insult he suffered for our sake, rejecting temptations because we have failed to do so.
Everyday Humiliations
There are also many aspects of human life that are humiliating. We have to deal with all sorts of conditions that made a person unclean according to the law God gave to Moses. Sicknesses and injuries remind us of our weakness.
Jesus took all of that upon himself as well, in becoming man. The creator of the universe suffering the curses of the fall that he alone never deserved to save those who did.
Merry Christmas!
Jesus came into this world as a light for us. He did this because we were in darkness. He lived a life in that darkness, suffering temptations and humiliations, so that we could be delivered from our temptations and be glorified!
His birth was miraculous and exactly what we needed. It is certainly an event worth remembering and celebrating! However, what makes it so amazing is what he gave up for us, because it is all the things we didn’t have that he gave up in order to provide them for us.
This time of year, we celebrate not only a baby born to offer his life for us. We celebrate a Lord who gave up everything for his servants that we could be glorified with him! Our King humbled himself to the level we deserve so that we would be blessed beyond measure!
May you and your family have a Merry Christmas!