December 23 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

2 Corinthians 8:9

Devotional

What does Christmas mean? Our text summarizes Christmas in this way: Christ, who was rich, became poor, and the sinner who has become poor is made rich. Christmas actually means that sinners are made rich because of His poverty. A more well-known expression is that Christmas is “a rich Christ for a poor sinner.” That is ultimately what the gospel is all about. Christ ministers to poor sinners from His fullness of grace and salvation.

Our text, however, speaks of a poor Christ. Christ first had to become poor in order to make others rich. The Son of God became poor while He was rich. Yes, He was rich, unspeakably rich. He was divinely rich in all the heavenly praises extended to Him. In His richness He could say, “Every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof ” (Ps. 50:10-12).

Now this rich Christ became poor. He was the King of kings, Lord of lords, Light of Light. He was God. He only had to speak and it would happen. Christ who descended to this earth was rich in honor and in power; He was covered with divine honor. His divine glory is so overwhelming that Moses, the mediator, when he had asked, “Show me thy glory,” could not bear the glorious light of His majesty; it was too much for him. John on the Isle of Patmos, seeing the glory of Christ, fell as dead at His feet.

“The Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3).

He was surrounded in heaven by the seraphim and the other angelic hosts who continually sang, “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa. 6:3). He created everything. Christ could say of all things: “It is Mine.” Therefore He has all power in heaven and upon earth. Every knee must bow before Him and every tongue must testify of His praises. That is the richness of the Son of God.

The Son became poor. He, who was rich, became poor. He became man. Christmas does not mean that God changed into a man, but rather that God adopted human nature. As man He was humbled; as man the Son of God became poor. He remained what He always had been: God. He became what He was not: man. Man means here to be man under the curse of God; man, that has to bear the wrath of God. It means to be under the judgment and anger of God.

Christ became man. That is the fact of Christmas. Christ received the garment of a servant. He was bowed under the demands of the law. He took upon Himself the garment of a beggar. He became poor because He was burdened with the guilt of all His people. He was going to be humbled so far as to the death of the cross. That is what Christmas is all about.

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.