Like A Winter Snow

One of the most important doctrines of Christianity states that Jesus is God. Make no mistake about it, Jesus was also a man, but somehow, God was able to clothe His deity in our weak humanity and the result was Jesus Christ.

But how do we know that Jesus was God? How can we look at this man and believe that he was truly God? Let’s be honest, there are a number of mere mortal men throughout history who have claimed to be God, and yet the one that has been able to convince more people of his deity has been Jesus. And so what makes his arguments so convincing.

The classical Christian answer to this question finds itself in the claims of Jesus himself. Jesus claimed to be God. Not only that, but the power that he displayed while he was on this earth through miracles and the wisdom that he espoused while on this earth all give testimony to his deity. Few historians will argue that Jesus actually walked and talked in first century Palestine. Few historians will deny that he was a miracle worker of some sort and a very wise teacher. For many Christians, these facts point to the fact that Jesus Christ was God.

But at Christmas time, I would like us to focus on what people claimed about Jesus and his God-ness long before he even uttered his first words.

Jesus’ character pointed to his deity. Audrey Assad has written a song called “Winter Snow” which describes how Jesus could have come to our world in power, he chose to come quietly and unexpectedly as a little baby. As I think about this, I realize that if I were God I would not chose to enter into our world in this way. I don’t think it would gain me any followers, but instead show a lack of power. Regardless of what I think it showed, there is one thing that I’m certain it did not show: Jesus is God. There is no sign of deity in the manger. So, if I were God, I wouldn’t choose to reveal myself to my creation in the humble way that Jesus chose. I would come like a mighty King. For Jesus, this might mean that he should come on a white horse with an army of angels. If I were to come out of heaven to earth today that would probably include some much more magical fanfare. I think I would have the sky open up just a little bit so I could fly my F-35 Joint Strike Fighter down out of the heavens. I would parachute out of the plane which would then transform into some sort of angelic robot. I would be 20 feet tall and stunningly beautiful. On my arm would be a 19 foot tall and equally beautiful-supermodel type wife who adored my every move and laughed at every joke.

But that isn’t how Jesus came. And this is one of the main reasons that I think he is God. No man would have chosen to live the way he lived. No man would have chosen the humble birthplace. No man who claimed to be God would ever be content not to have a roof over his head or money in his pockets and yet, this is precisely what we see Jesus do as a baby and throughout his whole life.

I am also amazed at the number of people who believed Jesus was God before he ever uttered a word. Donald Miller in his book, Searching for God Knows What, outlines this phenomenon. You had a group of shepherds, essentially the blue collar workers of the day, who believed that Jesus was God because some angels appeared to them and then they found this baby just like they were told they would. You have a group of Magi, whomever they may be, who followed a star and found the baby and worshiped him. You have King Herod who was so convinced that this baby was going to be a king that he had infant boys murdered in order to protect his rule.

Not only that, but as a baby, Jesus was brought into the temple by his parents where the gospel of Luke tells of two encounters. One was with an older gentleman named Simeon. Simeon had been told that he wouldn’t die until he saw the Messiah. Simeon takes Jesus and immediately breaks into song. I still think it is the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard, and I think that it sounds best in the old English of the King James Version:

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,
according to thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation
which thou hast preparest before the face of all people
a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel (Luke 2:29-32)

At the same time another woman, a prophetess named Anna comes and speaks to the people standing around Jesus. The Bible tells us that she spoke about the child as the one who would redeem Jerusalem.

And Jesus hadn’t even made a single claim about himself.

In fact, neither had Mary and Joseph. Luke tells us that they marveled at what was said about their son (Luke 2:33). This little baby. This little, helpless, weak, quiet baby. God in flesh.

And when I read these accounts, I see Kings, rich people, poor people, old people, working people, people of God and lay persons who, moved by the Spirit, looked at this child and saw God.

And if I were God. I wouldn’t have come this way. If I were God it would have been different. When we look at people who claim to be God it is never this way. This is why I think Jesus came quiet and soft and slow. I think this is why God clothed himself in our humanity the way that he did. Because no human in their right mind would do it that way. And I think this helps us understand that Jesus was not just a human, but also God.

He could have come like a mighty wind, with the strength of a hurricane… but he came like a winter snow.