The world’s greatest gift came wrapped in linen cloths, not shiny wrapping paper with bows and ribbons. His entrance into our world was misunderstood by most, but was a miraculous blessing for his mother, Mary. His exit from this world was certainly misinterpreted by most, but for his mother it was especially painful. Yet even in death he was wrapped in cloths.

Mary was likely the only person who was there for both his remarkable birth as well as his horrific death. This was her son, who was pronounced by an angel to be holy, the Son of God. I wonder then if she asked God, “Why was he allowed to die? You said he was to be great, and be called the Son of the Most High? How can he rule on the throne of his father David and reign over the house of Jacob forever, with no end to his kingdom, if he is DEAD?” Perhaps she even went as far as to say, “They murdered him without cause, and now Your will for him cannot be accomplished!” Personally, I tend to believe that as it has stated a few times in Scripture, ‘Mary pondered all these things in her heart’, she had such a deep faith in the Lord that though her heart was ripped out of her chest watching her son be tortured and killed, she trusted in the Word of the Lord to endure and be accomplished.

“I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God… Do not be afraid, Mary… you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end… The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy – the Son of God…For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Luke 1:19, 30-35

Do you see how the angel of God proclaimed and predicted exactly what would happen to Mary, as well as Jesus’ future down the road? The Lord had a plan and purpose for Jesus’ birth, but He also had a plan and purpose for Jesus’ death. And it wasn’t an easy one.

His life was our gift directly from God. His death was in our place, thus a gift of redemption. His resurrection was proof of what He said about himself and what he proclaimed about the Father, which fulfilled the Scriptures of ‘God being with us’.

“And an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone around them….and the angel said, “Fear not, for I bring you good news of great joy that will be for ALL the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord…. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger…””
Luke 2:9-12

Where am I going with all this? I am thinking of Mary, Jesus’ mother. She surely had moments of doubt when her son was unjustly arrested, terribly beaten, then killed. But, in just a few days, she witnessed the fruit of his life and message – God IS with us, and she could trust in His plan for their lives. The Lord saw her. He loved her. He provided for her. His gift of this son was hers, but only for a time. His gift of that Son as her Savior was forever.

“Joseph of Arimathea.. and Nicodemus.. took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews…. And stooping to look in, Peter saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head,…for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead.”
John 19:38-40, 20:5-7, 9

This Christmas, as you wrap your gifts for loved ones, may you know deep healing, genuine joy, and expectant hope as you dwell on the greatest gift of all time: the Son of God, Jesus the Messiah. He chose to come down and removed his heavenly garments to put on earthly ones, and willingly walked among man in order that we could see and know God the Father personally. Remember: when Jesus died, that dividing veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom, opening up access to the Holy Place of God, the expansive heart of the Father.
Thank you Lord Jesus!!!

Food for thought: In the Jewish culture, baby lambs were wrapped in swaddling cloths to protect them from injury or dirt so that they were clean and spotless upon the priest’s inspection (should they be accepted as a sacrificial lamb). The shepherds especially would have understood this concept…is this why the angels told them first that The Lamb of God was born?

Fun facts: On average, two people die and 4 babies are born every second.

Photo by: Kari Wiseman – Gift-Wrapped in Swaddling Cloths