Introduction

We live in a troubled world today with many disasters and calamities around us. In business, especially in retail, Christmas is a time when they either make or break with all the sales. Christmas to many is also a nice holiday to be with family, buy some gifts for one another and have a meal together even in the midst of a global health crisis. As a Christian, is there something more to Christmas than all this revelry, fun and food? Many times, when we come to an event, we ask ourselves what is the origin of this event that we celebrate. Sad to say, after a long period of time, we lose the meaning and significance why things happen in the first place.

We go back 740 years before the birth of Christ to know why we remember Christmas. Isaiah the prophet predicted the birth of someone very special in his book, which comprises 66 chapters (like a complete bible), and tells the birth, life, death, resurrection and second coming of Christ. In chapter 9, we are given a glimpse of the nature and character of this person.

In verse 6, the prophet Isaiah made it clear that a special child was born and given to mankind for a special purpose. We know from another prophet, Micah, that Christ was born in Bethlehem, a very small town not far from Jerusalem. Bethlehem has an amazing background, history and future (Micah 5:2). There are 5 descriptive words that will showcase the personage and very character of Christ who was born on Christmas day.

1. Wonderful

In Hebrew, the word “Wonderful” has a sense of mystery, high and lofty concept. The original word can be rendered as wonder of a counsellor, and there are 3 ways this is displayed in Christ:

• (a) Christ is wonderful in the way He was born.

Isaiah 7:14 tells us how this child was born. Normally, a child is born as a result of two persons in marriage and the wife gives birth after pregnancy. This birth is wonderful in the sense that the virgin Mary conceived and bore Jesus the son without the help of Joseph, her husband-to-be. Humanly speaking, it is impossible. This is the only case in the world where God allows Mary to conceive of the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus Christ, and born of her alone and not from her and Joseph. In the Bible context, words used to describe a birth are usually plural and masculine. In the case of Mary’s birth, it was singular and feminine. This is significant because if Christ was born of Joseph and Mary, he would receive the original sin that comes from man. In this case, without the involvement of man, Christ was without sin.

• (b) Christ is wonderful in His humanity (how He became a man)

1 Timothy 3:16 tells us that God was manifest in the flesh. God is a spirit and has no dimensions. But the second person of the Trinity took on human form, with a living soul, and subject to the vagaries of the demands of a human body in order to qualify to die for us. That amazing transformation from God in heaven to become a man is beyond any human comprehension. Imagine becoming an ant and living among the ant community. Is that conceivable? For God who is the sovereign creator of the universe, Christ limited himself and became a man to die on the cross on our behalf. John 1:14 describes the whole process of God becoming man. In John 1:17, John identified this person as the incarnation of Christ, the Son of God from heaven.

• (c) Christ is wonderful in His Humility

If a king comes to this earth, we expect him to be born in a royal family with pomp and pageantry and great expectations. But this scene did not happen in the birth of Christ. He was born in an insignificant town, which would have been unknown if Christ was not born there. Not many lived there and there were not many visitors or inns. He grew up in Nazareth, which only had shepherds who attend to sheep. There was no expectation of anything coming from these small towns. The greatest humility was the humility to the cross; that Christ was born, lived and walked the way of the cruel cross of execution on our behalf. Luke recorded that Mary saw all these things and pondered in her heart what would become of her son one day.

2. Counsellor

The word invariably brings to mind: is He going to give us advice?

The coming of Christ is to give purpose, direction and guidance to the people of the world. The word counsel, in the original, has a sense of giving purpose, meaning and advice to people. We live in a world of consultancy; we seek advice on how to build a building, start a company, and have a family and medical consultation. These engineers and accountants are counsellors in a sense, who help us in our lives.

Is it possible to have one person who has all the knowledge, as a one-stop counsellor, who can give us advice for life? The Bible says Jesus Christ is that Divine counsellor. Isaiah 46:10 tells us that His counsel will stand forever, is everlasting, sure and absolutely true.

How do I get the counsel from this Counsellor? You need to know Him and trust Him before you can ask Him for His eternal counsel.

The most important counsel in life is not about making money, buying a car, or a house. It is the true direction in the way of life.

The psalmist said, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105). One of the sources of counsel is the word of God, which is the basis of knowing the directions in life. Psalm 119:24 stresses that “Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.” The more you know the word of God, the more you know the counsel of God to guide you in the right and correct purpose and directions in life.

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