A Tiny Indescribable Gift

The great secular historian H.G. Wells said the following about Jesus’ influence: “Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all of human history.”

This may be hard to comprehend when we consider the influence of Greek philosophers over our history. Socrates taught and wrote for 40 years. Aristotle taught and wrote for 40 years; and Plato taught and wrote for 50 years.

By comparison, Jesus’ public ministry only lasted three years. And while he taught extensively during those three years, he never sat down with pen and parchment to write anything. And yet, others throughout history have written volumes about him. Unquestionably, Jesus remains the most notable individual of all human history. So, how do we explain it?

How do we reckon with the fact that the world’s calendars are built around the birth of Christ. History is divided into events that took place before His birth and those that took place after His birth. Clearly, something of universal importance began with the birth of the historical Christ.

But how could such a small, tiny baby, born in obscurity have such a profound impact on our world? The answer is found in God’s purpose for his creation. The Apostle Paul said in Gal. 4:4-5, “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.”

Timing was everything. We needed a divine intervention. We were all slaves to sin. We still are. They needed a Saviour then and we need one now. And God gave us one in the person of his Son – Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 3:16 the following about God’s plan, “For this is how God loved the world: he gave his one and only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus was God’s gift to all of us on that first Christmas.

Ever since that first Christmas, one word has crossed everyone’s lips more than any other at this time of year. It isn’t the word carol, tree, food, or family. It’s the word gift.

Gifts are so inseparably linked with Christmas that we can hardly think of one without the other. If you listen to conversations in the malls and stores this month, I’m sure you’ll hear gift mentioned several times. We all have lists of gifts we hope to buy—and some may even have lists of gifts they hope to receive.

With all the giving and receiving that happens at Christmastime, it seems right that we pause to think about God’s gift to us . . . His Son. Jesus was the one-of-a-kind, original must-have gift that God intended for every person on earth. Reflecting on God’s generosity in giving His Son, the apostle Paul penned my favourite Christmas verse. I always love seeing it on Christmas cards: “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

It doesn’t fit in with what we usually call the “Christmas Narrative,” but it’s my favourite because it communicates a true sense of awe found in the Christ Child.

Paul was a brilliant man with a broad vocabulary. He was competent in his use of the Greek language, an excellent teacher and communicator both on his feet as well as on parchment. He was the most prolific writer of the New Testament and, apart from Jesus Christ, perhaps the greatest theological mind that has existed. Yet, Paul’s pen paused when he came to this simple four‑letter word, “gift,” and after giving it careful thought, he wrote, it’s “indescribable.”

As he dipped into the treasure of his knowledge, he could not find any word existing in his day that could describe God’s gift. No descriptive synonym fits the bill for the person of Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes and given to us at Christmastime. Paul was suddenly and completely at a loss for words. What word should he use?

The King James Bible says, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” Kenneth Wuest, in his expanded translation, writes: “Thanks be to God for His ineffable gift.” The English Standard Version reads, “His inexpressible gift!” The Amplified Bible, “His Gift, [precious] beyond telling!” The New Living Translation says, “This gift too wonderful for words!”

Why is God’s gift indescribable, unspeakable, ineffable, inexpressible, too wonderful for words, and precious beyond telling? One simple reason: Jesus was so much more than a tiny baby lying in a manger! As we gaze closer and think deeper, we see Jesus wrapped in more than swaddling clothes . . . much more!

First, Jesus was wrapped in prophecy. Read Isaiah’s astounding prophecy of Jesus as mighty God and eternal King centuries before Jesus was born.

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. (Isaiah 9:6–7)

Second, Jesus was wrapped in history. Sovereign over time, God wove the events of history so that they dovetailed perfectly, at just the right time, with prophecy. This is what Paul meant when he said, “But when the right time came, God sent his Son.”

Third, and most significantly in the incarnation, Jesus was wrapped in mystery. True “awe” resides in the mystery of Jesus’ nature. Even in this tiny baby, we find undiminished deity clothed in perfect humanity. Linking the two natures together in one personality, housed in one unique body, the God‑man, Jesus, was born. No less deity, no less humanity, in one person, in one body, forever.

That’s an awe-inspiring mystery! No wonder hosts of angels declared in unison, “Glory to God in highest heaven” (Luke 2:14)! What words fail to describe only worship can express!

This is why the Christmas story must be repeated in God’s words time after time, year after year! That’s the only way people will hear the truth . . . and believe it.

So, as you celebrate Christmas this season, sing the carols, enjoy the food, and exchange the gifts. But don’t let the season pass without remembering the prophecy, the history, and the mystery that surrounds the original, must-have, indescribable Gift.