I
am continuing on in my presentation of what I’m calling ‘blogs of Christmas
past’. This next installment was written in 2015.
‘One
of the interesting aspects of the superhero genre for me is the origin
story. The origin story is almost like
the prologue before the main event. For
example, a young Bruce Wayne witnesses his parents brutally murdered right
before him. This forever changes the
course of his life. He wants to pursue
justice. It takes him decades, but he
ultimately puts on a cape and cowl and becomes Batman. But that’s only his origin story. Any superhero has a story of their humble
origins, but it’s only the beginning act.
Many battles are still going to be fought.
In
a similar way, the account of Christmas is really just an origin story. So many seem to believe that the entire saga
ends with Jesus in a manger; this is simply not the case. This was only the beginning, the prologue,
the origin story. Jesus grew up and
lived out His destiny. What was Jesus’
destiny? From the moment Jesus was born
in that manger, it was His destiny to give His life on a cross to pay the penalty of the sin of mankind.
Why
would His death accomplish this? Because
Jesus is God incarnate, or to put it in simpler terms, God in human flesh. Every Christmas we hear these words, and it’s
easy for us to gloss over them, but listen to this again. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord
had said through the prophet: “The virgin shall be with child and will give
birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, “God with us.””
(Matthew 1:22).
Jesus
was fully man, He was also fully God.
Immanuel – God with us. That’s
why His sacrifice on the cross is so important.
Only Jesus, the God-man, could take on the role of sin-bearer for
mankind’s sin. This Christmas season,
I’m remembering Jesus’ sacrifice made for you and me, out of pure love. Let me illustrate this:
I
was so intrigued by a storyline in a recent episode of “The Flash”. Two villains teamed up and hatched a near perfect
plan. They placed one hundred bombs
throughout the city. They threatened to
detonate them and murder thousands of innocent people. But what they actually wanted to do was
destroy The Flash. Check out this choice
they give to the hero.
“Here’s
how it’s going to be: you are going to stand there, and let me end you, very
publicly and very painfully, and I’ll let everybody live. But if I see if a little flicker of
electricity on you [in other words, if he attempts to run], casket makers in
this town are going to have a very merry Christmas. So, Flash, what’s it going to be?” Selflessly and heroically, The Flash concedes
and lets the villains pummel him. Blow
after blow hits him, and even though he has the power to fight back or flee, he
doesn’t.
As
I watched this unfold, I was thinking, “He intends to give his life as savior
for the city.” Ultimately, The Flash
doesn’t die. Thanks to the quick
thinking of his friends, the bombs were diffused; the crisis was averted. But I hesitate to even mention that
detail. The fact is, he was ready to
give his life for the citizens he loves.
This is a Christ-like scene.
Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrated His love for us in this: While we
were still sinners Christ died for us.”
1 John 2:2 says that Jesus is “the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and
not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world.” I am so thankful for Jesus’ atoning sacrifice
on the cross for my sin. Without that, I
would have no hope.’
Kevin
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