In His own words:
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Jesus’ powerful statement that His life was to fulfill all that the Law and the Prophets spoke of. The Law and the Prophets, included in what is now the Old Testament, foreshadowed and pointed toward the coming of Christ.
Matthew 20:28 “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus came as a servant, though not in the sense that so many take this verse to mean. By giving His life willingly and obediently on the cross, Jesus was the ultimate servant and paid the debt for all who believe in Him.
Luke 4:43 “but he said to them, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.’” The Gospel literally means “good news” and that is the reason Jesus came, to proclaim the “good news”(which He actually is), that man now has hope, by repenting and placing their faith in Him, they will be washed clean of their sin and avoid the coming wrath of God against them.
Luke 12:49 “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!” An oft overlooked passage, Jesus followed up this bold statement with verse 51, “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” Many people focus on the “peace” that Jesus brings, but this is not a physical worldly peace. It is a peace between sinful man and God (See Romans 5:1) and it is an internal spiritual peace (See Romans 8:6) for those who believe in Him. However, just as He states in this passage, there will not be peace between those who are of Christ and those who are of the world, because the world hates Him and His followers.
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” The lost here refers to lost in sin, hopeless and helpless. Note here that the action is placed on Jesus; He is the One seeking and saving. Contrary to the “seeker sensitive” gospel, Romans 3:11 says no one seeks God. Jesus is The Seeker.
John 3:17 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” God’s plan of redemption was to always save His children. He didn’t create the world just to destroy it, nor did He send Jesus to condemn it, but to redeem His own, His bride.
John 9:39 “Jesus said, ‘For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.’” Just as He wasn’t sent to condemn the entire world, it must be said that those who do not believe and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, repenting of their sin, and following after Him will face judgment. Specifically this analogy of sight was a direct condemnation of the Pharisees with whom He was speaking (See John 9:40-41, also Matthew 13:13-17).
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” This passage does not refer to the hijacked message which we hear from the “prosperity gospel” that says we can live our best life now and have it abundantly. No, the purpose for Jesus coming was that through Him, all those who believe would have everything they need, meaning spiritually and physically (see Matthew 6:25-33). God supplies the needs of His children.
John 12:47 “If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.” This is not a contradiction to the passage earlier from John 9:39. Jesus is simply stating at the present time, in context meaning then, those who do not abide by His words will not be judged at that time, because judgment will come upon Jesus’ second coming. So too today, those who hear and do not keep the Words of Jesus are not presently before the Judgment Seat, but that day is coming.
John 18:37 “Then Pilate said to him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world— to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.’” This verse can summarize all the others that we’ve red thus far, as Christ states He has come to bear witness to the truth. Pilate followed up with the question we hear often in today’s post-modern world, “What is truth?” a question that we need to ask ourselves. In John 14:6, Jesus states that He is the Truth, while in John 17:17, He states that the word of God is truth. John 1:14 links them both together as we read the “Word became flesh”. Jesus came to bear witness of Himself.
This Christmas season, in which we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, reflect on those passages above. Take time to look at them in context so that you might understand the reason that Jesus came. In doing so, my prayer is that you will have a deeper understanding of the sacrifice that Christ made and give thanks to Him all the more not only during Christmas, but year round.
