The Importance and Significance of the Infancy of Jesus

6 minutes to read

Jesus Christ is the creator, sustainer, and savior of the world. He is the God-man: truly God and truly man. While His divine nature has no beginning, His human nature does. This union of the divine and human occurred in the womb of Mary and seen in Bethlehem when He was born as a baby in a manger.

The author of the book of Hebrews emphasizes that Christ needed to take on human flesh in order to destroy the works of the devil and set us free (Heb 2:14-16). But, this raises an important question: why was Jesus born as a baby rather than appearing as a fully grown man? Why did He have to experience infancy and adolescence instead of going straight to the cross to offer Himself as the sacrifice for us? The Bible presents at least five reasons for why Jesus had to undergo this journey through childhood and adolescence.

1. Jesus Was Born as a Baby to Fulfill the Prophecies
Primarily, Jesus needed to be born as a baby to fulfill the prophecies concerning His arrival. Approximately seven centuries before His birth, the prophet Isaiah foretold the miraculous birth of Jesus through a virgin. Isaiah 7:14 states, "Therefore, the Lord will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

If Jesus had skipped the stages of conception and infancy, the virgin birth would not have taken place. Furthermore, it was through the virgin birth that Jesus entered the human race as a sinless being. The virgin birth was essential for the sinlessness of Christ. And God therefore accepted the sacrifice of Jesus because He was without sin.

2. Jesus Was Born as a Baby to Become Truly Human
Secondly, one of the profound truths found in Scripture is the concept of the Hypostatic Union: the union of two natures—divine and human—in one person. Jesus eternally existed as God, but He took on a human nature when He was born as a baby. If Jesus had entered the world as a fully grown man, He may have been human, but as one who would not have experienced the human developmental stages of infancy and adolescence. Thus, Jesus chose to be born as a helpless baby, willingly facing the challenges of growing up. He grew up just like us (Lk 2:52), providing us with an example to follow.

Jesus serves as our model not only in suffering (1 Pet 2:21) but also in every stage of life, from infancy and adolescence to adulthood. He experienced the full journey of humanity, from birth to death. The entirety of Christ’s life therefore serves as a guide for us today.

3. Jesus Was Born as a Baby to Keep the Law on Our Behalf
Furthermore, Christ’s atoning work  encompasses both His life and death. The entire human race became unable to keep the law through Adam. Hence, Christ, the second Adam, kept the law fully on our behalf and fulfilled all the righteous demands of the law. We are saved both through the law-keeping merits of Jesus (active obedience) and the shedding of His blood (passive obedience).

He was born as a baby to become truly human and fully keep the law on our behalf from birth. Even a single sin from Jesus would have disqualified Him from dying for us (Gal 4:4-5). If Jesus had skipped infanthood and adolescence, there would have been no one to keep the law through their life on our behalf. Therefore, we should rejoice that Christ obeyed the law for us right from His birth.

4. Jesus Was Born as a Baby to Become the Heir of the Davidic Kingdom
Moreover, the kingdom promised to the heir of David rightfully belongs to Jesus Christ. When Elizabeth was six months into her pregnancy, the angel Gabriel announced to Mary, “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end,” (Lk 1:31-33).

In Adam, we lost both our kingdom and our citizenship. Therefore, the second Adam was a descendant of David—He was born in the lineage of David. Had Jesus not been born, the prophecy of being a descendant of David who receives the throne of David would have gone unfulfilled. Thus, being the true King in the line of David, Christ restores the kingdom and transfers us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light (Col 1:13).

5. Jesus was Born as a Baby to Learn Obedience and Become Our Great, Merciful High Priest
Finally, the Good News of Jesus Christ extends beyond His resurrection; it also encompasses His ascension and His present high-priestly ministry, which offers great comfort and assurance to His disciples. Born as a baby and experiencing the challenges of adolescence, Jesus learned obedience and became our great, merciful High Priest in the order of Melchizedek (Heb 5:8-10).

Additionally, the writer of Hebrews reminds us that we have a great High Priest who has experienced every aspect of human life yet did not sin. He understands and empathizes with our weaknesses (Heb 4:14-16). Though a King who served others, healed the sick, showed love, He also experienced the weaknesses of the flesh in hunger, sorrow, tiredness, and, ultimately, the pain of death in being crucified according to the eternal plan.

This is the marvelous story of Christmas—the very King and High Priest was also the sacrifice for the redemption of the citizens of His kingdom through His blood.

In summary, as we celebrate the birth of Christ, let us remember that the creator of the universe took on human limitations to fulfill the law for us, setting us free from its bondage. He died a criminal’s death, was buried, rose again on the third day for our justification, and ascended into heaven. There, He became our great and merciful high priest, able to empathize with our weaknesses as He continues to intercede for all His people—young and old, from infants to adults.