She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

Jesus is a great name. It means “Jehovah saves.” It’s the same as the Old Testament name “Joshua.” This child — holy and kingly God-man that He is — came to be a savior. This is how His birth is announced to the shepherds:

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11)

I can stand back and admire God in human flesh. I can stand back and admire the perfect man, Jesus. I can stand back and admire the sinless, holy One. I can admire Him for His sovereign kingship. But the only way I can ever know Him is if He will forgive my sins. And He came to do just that.

When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple, a man named Simeon recognized Him as the promised savior:

And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation. (Luke 2:27-30)

Christ came to the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). And that meant He had to go to the cross and provide a ransom for sin. He had to be our substitute so that God, having been satisfied that our sins were paid for, could then give us forgiveness. It never would have been enough if He had just come as the God-man, the sinless sovereign, if He didn’t die and rise again. And that’s why the Christmas carols make so much of that:

In David’s town this day is born of David’s line the Savior who is Christ the Lord.

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns.

Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.

Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth.

The King of kings salvation brings.

Who is this child? He was the most astonishing child ever given to parents. Mary must have been amazed at what she heard. She must have been continually amazed to contemplate what was in her womb as it grew. She must have been amazed when she wrapped that little life and looked into the face of that God-man and laid Him in a manger. She must have been amazed when shepherds came, and later when wise men came.

She must have been astounded at His holiness, at the absence of any sin in His life. She must have been amazed that day when her heart was pierced and she stood at the foot of the cross and saw what was going on to this holy offspring. And she must have been astonished at the resurrection and when she gathered in the upper room with the 120 disciples and received the Holy Spirit. Joseph, too, must have been continually amazed. And likewise Elizabeth, Zechariah and all of the family’s friends.

Now, if they were amazed, how amazed should those of us who know the whole story be? They were only seeing the front end, but we see it all through the revelation of Scripture. We have the fullness of the revelation of the greatness of this child. And so we must embrace Him as the God-man, the sinless savior who will someday be the sovereign king of the universe.

However, those who knew Jesus as a child, those who lived and died before the closing of the New Testament canon, were not left totally in the dark as to Jesus’ nature. Long before Jesus was born, His life and mission had been described in the promises of the Old Testament. This will be the topic of the next post.

This post is based on a sermon Dr. MacArthur preached in 1998, titled “The Greatest Child Ever Born.”