Come and Behold Him

The Christmas Nativity is among the most beloved and prominent visuals in religious culture, and whether it’s a grand production on the theater stage or a makeshift drama in a tiny country church, the scene is relatively the same. There are Mary and Joseph, some sheep and shepherds, probably the wise men, an angel or two, and baby Jesus lying in a manger.

Ah, the nostalgia.

But if we were to be honest, our eyes seldom focus on the wonder of that scene. Each year when we watch a Christmas play act out the story, or when we set up a vintage Nativity set on our mantel, rarely do we take the time to truly think about what it all means. If you're like me, your attention is most often on whether or not you can afford gifts, or who might show up at the Christmas party. We fix our gaze on the important company Christmas party and the Church’s annual Christmas bake sale. We fret over all the logistics of Christmas, when the call from heaven is to behold the reason we have Christmas to begin with.

In his carol, O Come All Ye Faithful, John Francis Wade penned the poignant line, “Come and behold Him, born the King of angels.” The word Behold means “to gaze upon and to observe.” In most usages in the Bible, it means to “look quickly with urgency.” Charles Spurgeon notes, “Behold is a word of wonder; it is intended to excite admiration.”

What do we behold when we look at the Nativity? What do we observe when we read the Christmas story? I'm sure we notice important characters such as the angel Gabriel, King Herod, and the wise men. We may take note of key facts like the census, the city of Bethlehem, and the star, but what is it that our hearts gaze upon with wonder? Do we feel a shiver of excitement when think about the night Jesus came? Do we get a lump in our throat and tears in our eyes when we read of His birth? Are we overwhelmed with the reality of God coming down to us? What do we see in his coming? What do we behold?

John the Baptist is a good example of beholding Jesus. He was well aware that his cousin was no ordinary man, but the promised Savior. When Jesus was just beginning His earthly ministry, John had long since been at work calling all who would listen to “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) John’s exclamation was in response to who Jesus was, and he wanted everyone to gaze upon Him—to see beyond the man in sandals and behold the Savior of the world. The same is true for us. At Christmas, when everything is vying for our attention—mailing Christmas cards, wrapping gifts, attending Christmas plays, and planning the Christmas dinner—the call of Christmas is to look beyond the baby in the manger and behold, with excitement, the Son of God who came to take away sin; our sin. 

Look at the Birds

Years after the manger, Jesus gave His longest sermon on top of a hill in northern Israel. In His sermon, He spoke directly to those whose minds were preoccupied with worries and concerns. He said,

Do not be worried… Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?… Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field…will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then… for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:26-33)

It has been said that we grow more like that which we gaze upon. When we are distracted with the cares of this world, we will inevitably grow more like the world: bitter, fearful, weary, etc. But when we behold Christ, we will inevitably become more like Him. How can you practically behold Him today?

The loving provision of God is clearly displayed, yet like the anxious crowd, what I often behold is the stuff of this life. I behold the bills stacked on the counter with fear in my gut. I behold the blessings of others with envy in my heart. I behold the diagnosis with growing despair. I let myself gaze upon on all the things I cannot control and which causes my anxiety grows stronger by the minute. When we fix our eyes on a ruined, hurt-filled world, it should be no surprise when celebrating Christmas feels joyless, and even stressful.

Instead of beholding the things we don’t understand and the things that overwhelm us, let us behold Jesus. He is the Everlasting Father who cares for His children. He is the Prince of Peace who calms the chaos of the soul. He is the Wonderful Counselor for the confused. He is the Mighty God for the weak. He is Jehovah Jireh who provides all that we need. He is the Bread of Life who satisfies the hungry soul, and the Living Water for all whose hearts thirst. He is the Door for the lost. He is the Truth who silences the lies. He is the Friend for the lonely. He is the Rock of Ages for the frightened.

He is our Salvation and our eternal home.

Christmas is all about beholding. We can fixate on what we don’t have or what we have lost. We can focus on what we have that isn’t eternal like expensive gifts or social popularity. Or we can behold Jesus and all that we have in Him.

What are you beholding this Christmas?

For further study, read Matthew 6; Hebrews 11:6