What Child Is This?

 

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:28-30 ESV).

 

Though we celebrate Jesus’ birth and the gift of salvation with joy and gladness, it’s important to note that our salvation has come at a terrible cost. God’s grace and salvation are free to us, but these amazing gifts come only through the excruciating death of our Lord, who laid down his own life to pay the price of our sin for us. As we sing “What Child Is This,” a well-known and loved text set to the old English tune “Greensleeves,” we again review the story of the birth of Jesus.

 

The first stanza tells the story of Christ the King’s humble birth, as we have noted a lot this month. And the second stanza points directly to the reason why Jesus came. It sings of the salvation this baby would provide, and it describes in detail the suffering he would endure to bring us salvation. “Nails, spear shall pierce him through, the cross be borne for me, for you.” In one stunning line this song describes the suffering that Christ would take on for us all. This is a humbling reminder that Jesus, the “King of kings,” was born in humiliation and had to suffer to save us from our sin. And he did all of this willingly, out of his great love for us.

 

The song begins with a simple question, to which the answer too is simple — and yet deeply moving. “What child is this?” He is Jesus, born to save us. The closer we get to Christmas Day, the easier it is to get caught up in all the festivity of the holiday. Family and friends, food and celebration, gifts to share and receive all are wonderful ways to express our joy and gladness for the birth of Jesus. However, we cannot forget the great price that Jesus paid to give us this freedom. There really is no way to fully comprehend this sacrifice. His love for us is incalculable. His grace is immeasurable. Celebrate greatly this season… but remember the price that Jesus paid for our celebration!