Dirty Work

“And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him…the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.”  – 1 John 3:5,8.

In these two verses, you get to the heart of Christmas These verses summarize why Jesus came to earth and His life, death, and resurrection. This is the whole reason for Christmas.

These two verses give two reasons for Jesus coming to earth. Jesus came to take away sins and to destroy the works of the devil. They are two sides to the same coin since Satan’s works are sins. 

Jesus lived the perfect life. When Christ died for our sins on the cross, Satan was disarmed and defeated. This is the reason for Christmas. Jesus came to deal with our greatest problem. He came to destroy the mortal enemy of our souls, Satan himself, and all of his works.

D-Day, or June 6, 1944 is the day that the allies established a beachhead on the European mainland in Normandy, France. While it was the day when, for all practical purposes, the allies won the war, in fact the war ended some 11 months later. Christmas is when a different war began. And Easter is when the war was won. When Jesus returns the war will be over.  We live in between those events. But the victory has been won.   

That’s the meaning of Christmas. Let’s celebrate it. Let’s anticipate the realization of the victory that our Lord and Savior won. And because of God’s victory we can have victory as well.  Our victory is not dependent upon educational degrees, accomplishments, church attendance or how often we pray. Victory is ours because of what Jesus has done. The work of redemption was completed through His suffering, His death, and His resurrection. 

The birth of Jesus was just the first step in God’s glorious plan of redemption. It’s the triumph of Christ’s sacrificial death that gives meaning to His humble birth. So what if Jesus was never born… then there would be no cross and no one to destroy the works of the devil and provide each of us with victory over sin. 

Discussion Questions:

1. Does it change your view of Christmas to know the soft little hands and feet of baby Jesus would one day stagger up a dusty hill to be nailed to a cross?
2. If you were God, would you have chosen the same method to reach humanity? Why or why not?