Jesus was born for us; He lived for our sake; He died for us; He rose again for us; He ascended to heaven for us; He sat down at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us, and one day He will come for us. He is the generous gift of the Father on behalf of a world that did not love Him. Jesus, who did know how much the Father loves Him, also knew what it meant for Him to give up His Son to achieve our reconciliation. For that reason, with divine amazement and moved in His spirit, He exclaimed: “For God so loved the world that He has given His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16). May God help us understand those words: “God so loved…”
The apostle John, since he could not explain the love of God, invited us to look at it, and wrote: “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God…” (1 John 3:1). What reveals the greatness of the Father’s love is His love for the gift, and the sacrifice He experienced when, out of love for His enemies, He deprived Himself of His treasure. The pain of giving revealed the unfathomable nature of His divine love. The Father gave what He loved most in order to save those who did not love Him. His love consists in that He loved us first, and He loved us when we did not love Him. There are two things the Lord wants us to understand when we celebrate the birth of His Son:
- The love manifested in the gift of His Son.
- The purpose of the gift, or gift from heaven.
Jesus was not so much a gift as also an investment. With the gift of His treasure, the Father acquired a field, because there He found another treasure. Neither the field that was bought (the world) nor the treasure that was acquired (the church) was worth anything. What gave us value was the ineffable price that was paid to obtain us. Christ, the price of God, is now our worth. The treasure invested made us a valuable and priceless treasure to God. The gift of the Son made us honorable and highly esteemed in the sight of the Eternal God. For Israel, God gave nations, but for us He gave the beloved of His heart. “Now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, and your Former, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have named you, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and if through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you. When you pass through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame blaze upon you. For I, the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, am your Savior; Egypt I have given for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for you. Because in my eyes you were of great esteem, you were honorable, and I loved you; I will give, then, men for you, and nations for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; from the east I will bring your offspring, and from the west I will gather you” – Isaiah 43: 1-5.
This has been the result of the Father’s investment or business: 1. He gave His Son to acquire children (John 1: 11-13; 1 John 3:1); 2. He delivered up the just for the unjust, to make us righteous (1 Peter 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21); 3. He offered the holy of holies, to sanctify a people for Himself. The way not to make the cross of Christ in vain is by living its purpose. These are the words that best define what it is to live the purpose of our election and redemption: “Because the love of Christ constrains us, thinking this: that if one died for all, then ALL DIED; and He died for all, so that those who live SHOULD NO LONGER LIVE FOR THEMSELVES, but for HIM who DIED and ROSE for them” (2 Corinthians 5: 14-15). This is the best birthday gift for Jesus at Christmas:
- To live as a gift, for the One who was the gift.
- To live the life of the One who gave His life for us.
- To live crucified together with the One who was crucified for us.
- To live the resurrected life of the One who rose again to give us the life of the Father.
- To live the ascending life of the One who ascended to the most worthy and exalted place, the right hand of the Father.
- To live waiting for the One who promised us: “…And if I should go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am, you also may be” (John 14:3).
An action produces a reaction, and that is why my prayer to the Father on this day is that the fruit of His love in us may be the reproduction of that same love as a harvest in our lives. I ask that His gift would make us a gift for God and for men. I wish all my brothers and fellow servants a merry Christmas, and a new year fulfilled in the purpose of the Father. I love you as God loved me in Christ, freely.
Pr. Juan R. Fernández.
December 24, 2018
