The cry as they walked through the corridor to the death chamber,
“Dead man walking,” how final, how seemingly irrevocable, and regardless of your
view on capital punishment, most people cannot help but be left with a sense of
uneasiness at the execution of a fellow human being. "Dead man walking." A forecast of
doom, the ultimate declaration of guilt, and an appropriate moniker for a
deserving inmate on death row.
But how would you feel if you visited the maternity ward at
one of the numerous hospitals in the world, and amidst the cries of the newborn
and the excited celebration of their families could be heard the cry resonating
in a deserted passageway -- "Dead man walking?" And yet on that night in Bethlehem, as a myriad of angels burst into ecstatic praise heralding the birth of a special Baby in
that hastily arranged and rustic labor ward, an alternative to that celestial
composition entitled "Glory to God in the Highest" could very well
have been "Dead Man Walking." For
on that night in the little town of Bethlehem, while shepherds did what
shepherds do, wise men studied the stars, and kings assessed their political
futures. Priests sought to defend the faith by upholding the status quo and
adhering to tradition; a baby was born to die.
The very announcement of His birth was also a proclamation
of His impending execution. Jesus was not
born to live a charmed life, but He was taken to face execution. It was not to
receive the adulation of ululating crowds that Christ came into the world that
night in Bethlehem, but it was to be murdered. The King of kings did not come to
ride in regal grandeur but to be led like a lamb for slaughter.
The son of God was not afforded the mercy of lethal
injection, the electric chair, or the hangman’s noose. No, nothing as merciful
as that. But instead the one that came to bring light into the world was
destroyed upon an object of abject torture. On a hill far away, on an old
rugged cross, on an instrument of torture devised in the cauldron of hell by
Satan himself and ultimately applied by human agents. Some of those human
agents raised their voices a few days before His death, shouting,
"Hosanna to the Son of David." They now joined the very forces of
evil in human form, standing in the courts of Pilate chanting, "Crucify Him,
crucify Him."
Born to die -- in agonizing tones of bewildered prediction, the prophets had scratched out on tablets of clay, on papyrus sheets, and
scrolls of parchment the sometimes-cryptic clues as to the destiny of the Son
of God:
Genesis 3:15
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and
between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall
bruise him on the heel."
Isaiah 53:1-12
1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of
the LORD been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a
root out of the parched ground; He has no {stately} form or majesty that we should
look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. 3 He was despised and forsaken of men, a man
of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their
face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely our griefs He bore, and our
sorrows He carried; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and
afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through
for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for
our well-being {fell} upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, each
of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
to fall on Him. 7 He was oppressed, and
He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to
slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not
open His mouth. 8 By oppression and
judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He
was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people
to whom the stroke {was due?} 9 His
grave was assigned with wicked men. Yet, He was with a rich man in His death,
because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth. 10 But the LORD was pleased to crush Him,
putting {Him} to grief; if He would render himself {as} a guilt offering, He
will see {His} offspring, He will prolong {His} days, and the good pleasure of
the LORD will prosper in His hand. 11 As
a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see {it} and be satisfied; by His
knowledge the Righteous One, My servant will justify the many, as He will bear
their iniquities. 12 Therefore, I will
allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the
strong; because He poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the
transgressors; yet He bore the sin of many, and interceded for the
transgressors.
The heavenly celebration of joy that appeared in that little
town of Nazareth did not initially allude to the ultimate purpose for His
coming to this earth:
Luke 1:26-32
26 Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from
God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth,
27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the descendants of David; the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, "Hail,
favored one! The Lord {is} with you."
29 But she was greatly troubled at {this} statement and kept pondering
what kind of salutation this might be. 30
And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found
favor with God. 31 "And behold, you
will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 "He will be great, and will be called
the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His
father David;
But in appearing to Joseph, the purpose is outlined in the
explanation of His Name:
Matthew 1:18-21
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His
mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was
found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to
disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly.
20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be
afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is
of the Holy Spirit.
21 "And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His
name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins."
The writer Ellen White records for us:
“Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated
as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that
we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He
suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was
His. "With His stripes, we are healed."
This year, as the world focuses on the glamour and glitter,
the glory and grandeur of the birth of the Babe of Bethlehem, let us recognize
that His birth, death, and resurrection had been determined from before the
beginning of time as the ultimate solution to the problem of sin in our
lives. May we recognize this Christmas
that the Supreme Giver provided the ultimate Gift: the gift of forgiveness for our sins, the gift
of freedom from our guilt, the gift of unconditional acceptance, the gift of
the assurance of salvation, and the gift of eternal life.
On that night in the little town of Bethlehem, while
shepherds did what shepherds do, wise men studied the stars, and kings
assessed their political futures. Priests sought to defend the faith by
upholding the status quo and adhering to tradition; a baby was born to die for
you and me.
Most importantly we must remain watchful because as shepherds
are still doing what shepherds do, wise men are studying the financial and
economic indicators, politicians are still assessing their political futures,
and the church seeks to defend the faith by upholding the status quo and
adhering to tradition; the Son of God, no longer as a baby, no longer as a suffering
servant, but this time as a conquering King in royal splendor riding on the
clouds in heavenly majesty, is preparing to come again!
Yes, He was born to die but rose triumphantly over sin
and death. And He is preparing to come again. I pray to God that as we
celebrate His birth today, we will not reject His death on the cross for us
and that we will be ready for His Second Coming to this earth.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
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