The coming of God to Earth was a tremendous gift. Emmanuel, God with us, come to give His life for all. Sacrifice. But that life began long before a Babe's first gasp or a bar mitzvah, or a public ministry; Jesus sacrificed His life the moment He left His glory, His kingdom in heaven for the dark warmth of a young mother's womb.
The King of kings elected to lie in a feeding trough and be lauded by simple shepherds. Jesus chose to have His bottom cleaned and His nose wiped. He submitted to rules about jumping on the furniture, and eating vegetables, and curfews. Luke 2:51, says He obeyed Joseph and Mary. Do you think they got it right every time? Were they too hard on Him at times? Did they ever opt to "just skip synagogue and sleep in"? How would He have felt, knowing He needed to be in His Father's house, but was instead being told to get back to bed? Do you think Joseph and Mary never found themselves down to their last nerve? But Jesus submitted. He subjected Himself to physical limitations and fatigue, the stomach flu, back-breaking work, difficult neighbors, cancellations and rescheduled appointments, hunger and poverty. And what of Jesus' half-siblings? Oh, the jealousy He must have experienced! The drama at family dinners and special celebrations!
Jesus was "taught" Scripture -- by men! Imagine Shakespeare taking your community college's Lit course, or Mozart sitting through a sixth-grade music class. But Jesus submitted to men's authority. He partook of feasts and watched -- up close and personal -- the idolatry of His people, exchanging love for God, for a love of rules and ceremony. How He must have wept to hear their bitter talk of waiting so long for deliverance and their cynicism toward a God whose timetable was not their own. But He chose this existence among us. For me. For us all.
He endured arrogance and ignorance, people in bondage who cried out for help but refused to leave their circumstances; betrayal and judgment. He lavished love on those who would later cry out, "Crucify Him." He never once spoke out in haste or frustration against inconsiderate neighbors. He never chose entitlement over servitude, despite His being fully, undeniably entitled. He gave up all of Himself -- His "self" -- to be God With Us.
As Christmas nears, let us not forget true giving, the kind of giving that instills this season with its meaning. Giving obediently. Giving humbly. Giving sacrificially.
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