Why Jesus Came

 “Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” - Matthew 1:21

We are fast approaching the Christmas holiday. There is a big push by retailers to get us to shop with them. This year, retailers are counting on the public to shop locally after a down year in 2020. Online retailers are sending emails and buying ads on social media sites, trying to lure us to their website so we may buy Christmas gifts from them. Like or not, many businesses rely on the holidays for a significant portion of their profitability.

Of course the commercialization of Christmas has distracted millions from the true meaning of the holiday. We have substituted Santa Claus in place of Jesus. We have replaced the virgin birth of Christ with gift-giving. We no longer refer to Christmas as the celebration of the Savior's birth. Instead, it has been downgraded into a secular holiday. Any attempt to put Jesus back into Christmas is considered to be politically incorrect and intolerant of other religions.

I may be the only voice in the crowd with this opinion, but I share it anyhow. December 25^th was set aside many years ago as the date we remember Jesus' birth. It should be celebrated as such. Quite honestly, we do not have an actual record of the exact date of Jesus' birthday. Perhaps it was December 25^th. In any case, December 25^th is the date that has been designated to remember His birth.

Even among those who recognize Christmas as Jesus' birthday, few comprehend the meaning behind His arrival. If you were to interview people about Christmas, some may respond that Christmas is about Jesus' birth, but few really understand why He came. Why was His birth so remarkable? What is the big deal about Jesus and His birthday?

Jesus came for a specific reason. He came on a divine mission that directly impacts your life and mine. Jesus said that he came to seek and to save them which are lost. That is why He came. As Matthew 1:21 states: “Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Jesus' arrival was to bring salvation to the lost. Instead of viewing His birth as a mere holiday, we need to recognize it has a divine act of mercy, an urgent rescue mission.

Too many consider Jesus to be a good teacher and example, but we need to look to His real mission. He is the Messiah, our Savior and Lord. Jesus Christ came to save us from our sins. Our plight was hopeless until God stepped in and provided the remedy we needed. We were hell-bound sinners, deserving of everlasting wrath because of our sins. Yet God did the unthinkable: He send His Son to take the wrath that we deserved, so that through Him, we may have everlasting life. That is why Jesus came.

It is true that Jesus taught great lessons. He lived a perfect life that we should desire to imitate. He performed great miracles. Through these things He certainly validated His claim of being the Son of God. But it didn't stop there. His miraculous virgin-birth was certainly required, but it isn't the greatest miracle of all. His death and resurrection were the greatest validation that He is the Messiah, the Savior of the world.

Our only hope of heaven is found in Jesus alone. While others brag about their works, accomplishments and religious activity, I'll still rest in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

If you really want to know why Jesus came, look in the mirror.