The Christmas story is the story of God almighty taking on humanity. That’s difficult to get your head around but it’s what the Bible teaches. Through a special work of the Holy Spirit Jesus took to himself a human nature from the Virgin Mary. For starters there’s the huge obstacle of the virgin birth. Virgins don’t normally have babies. More than once I’ve met someone who had great respect for the person of Jesus Christ and for His teachings but who balked at the idea of a virgin birth. I understand that. It’s not for nothing that we who are Christians speak of the miracle of the virgin birth. And that’s just the point isn’t it? If there is a God in heaven and if that God is powerful enough to have created this world out of nothing, then He can certainly create for Himself a body in the womb of a virgin.
However, for many folk there is another stumbling block… an even bigger one. Why should God take on a human nature? It’s rather mind boggling to think that the Creator of the universe should take on the form of a creature. I’m not sure that there are any suitable comparisons. Someone once suggested to me that it would be a little like me taking the form of an ant. Perhaps! Not long ago I was reading the story of a man from a different religious background who had been considering Christianity. He put the problem very bluntly, even somewhat crudely. He confessed that his biggest obstacle to embracing the Christian faith was that he couldn’t get his head around the idea of a God who had to go to the toilet. That’s a very telling comment on the Christmas story. We love the picture of Jesus lying in a cattle feeding trough. “Away in a manger, no crib for his bed…!” But His mother Mary had to change his stinky nappies and wipe His bottom for Him.
There are two things I want to say to people who struggle with that. First of all the Bible teaches clearly that Jesus came into this world to be our substitute. He came to take my place. We humans rebelled against God way back at the dawn of human history. It was a human being who sinned and brought the curse upon God’s good creation. It’s a human being who has to pay the penalty and undo the curse. No animal sacrifice in the Old Testament ever took away human sin. All those animal sacrifices were pointing to the dying of the Lord on Good Friday. A God who has to go to the toilet is wonderful proof that He is like me… able to take my place and bear my punishment.
The other thing I want to say to people who struggle with the idea that we have a God who took on a human nature is that we should see it in the same terms as the apostle Paul. Paul, in the second chapter of his letter to the Philippians, speaks of Jesus laying aside every claim to divinity. Paul says that at Christmas Jesus humbled himself. He humbled Himself and took on the form of a servant. In fact Paul goes much further that saying that we should come to terms with the idea of a God who has to go to the toilet. We have to come to terms with God who has to die. Jesus humbled Himself. How much did He humble Himself? He humbled Himself even to the point of death.
Many years ago I heard the story of a medieval painter who painted the nativity scene. But he did it in such a way that the shadow the beams of the stable fell across the manger in the form of a cross. I googled that idea to try to find out who of the old masters painted that picture, only to find that we have hundreds of modern imitations. They portray this truth that we cannot separate Christmas and Good Friday. Jesus took on humanity in order to die in my place and reconcile me to God. He died to lift the curse that came because of Adam’s sin.
As a Christian I don’t find it difficult to believe in a God who had to go to the toilet. I find it wonderfully comforting for it gives tangible expression to the truth that we have a most suitable Saviour and Redeemer.
John Westendorp