"Who is This Child?"
Notes
Transcript
Handout
“What Child is This?” is such a beautiful hymn, isn’t it? The tune is called “Greensleeves” and was written in England about the time of the sixteenth century. But it wasn’t until 1865, while our nation was in the midst of the Civil War, that an English poet wrote a poem called, “Manger’s Throne.” And it’s that poem’s words which are used for the hymn.
Allow me to read from the original poem from William Chatterton Dix written in 1865.
What child is this
Who laid to rest
On Mary’s lap
Is sleeping.
Whom angels greet
With anthems sweet
While shepherds watch
Are keeping.
This, this is
Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard
And angels sing.
Haste, haste
To bring him laud
The babe
The son of Mary.
Why lies he
In such mean estate
Where ox and ass
Are feeding
Good Christians fear
For sinners here
The silent word
Is fleeting.
And interestingly, not all the words from the poem were incorporated in the hymn that we sing. What I’m about to read for you is the part that wasn’t included in the hymn. I can’t be sure why this is has been left out… Maybe the hymn editor thought that it wasn’t festive enough, but it speaks of the truth of the cross.
Male spear
Shall pierce him through
The cross be borne
For me, for you.
Hail, hail
The word made flesh
The babe
The son of Mary.
So, bring him incense
Gold and myrrh
Come peasant, king
To own him.
The King of Kings
Salvation brings
Let loving hearts
Enthrone him.
Raise, raise
The song on high
The virgin
Sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy
For Christ is born
The babe,
The son of Mary.
When Dix wrote this poem, he tried to imagine what it would be like for people passing by, looking at Jesus in the manger, trying to answer the question, “Who is this? What child is this?” And that’s the debate of the ages, because everybody on this planet must at some time face the question, “Who is this baby?” We each must answer for ourselves, “Who is Jesus?”
And believe me, everybody has an answer. Muslims recognize Jesus. In fact he is Eesa Ibn Mary; they even believe he was born of a virgin, but they do not believe he was God in the flesh. And of course they don’t even believe he was crucified or resurrected.
Our Jewish friends, of course, recognize Jesus as a great prophet, a great teacher and a religious reformer. But they do not recognize him as God in the flesh, or the Messiah. Even the Hindus recognize Jesus and acknowledge him as one of Krishni, who has reached perfect god consciousness. The Buddhists recognize Jesus too.
But everybody must answer that question, “Who is this child?” I think the best way to go to answer that question is to look in the word of God. And the interesting thing about the Bible that makes it unique from any other scriptures of world religion is only the Bible contains prophecy. Parts of the Bible were written hundreds of years before those very things were prophesied and fulfilled. For instance, we read the words of the prophet, Isaiah, written seven hundred years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
The Bible explained Christmas 700 years before anybody even experienced it. I want us to see how the Bible answers that question, “What child is this?”
On this Christmas Eve, I want share with you a little bit about what the Bible says. I’d like to present to you six pictures that answer the question,
Today’s question: “Who is this child?”
Answer #1: The child who brings light into darkness
Do you see that in Isaiah 9:2 where the prophet declares: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.”
All throughout the Bible there is interplay between darkness, which represents sin or unrighteousness, and light, which represents righteousness or holiness. And the world was in darkness and Jesus came into a dark world to be the light. In fact he said, “I am the light of the world.” And that’s part of what we celebrate at Christmas; that Jesus is the light of the world.
A sailor and a scholar were once travelling on a boat. During the journey, the scholar asked the sailor, "Do you know philosophy?" "No," he replied. "Do you know psychology?" "Nope." “What about geology?" "No sir!" “I suppose you don’t know accountancy, huh?" "No, not at all." “Hmm... life must be pretty boring for you then."
Just then a storm erupted, and the waves were beating furiously against the boat. The scholar was afraid. The sailor asked, "Do you know how to swim?" "No!" the scholar replied. “That’s too bad," the sailor said. "But do you know God?" “No, I don’t!" said the scholar. Sailor: "Then that’s even worse. You’ll have no hope after death!"
The sailor brought out a lamp, lifted it up and asked, "Do you believe this can save you? Do you believe that this light can save you?"
The sailor began to wave the lamp, sending a signal in the darkness to the surrounding boats for help. Eventually, they were saved - the light saved them.
Jesus says, "I am the Light of the world." No human wisdom and knowledge can save you. Only Jesus can.
This child represents the entrance of light that breaks into the darkness of this world. And with the coming of light, there is the coming of hope. And that’s what Jesus did. He came into a world that was darkened by sin and death and he brought light.
Answer #2: The child who rules the world
That’s what the prophet is communicating to us in Isaiah 9:6 where God has led him to write, “the government shall be upon his shoulder.”
That means Jesus in charge! If you want to think about it, everything’s on his shoulders because he bears everything in the universe, to include the governments of the world. It means he’s a king.
It’s kind of interesting that at the beginning of his earthly life, that’s the question the wise men asked. “Where is he, born King of the Jews?” And even at the day he was crucified that’s the same question Pilate was asking him; “Are you a king?” And the sign they put above his head when they crucified him said, “Jesus of Nazareth. King of the Jews.” And you know how Jesus answered Pilate? He said, “Yes, I am a king. But my kingdom is not of this world.”
Jesus is Lord and King over a spiritual kingdom and when you receive Christ’s free gift of grace and he is enthroned as king of your life, you’re in the kingdom of God. But there will be a time in the future when he will rule and reign on this earth. It’s not happened yet.
Think about the lyrics to that song, “Joy to the World.” “He rules the world, with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove, the glories of his righteousness, and wonders of his love.”
Is that happening right now? When the United States Congress faces a tough decision do they say to each other, “You know our government is on the shoulders of Jesus; let’s get on our knees right now and ask Jesus what he wants us to do.”? That doesn’t happen. Think about the European Union. When they’re facing an important vote, do they say, “The government’s on the shoulders of Jesus; let’s get on our knees and ask Jesus what he wants us to do”? No, that doesn’t happen. But the Bible teaches that one day indeed that will be the case.
When Jesus returns, the Bible teaches he will set up an earthly kingdom on this planet and then all will look to him. So, he rules. With God there is no past, present and future. It’s all right now. If God says something’s going to happen, it’s as good as if it’s happening right now. So, he’s the light of the world; he rules the world.
Answer #3: The child who mediates between God and man
Again, Isaiah is communicating this in Isaiah 9:6 where we see that “his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor.”
If you’ve ever been to a therapist, you may think of a counselor as somebody who advises or somebody you share your problems with. Jesus is that kind of a counselor. The Bible says, “You can cast your cares upon him because he cares for you.” But the real word, counselor, here carries more of the idea that we would use of someone who is an advocate, like an attorney who is an advocate for your case. If you’ve ever had any kind of problem with somebody, and there was an issue to be settled and maybe you needed to hire a counselor, a lawyer, a mediator to arbitrate and mediate between you and the other party. That’s what Jesus is.
He’s our advocate and he’s the only advocate available for us to relate to God, he qualifies because he’s all God and he’s all man. People get mixed up on this sometimes. Jesus wasn’t half God, half man—50% God, 50% man. He’s 100% God, 100% man. And because of that, he’s the only one who could reach into heaven and take the hand of God; the only one who could reach down and take the hand of sinful humanity and bring us together. He’s the only mediator. 1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
So if you want to relate to God and you want to solve and settle this sin issue you have with God, there’s only one mediator; only one counselor, and Jesus is his name.
Answer #4: This child is God in the flesh
Once more, Isaiah says in Isaiah 9:6 “his name shall be called Mighty God.”
In the Bible there are several times in the Old Testament where God is referred to as God Almighty.
The Bible says that’s who Jesus is. He is God in the flesh. The Bible says, “In him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” God put on flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ when he was born in Bethlehem. That’s what makes Christmas so great!
There was a store owner who was doing some last minute Christmas shopping with his young son when he saw another store owner with whom he had been friends for some time. The two of them exchanged greetings and spoke with each other about what a financially profitable season it had been for their respective stores. The small boy overheard his father say, “This has been the best Christmas ever.”
As the store owners parted company, the father and son continued their shopping, but the father noticed his son had become very quiet. He inquired as to his son’s silence, and his son replied, “Dad, you just told Mr. Johnson that this was the best Christmas ever.”
His dad replied, “I did, son. The economy is great, and people are really spending.”
“O.K.” the son replied, “It’s just that I always thought the first Christmas was the best one.”
Isn’t it amazing to think that God took on flesh at Bethlehem? God has always been and yet, Jesus, the Son who has always been—put on flesh.
There was a family that had a tradition to attend their church’s Christmas Eve service and everyone in the family kept that tradition, except the father, who would stay home and read the paper. When the family returned home from church, they would all gather to open up their presents.
The father wasn’t an evil man, but he just couldn’t believe in the “childish” stories of God coming as a baby in a manger. As the family left for church, he opened up the evening paper and began to read by the fireplace.
Suddenly, he heard tapping on the window. It was a bird flying against the glass of his window trying to get out of the snow into the warmth of his home. The man had compassion on the bird, and he went outside, hoping to bring it in.
As he approached the bird, the bird just flew against the window even harder. Pretty soon, the bird flew into the bushes below the window, half frozen, yet too afraid to be caught by this huge man. The more the man tried to reach for the bird, the more the bird flew frantically into the snow and thorns of the bushes.
After a few minutes in the cold and seeing the bird continue to injure itself, the man yelled out in frustration, “C’mon bird, can’t you understand that I’m trying to help?” The man paused and thought, “If only you understood, you wouldn’t fly away … if only … if only I could become a bird, and get you to understand.”
Just then, the church bells rang, as they always have on the hour. But when the man heard the bells this time, he fell to his knees and began to cry, saying, “Oh, God, I didn’t understand. Oh, God, I didn’t understand.”
God’s Son came in human form that we might understand from where we have come, for what reason we were separated and how we could be restored to God.
Answer #5: The child who welcomes us into his family
Isaiah 9:6 says “his name shall be called Everlasting Father.”
The word “father” is a family name. And throughout the Bible we are taught God can be like a father to us. By the way, that’s another thing that makes our faith distinctive and unique from all other faiths. The Bible is the only place in all of religious literature that says you can relate to God “like a child relates to his father.”
I remember that when I was teaching Youth Sunday school, I said something that taught me about how I need to be more considerate with my words. I said something like “Just think how much your dad loves you and God loves you that much and more.” This one student got this angry look on her face and she stopped me after the lesson I led. She said, “Not me! I hate my dad! He left my family.”
There are some people who have a hard time relating a positive image of God with the word “father.” So if you didn’t have a dad, or didn’t have a good dad, you have to try to overcome that and imagine the most perfect image of a father you could ever imagine and then multiply it by a million and that’s how much God loves you and how much he cares for you.
I have quite a bit of theological education, but I can tell you that I learned more about God in five minutes of being a daddy than in all of my school training. When I first became a father and I looked at that little girl and loved her; at that moment I would have done anything for her! And as both my girls grow up, they have caused me pain; they have kept me up at night and cost me money and have done things I didn’t like.
And as a Father, that’s what God does too, isn’t it? I love my girls and that will never change. And that’s how God loves you. And that’s why the Bible says God is like a father. And one of the most powerful meanings of Christmastime is a family. God says, “Even if you don’t have a great family, come on in. This is your family; the family of God.” And family is so important at Christmastime.
Did you know that one of the first glimpses that we get of our God in his Word is that of a seeker? Immediately after the first two humans, Adam and Eve, sinned in the garden, the Bible says that God was walking through the garden and his presence scared them. It says in Genesis 3:9 “But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”” I tell you what… That lone question from the Lord tells me so much about him as my Father. You cannot read that and conclude that God is waiting to cast down lightening bolts from Heaven for every misstep that you take. No, God is a brokenhearted Father looking for a lost child!
So that’s what God says. You know who is this child is? He is the one through whom you can be reconciled to your father and you can be God’s child.
Answer #6: The child who brings peace to troubled hearts
Finally, Isaiah 9:6 “his name shall be called Prince of Peace.”
What does that mean, Prince of Peace? What’s the meaning of the message of the angels that night when they went to the shepherds and said, “Peace on earth; good will toward men.” Does that mean they were all going to live in peace? Have world peace and there’s not going to be any fighting or wars? Not really. Because Jesus said, Matthew 24:6 “……you will hear of wars and rumors of wars…”
Let me introduce you to another poet named Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Longfellow’s wife, Frances, died from an accident in their home in which she was using a candle and her clothing caught on fire and she was killed. Longfellow’s son had been critically wounded in battle during the Civil War. So you can imagine when Longfellow sat down and began to write this poem that you might remember the words from just a short while ago. He said,
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth
Good will toward men.
And you can also understand his bitterness when he wrote these words.
And in despair I bowed my head
There is no peace on earth I said
For hate is strong
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth
Good will toward men.
Isn’t that the way some people feel right now? “Where is this peace on earth? There’s no peace!” But then somehow God brought him through that terrible time until he could write this final stanza.
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead; nor does He sleep.
The wrong shall fail
The right prevail
And peace on earth
Good will toward men.
This peace on earth; good will toward men; God wasn’t necessarily talking about peace between two people or two nations. He was talking about peace with him. God says, “I want to have peace with you. I want to show my good will; my favor; my grace toward you.” And, the most important peace is the inner peace you have when you come to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. That’s what Christmas is all about! It’s not just a baby in a manger—it’s a Savior.
I want to finish with us imagining for a moment. In thinking about speaking about this child, we know that by his coming, by his death, by his resurrection, the age that is to come has dawned. And there are brief, fleeting moments where we can see just glimmers of that age in our present. And yet there will be a day when daddies will take their daughters to zoos like I used to, where there won’t be a need for the wall or the fence that separates humans from the lions or tigers or bears. No, the bears will just come right across and talk about the steps we should take to protect from forest fires. Just kidding, but there will be that day when we can approach even the most fear-striking beasts to just scratch them on the head.
How is that? That’s because of this child. Because of this child, the lion will lie down with the lamb. That day will arrive when this child, this Prince of Peace finally returns to bring the age to come in full. That day will come when the weapons of war will be finally shelved, made obsolete. In that day, disease will no longer wreck our bodies. God will bring to us a new heaven and a new earth. How is that? Because unto us this day, a child is born. The child who is Isaiah 9:6 “… called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” And when that day comes, nothing will be the same. The government in that age won’t resemble the buffoonery that we see in our day. There won’t be scandal and power grabs, there’ll just be the glory of God. Why? Because this child that is born is the Prince of Peace.
And my friends, if you want to know peace, you must come to this Prince and surrender your all to him. When you come to him, there is an indescribable welcome that you’ll receive! You gain a Father. You gain a family. You gain forgiveness. You gain peace. You gain life. The Bible says, 1 John 5:12 “whoever has the Son has life…”
And if you want to experience life; if you want to know what Christmas is all about, trust upon Jesus Christ. Who is this child?
He’s the the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.