Hebrews 2:17: Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
What Christmas Reveals
The arrival of Jesus into human history is like a bomb that explodes and all at once changes everything that is around it. The effect of his coming is felt all around the world. It has quite literally divided history and changed the lives of billions of people. But sometimes we can forget how the birth and life of Jesus affects our daily lives. See, it is much more than a story. Christ's coming is meant to shape the way we view the world--both the positive and negative aspects of our lives.
The Incarnation of Jesus is packed with meaning, hope, and significance. What it communicates is at the same time extremely complex and simple. Complex when thinking of how God put on flesh and exists as both fully God and fully human. And simple when we realize that Jesus came on a rescue mission; he simply came to earth to save us.
And it is pretty easy to see that we need saving--that we need rescued. We are a fragile people. But we have a good reason to be. The world we live in is quite scary; it is devastatingly broken. As we go on about our lives in the midst of a broken and fallen world, it provides many opportunities to experience pain and suffering. When facing some of these hardships it may be easy to wonder where Jesus is at in your pain. But, Christmas can help. Christmas reveals God's response to pain and suffering.
You Are Not Alone
The Christmas story teaches us that Jesus did not turn his back on a suffering world--he entered into it. When Jesus became human and entered into our world, he entered into suffering. It wasn't just the cross where he suffered either. Jesus lived a life full of pain, hardships, and suffering. He experienced rejection, grief, loss, betrayal, anger, being falsely accused, abandonment, the strain of busyness, and physical pain. He could have chose a comfortable and easy earthly life but he didn't. Why not?
Jesus suffered for you. Not just on the cross for your sins, but so he could understand what it felt like. He is acquainted with the emotional, mental, and physical aspects of suffering. This means the God we serve can relate to our suffering. Jesus is able to minister to his followers when they suffer in a deeply personal and intimate way because he himself suffered. Jesus suffered so he could say to you in your moment of affliction, "You are not alone. I understand how it feels and what you are going through."
Although God doesn't completely eliminate suffering from the lives of his children, at least not yet, he does walk through every difficult circumstance with us. What Christmas reveals about God's response to suffering should encourage us and provide the necessary strength to endure tough times. If you are walking through something tragic or difficult this Christmas season, continue to go to prayer until you hear Jesus say to your soul, "You are not alone."