The rejoicing of Christmas is in the risen Christ…
Matthew 27:50-53 and 29:5-6 NKJV
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many . . . But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
Matthew 27:50-53 & 29:5-6
The Messiah prophecies. Angelic announcements. Faith-filled men and women. A wrinkled infant sleeping among livestock. Worship, wrath, and running. Protection and praise. All of these lead to one seminal event. If we want to know the meaning of Christmas, we must look forward.
The purpose of Christmas was the cross.
And the rejoicing of Christmas is in the risen Christ.
At the moment Jesus gave up His precious life, the veil of the temple was torn in half. The veil was the symbolic separation of a holy God from sinful humanity. Jesus had probably been to the temple in Jerusalem many times and looked on this very veil, knowing that soon He would take it away forever. It wasn’t needed anymore. Jesus’s sacrificial death erased all that limits our personal access to God. Now, the Bible says, we can go boldly before His throne.
Christmas has no meaning without Easter. Just as God’s prophecies said, the Messiah would be condemned and executed like a criminal, even though He had done no wrong. Just as God planned, the Messiah bore our sins on the cross. Just as God planned, Jesus rose from the dead and defeated death. Because He was born, we can be born again. Because He died, we can die to sin. Because He rose again, we can live forever with Him.
Christ is Christmas.