Why Christmas is More Than Just a Date
Every year, we gather to celebrate Christmas—with decorations, family, gifts, and traditions passed down through generations. But somewhere along the way, it’s easy for the meaning to grow unfamiliar, even distant. We live in a commercialized world; should we expect any less? A world that often even questions Jesus’s very existence, let alone gives up whole days (Easter, Palm Sunday, and others included).
We often hear the question: Was Jesus really born on December 25th? And the honest answer is—we don’t know for certain. Differences in ancient calendars make it impossible to pinpoint an exact date (however, I’m sure someone has). But the significance of Christmas has never rested on a calendar date.
In many ways, it’s like how we celebrate our children’s birthdays. Sometimes the actual day falls in the middle of the week, so we choose a nearby weekend, so the family can gather, joy can be shared, and the celebration can be fully experienced. The day we choose doesn’t change why we’re celebrating.
Christmas works the same way. What matters is not the exact date, but the eternal reason.
Jesus did not enter the world by accident, nor simply to give us a story for one season of the year. According to Matthew’s Gospel, His birth was intentional, promised, and purposeful. From the very beginning, the child in the manger was the King who came to save—and the Savior who came to suffer.
The cradle was always pointing to the cross.
Matthew’s Perspective: A King Has Come
Matthew opens his Gospel not with a scene, but with a genealogy, deliberately reminding us that Jesus did not just appear suddenly in history. He came as the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises, given through prophecy and scripture, traced through Abraham and David.
This matters because Matthew is writing to express to us that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah—the one true King—sent exactly as God had planned.
The angel’s words to Joseph make the purpose of Jesus’ birth unmistakably clear:
“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)
Before Jesus ever healed the sick, taught the crowds, cast out demons, or walked the dusty roads of Galilee, His purpose and mission were already declared.
He was born to redeem.
He was born to pay our debt. One we could never repay.
Born to Be a Sacrifice
Matthew records the humble circumstances of Jesus’ birth—to a teenage virgin, visited by Magi, threatened by a jealous king, and marked by suffering almost immediately. Herod’s violence forces Mary and Joseph to flee, reminding us that the world would resist this King from the very start.
Jesus’ life unfolds in obedience and compassion. After being baptized as a man by John the Baptist and being tempted by the devil, He goes on teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven, calls sinners to repentance, and reveals what it truly means to live in righteousness. Yet woven through Matthew’s account is a steady movement toward Jerusalem.
Toward betrayal.
Toward the cross.
Jesus was not simply a good teacher who met an unfortunate end. Matthew makes it clear: this was the plan. From His birth, Jesus was walking toward the moment when He would become the final sacrifice—the payment for sin once and for all.
From the Cross to the Empty Tomb
Matthew records the weight of the crucifixion with reverence and restraint. Jesus is mocked, beaten, and crucified, yet even in His suffering, Scripture is being fulfilled. As Jesus cries out and gives up His spirit, the earth itself responds. The skies darkened, and the temple curtain was torn in two, symbolizing that the barrier between God and man has been removed. The payment has been made.
But the story does not end in death.
On the third day, the tomb is empty.
The same Jesus who was born in humility, lived in obedience, and died as a sacrifice rises in victory, defeating sin, conquering death, and securing hope.
Why This Story Changes Everything
Christmas is not the beginning of a sweet story; it is the opening chapter of salvation.
Jesus became a man because only a perfect man (The Spotless Lamb) could stand in our place. He was born so that He could die. And He died so that we might live by accepting the truth of Him and believing in His sacrifice.
When we celebrate Christmas, we are not merely celebrating a birth—we are remembering a rescue. And that truth calls us not just to joy, but to reverence. Not just to tradition, but to worship.
So I invite you, as you’re celebrating this wonderful day, to lift up prayers of thankfulness and humble assurance to our Lord Jesus Christ!
And if you haven’t ever accepted Him, believed in Him, and repented of your sins, I encourage you to do so! Jesus and the angels always celebrate the birth of a new believer! And so do I!💕 Let me know in the comments if you need prayers or even help with a prayer of salvation, I’m always here to help!
Merry Christmas, Everyone! Praying Blessings for all!
