Saved from our Sins

The Meaning of Christmas

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

One of my favourite Christmas passages comes from the Gospel of Matthew:

Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matt 1:20-21).

The idea that God forgave Israel her sins was not new, in fact, it was the stock and trade of prophetic promises. Yet whereas divine forgiveness was normally achieved through the temple cultus with its sacrifices, or else by the cleansing work of YHWH, here the agent is none other than the baby that Mary shall carry and bear.

Another thing to remember is that while Matthew is all for Jesus’s teachings and commands, with those five major speeches across his Gospel, he still accents Jesus as the Saviour of Israel and of Gentiles, something that will be repeated at the Last Supper and the Great Commission.

As Leon Morris wrote:

We should not miss the point that the note of grace is struck so early in this Gospel. The impression is sometimes given that Matthew stresses upright living whereas Paul speaks of saving grace. It is true that these two writers have their own emphases, and we should not interpret either as though he were setting forth the other’s thoughts. But neither should we overlook the fact that all the New Testament writers refer to the same Savior. And all stress the importance of grace. Matthew will later return to the idea that Jesus brings forgiveness (e.g., 20:28; 26:28).

Christmas is the season to remember that our sins are forgiven because of the Savior born to Mary.

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