Advent: Why did Jesus Come? (Part 2)

Christmas is God’s declaration that He has not abandoned a broken world.

John 1:1-18 - ¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) ¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

How do you feel around Christmas time? I ask because, for some, it brings warmth and joy. For others, it awakens grief, loss, or unresolved pain. I have heard stories of families breaking apart on Christmas Day and of loved ones buried during what should have been a season of celebration. If that is your story, hear this: Christmas is God’s declaration that He has not abandoned a broken world. At Christmas, God took on flesh in Jesus to enter our pain to redeem what sin has shattered— our humanity and reclaim the image of God in us.

The problem is that most people treat Christmas as a cultural celebration, and not as a cosmic event. They celebrate tradition but miss the incarnation of God. They need to know that unless they realize that, they will never understand why Jesus came.

We return to John 1:1–18 to ask: Why did Jesus come?

The big idea is that Christmas is not a cultural celebration of tradition but the celebration of the incarnation of God which calls us to reflect on why Jesus came. On Christmas, do you celebrate a tradition or the incarnation of God? John 1:1-18 outlines three reasons for which Jesus came: to reveal God’s heart, redeem our humanity, and rescue us from hell. Last time, we focused on the revelation of God’s heart. Today, we turn to the redemption of our humanity.

Jesus Came to Redeem Our Humanity

John 1:14 says: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The Word Became Flesh

The eternal God became what He never was— fully human, without ceasing to be what He always was— fully God. The truth that should be celebrated on Christmas is that God didn’t pretend to be human; rather, He became human.

He Dwelt Among Us 

The Greek phrase, “dwelt among us,” means “to tabernacle.” In the Old Testament, God’s presence was hidden behind a veil representing distance. In Jesus, God steps out into the open and pitched His tent among sinners. The truth that should be celebrated on Christmas is that the holy God chose proximity over distance.

He Revealed Glory, Grace, and Truth

The first time we looked at this verse, we established that Jesus revealing glory, grace, and truth makes Christianity unique because on Christmas, the incarnation of God ended humanity’s wasteful quest to find God— God Himself came to find us. The truth that should be celebrated on Christmas is that Christianity is not about humanity climbing up to God but about God coming down to us because His goal was not to improve humanity, say humanity 2.0, but to redeem it.

Because in Genesis 1:26, when God was done creating everything, He created His masterpiece with a special personal touch. It says, “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”” God simply could not abandon His image bearers and likeness holders. He came to redeem what is His eternally. His method was redemption and the means by which He redeemed humanity was His only Son, Jesus.

What Is Redemption?

Redemption means reclaiming what has been lost, stolen, or enslaved. Genesis 3 tells us that, in Eden, we lost more than innocence— our humanity was stolen by sin and we were made slaves to its consequence, death and eternal death.

Jesus came to liberate us by redeeming our humanity. In Scripture, redemption always depends on the redeemer, not on the enslaved. In ancient Israel, a kinsman-redeemer could pay the price and bring a family member home. Jesus did that to bring us back to His family. He redeemed us by paying the price with His blood to cleanse the stain of sin, because sin enslaved us. Sin shattered our fellowship with God and corrupted humanity so deeply that every aspect of our being— mind, emotions, and will— was affected. Theologians call this corruption total depravity; not that we are as evil as possible, but that sin has touched every part of our humanity so that is who we are, leaving us incapable of returning to God on our own.

Therefore, God intervened. He took on flesh, came into this world, not to reform us, but to transform us. In other words, Jesus did not come to make bad people better; He came to redeem broken humanity. This is why the incarnation is necessary. Jesus did not merely forgive sins; He restored what sin distorted. As a result, redemption changes not only where we are going, but how we live now. In doing so, Jesus reshapes how we see, why we live, and what we value or love most. In other words, Jesus gives us new perspective, purpose, and priority.

Jesus Gives Us a New Perspective So That We May See Everything Differently (John 1:1-5)

Jesus does not merely give insight; He defines reality. The context of John 1:14 is that before Christ, humanity lived in darkness. John 1:1-5 reads, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Jesus didn’t just come to give us a better point of view; He came to be the Light that defines reality. Before Jesus, our reality was distorted by darkness, so we leaned on human wisdom, fear, and cultural trends. Humanity was armed with wisdom that could not save and religious zeal that could not reach God.

It is like walking through a familiar room in complete darkness. You know what should be there, but you keep colliding with things. John declares that Jesus is the true Light. When the Light comes, clarity replaces confusion. Only then do we see that every person has dignity and every trial has hope because darkness cannot overcome His light.

Application

If you are a follower of Jesus, stop looking at your life with an old perspective because we are redeemed so that we may have a new perspective; not the perspective of slaves living in darkness, but of children who belong to Light. How long will you look at your problems through the darkness of your circumstances instead of through the Light of the Word? How long will you try to “light your own way” instead of walking in the Light of Christ?

Jesus Gives Us a New Purpose So That We May Live Every Day Differently (John 1:6-13)

John 1:6-8, “⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.” John introduces John the Baptist as a man who had only one purpose which was to point away from himself and towards Jesus.

John 1:9-13 describes those who don’t believe in Jesus and contrasts with those who do receive Jesus and gain a new perspective and purpose so that they may live every day differently. The contrast is that without Jesus, we try to find purpose in our careers, our families, or our achievements. We find our identity in bloodline, family heritage, social status, and even religious fervency. Our purpose doesn’t come from what we do or how much we accomplish; it comes from God. Jesus came to redeem our humanity so that we could enter His family. This changes our purpose from striving to belonging.

Last week for our podcast, I was interviewing an author who works among young people. She said one of the biggest challenges young people are facing today is belongingness. I say that is the challenge of every human, along with the search for the purpose of life.  

Application

Purpose does not come from achievement; it comes from belonging. Our old purpose was defined by effort and status. Our new purpose is defined by adoption. We no longer work to become someone. We work because we belong to Someone. In short, your purpose is not your productivity. You are a child of God. You cannot be fired from sonship or retired from daughtership. So, live for one purpose: to be witnesses of Christ and reflect the Father.

Jesus Gives Us a New Priority So That We May Love and Value Everything Differently (John 1:14-18)

Now we are back to John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son[d] from the Father, full of grace and truth” followed by John 1:15 which shows the priority of John the Baptist again, “¹⁵ (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)”

John 1:16-17 outlines our new priority by saying, “¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” What we see here is that before redemption, the priority was law, which is nothing but performance without rest. The problem with that is that the law demands but cannot deliver. Now the law doesn’t need to be the Ten Commandments; it could be anything that we are enslaved to, say social media, professional success, and trying to be “good enough.”

Jesus replaces striving with fullness. So, our priority should not be doing things but experiencing “grace upon grace.” It should be dwelling in Jesus who came to dwell among us. We do that by abiding in His presence. Jesus didn’t just come to rearrange our schedules; He came to replace them. The religious “to-do list” that kept us slaves to the Law with the fullness of grace. No more should we be slaves to the religious and social demands of “do more, be better, work harder.” That never ends and is exhausting. John says that Jesus came to redeem humanity so that we may receive grace upon grace. It's like waves crashing onto the shore. One wave of grace followed by another. That is the rhythm of a redeemed life.

Application

Stop trying to do enough for God. Abide in the One who has already done everything for you and is enough for you.

Closing Thought

As I close, imagine what it will feel like if we make Jesus our priority. Jesus came to redeem our humanity so that our “to-do list” can be replaced by a “done list.” This Christmas, I implore you to step out of darkness into the Light, stop striving and start abiding, and receive what grace has already provided.

Action Step

• First, ask yourself, how has Jesus given me a new perspective in a situation where fear, confusion, or darkness once dominated?

• Second, stop trying to light your own way and step into the Light of the World, Jesus, who came to reveal God’s heart, redeem our humanity, and rescue us from hell.

Appeal

• If you don’t know Jesus and have never accepted Him as your Lord and Savior, this Christmas, receive Jesus.

• If you have received Jesus but lack a faithful walk with Him, this Christmas, recommit your life to Him. When you do that, He will give you a perspective that outlasts the grave, a purpose that exceeds your talent, and a priority that offers true rest.

• If you are tired, grieving, confused, or burdened, let Christmas, the birth of Jesus, the incarnation of God, remind you that God is not distant from your pain. He stepped into it.

Christmas is God’s declaration that He has not abandoned a broken world. It shows God didn’t abandon His image bearers and likeness holders. He came to redeem what is His eternally. At Christmas, God took on flesh in Jesus Christ to enter our pain and redeem what sin has shattered—the image of God. You are God’s image bearer.

Inductive Bible Study: Observation, Interpretation, Application

• Observation                 https://www.kathyhoward.org/10-observation-tips-for-better-bible-study/

• Interpretation               https://www.kathyhoward.org/4-tips-to-help-you-understand-the-bible/

• Application                  https://www.kathyhoward.org/4-ways-you-can-apply-scripture-to-your-life/

Observation: What Does the Text & Message Say?

1. What are the three action steps that God the Son took in John 1:14?

2. In what way is the incarnation of God in John 1:14 a solution to the fall in Genesis 3?

3. In the context of incarnation, what does John mean by saying believers receive the “right” to become children of God (John 1:12–13)?

Interpretation: What Does It Mean?

1. Why does the message argue that the incarnation was necessary, not optional, for humanity’s redemption?

2. Why does the message emphasize that redemption is not just the forgiveness of sins, but the redemption of our entire humanity?

3. What is meant by “grace and truth” replacing the law as humanity’s new priority?

Application: How Should We Respond?

1. When you think about Christmas, what emotions or experiences come to mind for you personally? How does the incarnation speak into those experiences?

2. The message asks whether we see Christmas as a cultural celebration or a cosmic event. How does that distinction change the way you approach Christmas?

3. In what ways might you still be trying to “light your own way” instead of walking in the Light of Christ?

4. How has Jesus given you a new perspective in a situation where fear, confusion, or darkness once dominated?

5. Where are you most tempted to find purpose in achievement, productivity, or approval rather than in your identity as a child of God?

6. What “law” or performance-based priority (religious, cultural, or personal) do you need to replace with abiding in grace?

7. What would it look like this week to move from a “to-do list” mentality to living from Christ’s “done work”?

8. As a result of this study, what is one concrete step you can take to make knowing Jesus— not just doing for Him— your highest priority?

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