The Most Significant Event in History

About 2007 years ago, give or take, the most significant event in the history of the universe took place. A baby was born into a poor Jewish family in an area of the world under the occupation of the Roman Empire. This baby would grow up to be a carpenter for the majority of his life, living quietly and humbly in Nazareth, in Galilee. However, for the last three years of his life he would travel throughout Palestine teaching, healing, and challenging the conventional Jewish order. Without education, without an army, and without money, this Jesus of Nazareth would forever change the course of human history. But how?

Jews might call him a wise teacher or even a prophet, Muslims would describe him as a prophet, and Atheists would even label him as a great teacher and role model, but Christians describe him as God’s son, and God himself, who came to earth and put skin on his face.

The gospel of John describes the Christmas story much differently than the other gospels, but perhaps more profoundly. It might even be said that the following words are revolutionary:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.(John 1:1-4)

The Word refers to Jesus, being with the Father at the time of creation. The word is also God, and is the instrument by which all things have come into existence. Yet, this creator of the universe put skin on his face, came to Earth to suffer what we all suffer in life, and ultimately give his life to be punished as a common criminal on a cross.

The God of the universe came to a small planet in the milky way to save humanity. Here are some statistics to show you how profound this act of love was:

In the universe there are approximately 100 million galaxies. In each galaxy, there are on average 100 billion stars. This means that the universe contains approximate 10 octillion stars! That’s a big number to comprehend so let me try to help explain its immensity. Ten octillion would mean that each of the 6 billion human beings on earth could have 11 trillion stars per person, if we were to divide up the stars of the universe. The number of stars in the universe are equal to the number of grains of sand on all the beaches throughout the world!

And this Jesus, who created the universe in all his grandeur, came to Earth to live as a peasant, and ultimately die for the sin of the world because of His love for his creation, for those he created in His image.

That humbles me. Tomorrow, remember what you are celebrating and give thanks to what we are so blessed to have in the present, and the incredible revolutionary event that took place 2000 years ago in Bethlehem.

“Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning; Jesus, to Thee be all glory given; Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.”

Merry Christmas.