12 Days of Christmas - The Real Story (Day 12) - The King is Come

Little Timothy was very excited about the Christmas presents that Christmas eve. It would be his first Christmas in their new home. He looked down on the shelf next to the Christmas tree and saw the nativity that his mother had set up. A rustic backdrop with a slanted roof and some wooden pillars resembled a small ancient barn. There were wise men and shepherds gathered around Mary and Joseph, and at the center a little manger with a baby inside.

“Tell me the story of the baby Jesus”, he asked his mother. “Oh, the story of Jesus being born in the manger?” she thought for a minute, and her mind flashed across the whole story of Christmas. She knew the story of the angels visiting Mary and Joseph, of their trip to Bethlehem, of the shepherds in the field and the wise men far in the east. She knew of the tower of the flock and of the star the wise men had seen.

In front of her was this incredible teaching tool: a nativity. All the main characters of the story were present, except for Herod, Zachariah, and Anna.

“Well,” she replied, “it began when an angel visited Mary and told her that she was going to have a baby.” She continued to tell the story of the angels and the arrival in Bethlehem, she told him all about the shepherds and what they saw when they found the little baby Jesus in the manger.

Little Timothy’s eyes were wide with amazement as he listened to the story with the little figurines helping transport him there to that little town so long ago. “But why did Jesus come down from heaven?” he asked.

“Because He needed to be born in order to live a perfect life.” she explained. “Do you remember the story of Adam and Eve, how they sinned and had to leave the garden?”

He jumped in with a quick excited answer, “And they ate fruit from the tree that God said not to eat from.”

“Yes,” his mother replied, “and so all of us have sin now, because we are all descendants of Adam and Eve. So, someone had to live a perfect life and then be punished for your sin and for my sin, or we wouldn’t be able to be with God, because God is holy.”

“Oh, so Jesus was born so he could be punished?” There was a little confusion in his little voice, so his mother did her best to explain, “Well, yes. Do you remember how the priests in the old testament would offer lambs on the alter for sacrifices for sin?” she asked.

“Yes”, he replied.

“Well, that’s because the punishment for sin is death. The lambs were killed in order to cover the sins of the people. But they had to keep offering sacrifice after sacrifice because the lambs could only cover their sins. They needed someone to come and live a perfect and sinless life and then take the punishment for sin in our place, which meant he had to die.”

“And that’s why Jesus died on the cross!” Timothy shouted.

“Yes, that’s it.” his mother said as she tried to calm him down with her hand. “Jesus came as the perfect Lamb of God and he was perfect and holy His whole life. Then, when He grew up, He died on the cross to pay for our sins. And then, He rose again and is back up in heaven now.”

The whole story had unfolded in front of him, and little Timothy was starting to get it. It’s a simple truth, although a lot of events surround the story. Scholars will debate the details until the end of time, but the truth of the story rings clear and simple. God came down, was born, and for a time, He lived on the earth.

In John 14:6, Jesus said in a reply to one of His disciples, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” There is only one way to be accepted of God the Father, and that is through the Son.

Timothy’s mother explained to him how he could have eternal life and have a relationship with the Creator God through the free gift that began with Jesus coming down and being born in that manger. She showed him the Romans road, and pointed out Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Have you accepted His gift?

Tomorrow, we will gather around the Christmas tree, with family all around us. We open presents as the wise men did so long ago. We will celebrate the most important story in all of history. Most likely, we will have a nativity or two nearby. Let’s make a special effort this year to tell the real story of Christmas and remember the gift that God gave to us!