Good News: A Savior Was Born

I was thinking about some of those people who were caught in the recent tornado in Kentucky. I heard one man from his hospital bed telling of his harrowing experience. He described how the roof lifted off the building and the walls collapsed on him and his co-workers. He said he was at the very bottom of the pile, pinned under all the rubble. As tremendous pressure was weighing down on his body, he could only slightly move one arm, just enough to raise himself up so that he could continue to breathe. He and others with him were stuck. They couldn’t get out to save themselves. All they could do was wait for someone to come and rescue them. When help came, they were finally able to get enough of the debris off these victims in order to free them from their storm-created prison.

The Jews in Jesus’ day were also looking for a rescuer. They were stuck under the oppression of the powerful Roman Empire with no way to free themselves. They were expecting a savior who would establish his earthly kingdom and return control of their homeland back to the Jewish people. However, when Jesus came, it wasn’t to be a political savior for the Jews. Jesus came to be the Savior of the whole world. He saw more than the Jews stuck under Roman rule. He saw a world that was pinned under the weight of sin. He knew that the greatest need people had, including the Jewish people, was to be delivered from their spiritual bondage.

That’s a predicament we’re all helpless to free ourselves from. Until we experience salvation through Christ, we’re trapped and can’t do anything about our spiritual plight. We can’t fight against sin in our own strength and win. We can’t be good enough to crawl out of our lost condition. We will inevitably fall prey to bad actions, ungodly attitudes, or impure motives, causing us to sink deeper and deeper into the rubble. There is no way out on our own. We need a rescuer. And that’s where Jesus came in. He was born to be our Savior. He came to deliver us from the awful weight of sin, shame, and guilt that has kept us down. He came to set us free to live life the way God intended – in a right relationship with Him, enjoying His fellowship, and becoming a holy people.

This is why the angel in his famous announcement referred to this as good news: “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). The fact that a Savior was born is what made it such good news. If God had come in the flesh as our Judge, we would’ve been in big trouble. Or if the one true Light of the world had shone in the darkness simply to show us the reality of our sinful condition, that wouldn’t have been enough. It would just expose our need to be saved. Thankfully, Jesus came to do more than that. He came not only to reveal our sin, but also to save us from it.

The fact that a Savior was born is what makes everything else we remember about Jesus’ birth so meaningful and such an occasion for joy. It’s what makes it good news. So as we celebrate Christmas, let’s rejoice in Him as our Savior. Or if you’re still stuck under sin’s bondage, reach out to Him and let Him rescue you today.