Sin, Sorrow, and the Joy of Christmas

The lights glow softly, the Christmas music plays, and wondrous thoughts of the birth of our Savior fill our minds. What a blessing it is for the believer who still finds childlike joy at this time of year. Being “grown-up” is a bit over-rated because being “grown-up,” according to the world, usually entails a constant stiff upper lip and a cynical heart. There are times to be stout, conceal your emotion, and be a bit guarded, but these virtues can be turned into vices too often. Just as there is a time to be immovable, there is also a time to be moved. Some events should stir our hearts and move us in childlike wonder, and the birth of Jesus is one of those moments, especially when we consider it in light of the curse of sin and the resulting pain of childbirth.

Sin is our greatest enemy, and it has been ever since the fall. In our natural condition, with hard hearts, we are the makers of our own demise. We despise what is good, and we love that which will hurt us; we are prone to our own destruction. Worse, we are continually heaping upon ourselves the wrath of a holy and just God who will not let any sin go unpunished. The thought of such things should cause us to tremble.

If this were where the story ended, there would be no hope for any of us, but as we know, in the garden after the fall, God promised that He was going to provide a seed who would be the remedy for our sin (Gen 3:15). What is often missed is that right after this promise, He also pronounced a curse upon mankind for their sinful act of rebellion. One aspect of that curse was that God Himself would cause children to be brought forth in sorrow (Gen. 3:16). Why would God do such a thing after such an incredible promise? Of all the female creatures on this earth, it seems that humans have the greatest sorrow during childbirth, but this sorrow is not without hope. Every time a woman grieves during the pain of delivery, it is a reminder of the curse and the seriousness of sin. The same applies when we experience pain and futility in our work (Gen. 3:17). It is a proclamation of our depraved condition, but that is not all it is. It is also a gesture of God’s love for His people because He does not want us to evade the knowledge of our sinful condition and neglect the promised seed.

As Mary gave birth that night in the stable, she undoubtedly lamented in pain. Anyone who has considered her travail has heard her proclamation of the tyranny of sin. In sorrow, she gave birth, but the Child was to be the death of her sorrow and even the death of death itself. Like Rachel giving birth to Benjamin, she may have had the desire to call Him Benoni, the son of her sorrow, but the Father, God Himself, had already declared Him to be the Son of His Right Hand. His name was to be Jesus, for He was to save His people from their sins.

Christ, God incarnate, had entered our sin-riddled world. He was to be known as the Man of Sorrows from his first breath, and He would endure it all because of His great love for us. All we, like sheep, have gone astray, but as Christ suffered the sorrows of this fallen world, He never faltered in His righteousness. He then, like a lamb, went willingly to the slaughter, never once opening His mouth in protest as he bore the wrath of God in our place. Without fail, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and by His stripes, we are healed.

If this Christmas season is passing you by, and the thoughts of your Savior have not yet moved you to worship, may the meditation of our great God and his gospel invigorate our sin-embattled hearts and produce once again the childlike wonder of the Christmas season. Through faith, He is the joy of our salvation. Though sorrow may still be a part of living in this fallen world, you can have joy in the knowledge that any sins over which you mourn, and any sorrows you face, have been conquered by the child who was born in the manger: Jesus Christ the Lord. 

“He has come to make his blessings flow, far as the curse is found.“

-D. Eaton