The Greatest Sacrifice Ever Made

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:6-8 (New Living Translation, NLT)

The entire Christmas story is one amazing event after another. An angelic messenger appearing to Mary, a supernatural dream given to Joseph, a virgin birth, the armies of heaven appearing to humble shepherds, a baby placed in a feeding trough, a star shining in the sky to lead wise men. It’s all so miraculous and it was foretold in the Old Testament Scriptures, which makes it even more miraculous. However, that’s not the biggest miracle of Christmas.

The most amazing, the biggest, the most awe-inspiring miraculous thing about Christmas is the fact that Jesus, God Himself, lowered and humbled Himself and became one of us. It boggles the mind to consider that Jesus, who created the earth, the cosmos, and everything else, chose to set aside his divine nature and take on human form. The Creator became like His creation. Just think for in a moment- consider the power, the wealth, the peace, the honor, and the position that He gave up. We have no idea of what He laid down just to offer Himself as a sacrifice for us. He left the beauty, the peace, the joy, the opulence of heaven to come to a dark, dirty place called earth. And his body was nothing like the supernatural, all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present one He had in heaven.

Yes, Jesus came, died and rose again and now has a glorified body. But, He will never again exist in the same state He did before He became a man. He will forever be the God-man. He set aside His deity, and He was able to take some of it back up when He rose from the dead. He was restored back to His position and seated on the throne of His Father. Yet, He still remains in the form and body of a man- a glorified man. He is still God and is honored and revered as God, but His appearance forever changed when He chose to become like us. He gave that up when he chose to identify with us and suffer in our place.

So, when you think about that Baby born so long ago- be amazed at the miracle of His birth, but do not forget that it was the greatest sacrifice ever made.