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Three Reasons Why the Incarnation Matters by Pastor Kevin Feder

By Anonymous
Every Christmas season I ask my kids what the incarnation means and they don’t know. This is a great reminder to never assume that your kids know what you are talking about when you use certain words. Remind yourself to frequently ask your kids if they know what a certain word means. They may not, and your family devotions will be the richer for it.

Incarnation refers to the idea that Jesus has taken on flesh and dwelled among us (John 1:14). I used to study Spanish and remember “carne” means meat, or flesh. My son was quick to point out the word carnivore is someone who eats meat. Thus, incarnation refers to Jesus taking on flesh.

There are glorious implications of Jesus taking on flesh. Here are three that you should consider:

God is represented to Mankind. When Jesus took on flesh and dwelled among us a strange and wonderful reality occurred, God became man. When Jesus took on humanity it was a great indication of God’s intention to move towards us, not away. In Christ, the almighty God is now brought before man in a way that even a child can understand. 

Man is represented to God. A second implication of the incarnation of Jesus is that mankind is now represented to God. Regular people now have a hearing in the presence of the Almighty God because Jesus is our ticket to the heavens. If you like studying Scripture, take a close look at Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28:12 with Nathaniel’s vision in John 1:51. Like a ladder or staircase makes a higher platform accessible to a lower one, so Jesus is our staircase to the presence of God that is now accessible to us in him.

Jesus is God and God is near. In John 1:14 we are told that the “Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The word for dwell is literally “tabernacle.” Going back to the Old Testament we know the function of the Tabernacle was designed to establish the presence of God. In other words, through the functionality of the tabernacle God’s presence was with his people in the wilderness. In a similar way Jesus is with his church as they trudge through the wilderness of this world in between his two advents. The reality is that God is near by the agency of the Holy Spirit, even when it feels like he isn’t. 

Jesus becoming flesh is the everlasting reality that what we see dimly now will eventually be crystal clear. After the second advent occurs none of God’s people will have any doubts about the nearness of God. The body of Christ that we will be able to see and touch and hear will eternally bear witness to it.
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