Jesus’s Christmas Presents

The Real Reason for Christmas

Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Even though we may debunk myths about December 25th, there is freedom for Christians to celebrate at this time of year. The world celebrates the birth of Jesus, whether knowingly or in rebellion, giving us an opportunity to focus on him.

The excitement at Jesus's announcement in Luke was not just about a baby, but about what he would accomplish: redeeming us from sin. Think about that baby in a feeding trough, born to die an extreme death. He lay there wrapped in swaddling clothes because he started his mission to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.

He died for wretched sinners like us, in desperate need of that baby to be tortured, maimed, and die one of the worst deaths, bearing the wrath of his Father—wrath he had never experienced in eternity past—so that we would never have to.

As cute and cuddly as newborn Jesus is, there is a horrific future in that baby's life, and it is the reason for Christmas.

God’s Gifts to Jesus

This is the gift-giving season, when we seek valuable gifts for loved ones. God the Father, all-wise and omniscient, gives gifts to his Son worthy of who Jesus is: King of creation, Lord of his people, fully God, sinless, and perfectly righteous.

John 6:37 – "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out."

John 6:39 – "This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day."

These gifts are vile and wretched: you and me. We are referred to in the neuter gender as "it"—inanimate objects. We are not just marred by sin; we are dead in sin. Sin is the most offensive thing one person of the Trinity could give another, for God is holy.

Yet the Father gives sinful people as gifts to the Son. If we were packages opened on Christmas morning, Jesus would gasp in offense and throw us away—we deserve it. We are worthless, as Romans declares:

Romans 3 – "Every one of us has gone astray... become worthless, useless, pointless."

But Jesus receives these atrocious gifts with joy. He will never cast out even one. It is the Father's will that he lose nothing given to him, but raise it on the last day.

John 6:40 – "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."

Jesus purposes to redeem us, clean us up, and make us presentable. Though created in God's image, that image is marred by sin since the fall. Jesus redeems us to reflect God's image perfectly, treating us as he himself is regarded by the Father.

What Jesus’s Gifts Do

The question is not "How do I become a gift to Jesus?" but "Am I doing what those given to Christ do?" They hear and do God's Word, trusting Jesus's power and identity.

First, they come to and consume Christ. Jesus spoke to Jews fascinated by his miracles. He healed the sick and fed 5,000 with bread and fish, yet they followed for physical satisfaction.

John 6:35 – "Everyone who comes to me shall not hunger, and everyone who believes in me shall never thirst."

Jesus is the bread from heaven. His words are spirit and life. True gifts spiritually consume him, finding satisfaction in him like food satisfies hunger. We, the gifts, enjoy the one we're given to.

Christianity is not just avoiding hell; it is enjoying and being satisfied in Christ. The Jews had God incarnate yet preferred bread over him. We too often prefer material things, food, or entertainment over Jesus.

Every gift we receive should remind us of God's goodness, impressing us more with him than the gift itself.

Second, they believe in him. The Jews grumbled, questioning how Jesus, son of Joseph, came from heaven—rejecting the incarnation.

John 6:44 – "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day."

What Jesus Does with His Gifts

Jesus satisfies his gifts eternally, reversing gift-giving: he becomes our enjoyment. Temporary gifts fade; Jesus is permanent satisfaction amid pain.

He will not cast us out, even in death. He promises to raise us on the last day, keeping every gift his Father gave, redeeming the helpless to eternal acceptance.

This is Christmas: God entering creation in Jesus to accomplish these promises.