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.”
Christmas happened because the whole world was bound in slavery. Of course it was not the slavery of chains and oppression in this life but a far more subtle and gripping bondage. Jesus came because mankind was in slavery to the power of sin. This sin appears in many different forms but it flows from the heart of every person. How can we be free from this oppressive slavery? That is the ultimate message of Christmas, you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. This truth is more than information, it is the knowledge of God found only in Christ. Knowing Christ brings us out of slavery into an experience of authentic life, this is the life the Jesus came to bring to all of us. We are sinners in need of a Savior, nothing else will do. Here are some thoughts from John Piper on this Christmas reality.
“And at the end of his life, Jesus was standing before Pilate, and Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” And 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 [this is the purpose of Christmas]—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice”. What was the effect of the truth that Jesus witnessed to with his words and his whole person? He told us in John 8:31–32, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” So the meaning of Christmas is this: the Son of God came into the world to bear witness to the truth in a way that it had never been witnessed to before.”
When Pilate looked at Jesus standing for judgement, He didn’t look like a king. When the shepherds and wise men saw Christ in a manger He didn’t look like a king. Jesus is a King but His Kingdom is not of this world. Only those with eyes wide open can even see it. When you see Him as He really is, you too will step into the freedom that belongs only to children of God.