Why Christmas Had to Happen

Why Christmas Had to Happen

Christmas Eve is full of anticipation. Families gather, presents wait under the tree, and traditions take shape. And while I love all of it—I really do—there is something far more important than the gifts, decorations, meals, or memories. Behind everything we enjoy tonight is the breathtaking truth of what Christmas truly means:

God became a man.

Matthew 1 tells us the moment Joseph learned this news. Mary, his betrothed, was expecting a child, though she was a virgin. And the angel told him plainly: “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

That is the entire mission of Jesus wrapped up in a single sentence. His name means “Savior.” He didn’t come to give us a nicer life, to clean us up, or to fix a few problems. He came because we are sinners from birth. Our relationship with God is broken, not accidentally, but willingly—we choose our own way, our own desires, our own sin.

But God loves sinners, and so He sent His Son to save His people from their sins.
That is what Christmas is all about.

Emmanuel: God With Us

Matthew goes on to say that the virgin birth fulfilled what the prophet Isaiah spoke centuries earlier: “They shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God with us.”

Emmanuel is not just a title—it is the entire mission of Christ explained in two words. God did not send an angel. He did not send a representative. He came Himself.

Jesus—the eternal Son, who has always existed—did not begin in Bethlehem. He simply entered the world He created. The Creator stepped into His own creation. The Author wrote Himself into the story.

Think of your favorite book with its characters, setting, and plot. The author exists outside the story—yet God loved us so much that He wrote Himself into the narrative so that the people inside the story could know Him and be saved.

That is what happened on the first Christmas. God broke into time and space, into a sinful, broken, hurting world. A world like ours—full of sorrow, evil, selfishness, and heartbreak. And God came anyway.

He Became Like Us to Save Us

Jesus did not stay a baby. He grew. He experienced every stage of life—infancy, childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. He knew what it was to live in this world. And at age 30, He began the ministry the Father sent Him to accomplish. Three years later, that mission reached its purpose at the cross and the empty tomb.

This was never plan B. It was always God’s plan.

Why did He need to come in the flesh? Because the first man, Adam, failed almost immediately. He disobeyed God, and every one of us has followed the same path. But Jesus came as the better Adam. Fully God, but also fully man. He walked in our place. He lived the life we fail to live—perfect obedience, never sinning once.

And He did it because you and I are spiritually bankrupt. We have nothing to offer God. But Jesus lived a righteous life so He could give that righteousness to those who believe.

Only perfect people enter heaven. That is terrible news—until you understand the gospel. Because when you put your faith in Jesus, God covers you in the righteousness of Christ. He took your place. On the cross, God treated Him as if He were you. All your guilt, all your sin, all your punishment fell on Him so that all His righteousness could fall on you.

He gets what you deserve.
You get what He deserves.
No, that isn’t fair—and that’s why it’s called grace.

Christmas Had to Happen

If Jesus had not come in the flesh, none of this would be possible. There would be no salvation, no forgiveness, no hope beyond the grave.

This is why Paul writes:

“Great indeed… is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh…” (1 Tim. 3:16)

And John says:

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory…” (John 1:14)

Jesus did not come as a mascot, a symbol, or a sentimental figure to decorate our holidays. He came as our Savior.

That is the joy of Christmas Eve.
That is the wonder behind every carol and candle.
That is the meaning behind the manger.

The Greatest Gift

Everything under the tree is temporary. Let’s be honest—next year, many of them will be at a garage sale. But the gift Jesus offers—eternal life—is greater than anything money can buy.

Jesus came.
God became man.
And that is the greatest gift of all.