Welcome to the 12 Days of Christmas – a series of daily posts about, you guessed it – Christmas. If you’re just finding us, you may like to start at day 12 and make your way through from there. Thanks for dropping by!
8th Day of Christmas – He Humbled Himself
Yesterday’s post, The 9th Day of Christmas, made known that the Eternal Son of God took on flesh and became a man. If we can really comprehend that, we are bound to recognize that such an act would require unprecedented meekness, unfathomable humility.
“Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a young plant, and like a root our of dry ground; He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed Him not.” Isaiah 53:1-3
Imagine with me for a moment……..
High upon a hill there lives a good king. He dwells in the most beautiful of palaces that is beyond description. The walls are built with jasper that glisten gloriously in the daytime and offers a spectacular sight for the kingdom that sprawls out from the base of the palace’s mountain. The king that dwells there is clothed in the finest apparel of pure white linen and a purple robe of royalty. There is nothing that isn’t his. There is nothing he needs or desires as he lives a perfectly abundant and extravagant life in his glorious palace.
At the foot of the mountain live the people of his kingdom, residing in stark contrast to this magnificent king who dwells in quiet luxury. This land, which stretches for miles, is filled with people loudly, busily going about their daily business. Streets of mud and mire fenced by brown streams of sewer sludge, twist and turn and link the slums that are the communities which make up this kingdom. The stench in the air burns the nostrils, yet seems to attract the venues of vultures which hover and hop across the debris and refuse that covers these streets.
The good king of the hill had long ago promised to prepare a room for the inhabitants of his kingdom in his glistening castle. Since they do not believe their conditions are so bad, they quite contentedly continue to live in the squalor of this community, dismissing such nonsensical fantasies in disbelief.
Imagine that this king chooses to leave his palace of luxury, perfection, cleanliness and comfort, to go and live in this stench-filled slum. He leaves his privileges as king behind, clothes himself in dirty rags and voluntarily walks barefoot into this filthy skid row – to live with it’s’ people and be one of them.
This king in our imaginary story is still a king, royalty is in his blood – and he will return to his glorious palace one day. But first he must live among them in their squalor, compassionately sympathize with them, and carry their burden for a time.
He does this for one purpose – to demonstrate his love toward his subjects and to tell them there is a room in the palace waiting for them.
Imagine if, instead of believing him, and freely going to the beautiful palace with him, they torture and kill him.
Imagine if he knew that’s exactly what they would do, yet he did it anyway.
“{Christ Jesus} who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:6-8
Dear ones, if you take this tale of humility and multiply it by infinity, you have the minutest illustration of what Jesus did for you and for me when He was born in the flesh, in a manger some 2,000 years ago – unprecedented meekness, unfathomable humility.
“He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive Him.” John 1:10-11
12. Jesus is our hope.
11. He is not just a babe in a manger – He holds our heart beat and life in His hands as Almighty God.
10. Jesus existed in eternity past before He was born a babe in a manger. He is the Eternal Son of God.
9. The Eternal God Almighty humbled Himself, clothed Himself in human flesh, was born as a babe, and dwelt among us.
8. In becoming a man and walking amongst humanity, Jesus, without giving up His divine nature, willingly set aside His heavenly privileges for a time and humbled Himself unto death – to serve you and me, in a way that only He could.
It matters that we know this.
The Light for My Path 