by Shannon Caughey

It’s amazing the declarations that adults confidently make about babies: “Look at how big he is! He’s going to be a middle linebacker.” Or, “See how long her legs are? She’s got a great future in track!” Before the kid is a month old, their “athlete profile” is already being generated by those “in the know.”

What is said about Jesus goes further. Before Jesus is even born, a profile is being communicated about who he will be – by those who in this case really are “in the know.” Listen to what the angel Gabriel says to Mary, the future mother of Jesus, in Luke 1:31-32a: “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” Gabriel alludes to two truths about Jesus: he is both fully God (“the Son of the Most High”) and fully man (Mary will “give birth to a son”: he’s born as a human to a human mother). These two dimensions of Jesus’ profile set him apart from any other baby ever born – and they’re difference-makers for us. We’ll consider what this means in this devotion and the next, beginning with Jesus being fully God.

In Hebrews 1:1-3, we learn more about the one whose birth we celebrate at Christmas: “¹ Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. ² And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. ³ The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.”

Jesus is God’s Son: God in the flesh. He is the one through whom the universe was created. He is the one in whom we see God’s glory and character. He is the one by whom all things are sustained. Jesus is fully God. What difference does this make as we look to him?

1) We have confidence that God reveals himself to us through Jesus. Every person faces these fundamental questions: Is there a God and, if so, what is he like? Because God desires that we know definitively the answers to these questions, he comes all the way to us in Jesus. When we look to Jesus, we see the glorious God making himself known to us. Jesus shows us the character, heart, and purposes of God – and what that means for us personally. Jesus is fully God and reveals God to us.

2) We have confidence in Jesus’ power and greatness. Jesus is the one through whom the entire universe was created and who sustains it all by his mighty power. Therefore, nothing happening in our life or in this world is too big or too hard for him! He is greater than all and worthy of our complete trust. No matter what we’re facing, we can bring it to Jesus and hold fast to him. He is fully God with unmatched power and authority.

3) We have confidence in Jesus’ care. Jesus already demonstrated his compassion for us by addressing our deepest need: he “cleansed us from our sins” (v. 3) so that we can be rescued from our separation from God and reconciled to our loving Father. Jesus not only desires to care for us – he has the ability to address what he knows we need because he is fully God. We can rest in his love and compassion.

The baby born to Mary is the Son of the Most High who radiates God’s own glory. This Christmas, celebrate the amazing truth that God has come to us in Jesus Christ. As you’re willing to trust and follow Jesus, you’re placing your confidence in the one who is fully God.

For reflection: Take a few minutes to reflect on the fact that Jesus is fully God. Let this truth renew and deepen your confidence in him. Praise him because he is the Son of the Most High.