December 25

The Child Jesus

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”  ––Matthew 2:13-15

Jesus came into the world the same way you and I did—in blood and water and a mother’s pain. Just because He was conceived immaculately doesn’t mean Mary breezed through the birth! And His birth was gritty. Was it in a livestock feeding trough (manger) in a barn, in a stable, or in a cave? If you visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the supposed spot is actually inside a cave. There are lots of theories, but what most historians agree on is that His birth happened under difficult circumstances:

• He was jostled on a donkey for a day and a half across ninety dusty miles to reach Bethlehem for the census.
• It was cold—December nights in Israel can dip into the thirties.
• Shortly after Jesus was born, Herod’s extreme fear of a rival “infant king” drove him to murder all of Bethlehem’s males under two, causing Joseph to flee with his family.
• They traveled hundreds of miles to Egypt, and lived as refugees there until Herod’s death—only to later reverse their steps and go home the same way.

And that was all before Jesus turned three.

When we read that Jesus suffered just like we do, we automatically think about His arrest, torture, and crucifixion. But here’s the thing: Jesus also suffered traumatic experiences as an infant. And with the help of modern neuroscience, we now know that the trauma we experience between the womb and age two can be some of the most difficult wounds to overcome.

Even before Jesus was born His life was fraught with hardship and danger. How about you? What did you suffer early in life? Perhaps it was your parent’s divorce, abandonment, or abuse. If so, Jesus was no stranger to similar wounds—the kind that happen very early in life. From day one Satan was trying to snuff Him out. (Can you imagine finding out later in life that because of You, baby boys in your father’s hometown were sacrificed? Heavy stuff.)

You have a Savior who can relate to your pain, even if your wounds go as far back as when you were a small boy. I encourage you to be kind to that kid inside you—the one who might have felt lonely, afraid, or abandoned. Jesus wants to heal not only the “adult you,” but those painful memories from when you were small. He understands. He went through rough stuff too—and overcame.

Father, thank You that You sent a Savior who was born just like I was, and who suffered trauma as well. But most of all, thank You that Jesus overcame the world and heals all my wounds.