Introduction to John | Part 1

What is the Meaning of Christmas?

A couple of streets over is a house with dozens of pink glittery unicorns on display. Several blocks away, over 300 Santas stand at attention in a front yard. I heard about other neighbors who, rather than removing their giant Halloween skeleton decorations, have simply dressed them up with Christmasy wreaths and red lights.

Nothing says Christmas like pink unicorns and skeletons! Right? From Black Friday to Cyber Monday, to endless Hallmark Christmas movies, to over-the-top decorations, we will do anything to get into the Christmas spirit.

So what is the “meaning of Christmas” in today’s world? One writer, in a recent newspaper article, said “We do not need to believe that Jesus is the son of God, but it is a historical fact that this boy born many years ago taught us to love one another...” He went on to say that Jesus changed the way we do everything in our lives today, and those moral virtues he taught are espoused by all religions.

Gospel Perspectives on Christmas

How would the four Gospel writers feel about our modern Santa Claus, gift giving, decorating approach to Christmas? What would they think of defining Jesus as a great teacher and moral example, but not as God? They wrote about Jesus’ birth and life from unique perspectives to specific audiences to prove Jesus was not only a great man but the Son of God.

Matthew wrote to the Jews to show them Jesus was their long-promised King. He began his version with a genealogy leading back to Abraham, the father of the Jews. He focused on Joseph, King David’s descendent. As Jesus' earthly father, he was chosen to protect and nurture the baby Jesus, knowing he was the promised Messiah. He alone shared details of the Magi as they searched for the newborn King.

Mark wrote to the Romans to portray Jesus as the promised Suffering Servant who came to die for our sins. He did not include a genealogy or Christmas story, because his audience did not care about the birth of a servant. Mark’s rendition of Jesus’ life reads like a training manual to teach the disciples, and us, how to live as selfless servants. This echoes what Mark learned from Barnabas after he failed his first mission.

Luke, as the only non-Jewish scripture writer, addressed the Gentiles to show Jesus as fully man. His story began with the birth story of John the Baptist and included a genealogy tracing Jesus back to Adam. His Christmas narrative focused on the virgin Mary and her encounter with the angel who told her she would bear a child who would be the Son of God. Luke alone told us of the shepherds worshipping the baby.

John opened his gospel with the grandest origin story possible: that Jesus is God who came to earth to rescue mankind from sin. John declared that Jesus was the Word who pre-existed creation. He emphasized that Jesus was fully God who had come to live as fully man to reveal and explain God to us. John then made the astounding statement that those who receive Jesus and believe in his name are given the right to become God’s children for eternity.

The True Meaning of Christmas

These writers show us that Jesus did not come just to teach us how to love one another; even though he did that. Or that he did not come solely as a role model; even though he certainly was. They make it clear that, in Jesus, God became a man to draw sinful people to Himself.

Christmas is a joyous time when we can celebrate with gift giving, family gatherings, decorations, and many more traditions. We can even enjoy pink unicorns and endless Hallmark movies. But the one thing we cannot do is claim that Jesus was not God incarnate, but just a good guy or great teacher. Jesus himself never gave us that option.

However, when we believe and receive Jesus as the Son of God, the power of that relationship will change us and we in turn can change our world.

That is not only the True Meaning of Christmas, but it is also the True Meaning of Life.

Maranatha and Merry Christmas

Andy