One night in Nazareth, God became man in the virgin womb of Mary, a young lady betrothed to Joseph. Three trimesters later, Jesus was born on Christmas day. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes (Lk. 2:7). Gentile worshipers brought him gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Mt. 2:11). The infant’s life was threatened by an evil king, but he escaped death (Mt. 2:13-15).
Thirty-three years later, Jesus had his life threatened again by evil rulers (Mt. 26:65-68). Instead of escaping, he volunteered to die (Jn. 10:18). At his death in Jerusalem, Israelite worshipers prepared spices and oils for him (Lk. 23:55-56; Jn. 19:39-40). He was wrapped in fine linens and buried in a virgin tomb, a tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea (Mt. 27:57-60; Lk. 23:53). Three days later, he was reborn on Easter Sunday.
As we celebrate the nativity of our Lord, let us recall the glorious providence of God. Let us remember that not only does Christ’s first coming look forward to his second coming, but that his birth out of the womb foreshadows his birth out of the tomb. King Jesus conquered death and now sits on heaven’s throne. We join his mother in singing these words from the Magnificat:
…he has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree…
It is by union with him that the church — the body of Christ — now partakes in crushing the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15; Rom. 16:20).
“Easter is a few months away,” you may be thinking. Yes, but Christmas is no less of a victory. The Bible ties both events together with such precision that the parallels are undeniable. This was no coincidence on the Holy Spirit’s part. He wants us to know the gospel story from beginning to end, right to left, inside and out. The tree that decorates your home is the tree that becomes the cross, after all.
The King is born! He is born, indeed!
Christmas, Easter, nativity, Resurrection, typology, virgin tomb, virgin womb
