December 25, 2025 - CHRISTMAS DAY!
The
Broad-Shouldered
Baby
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on
the throne of David and over his kingdom, to
establish it and to uphold it with justice and
with righteousness from this time forth and
forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts
will do this.
I S A I A H 9 : 6 - 7
If you were making plans to save the world and needed to
pick a hero, you definitely wouldn’t choose a baby. But God
did.
The first five verses of this chapter of Isaiah function like an
extended introduction to the Messiah, building the hype and
ratcheting up expectations. It turns out that, for a baby, his
resume is pretty impressive: He’s going to reverse the fate of
his people (v. 1), shine a light in the darkness (v. 2), raise the
spirits of an exiled nation (v. 3), and overthrow the enemy (vv.
4-5). After such a vivid description, we might expect Hercules,
Beowulf, or Superman to enter stage right. But as the curtain
draws back, we are shocked to discover that God’s Messiah is
not wearing a cape, but diapers: “For to us a child is born, to
us a son is given” (v. 6a).
To a world in bondage to sin, God sends a baby.
But this isn’t any ordinary baby. Spiritually-speaking, this
baby has shoulders broad enough to carry the White House,
the Kremlin, and Buckingham Palace combined without breaking a sweat (v. 6b). This baby knows just what to do in every situation (“Wonderful Counselor”), possesses burly biceps
(“Mighty God”), is without beginning or end (“Everlasting Father”), and brings rest to the weary by establishing his kingdom and ruling with justice (“Prince of Peace”). All this because the
shoulders of the baby-king are broad enough to carry you–even
in your weakness: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power
is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).
The kingdom of God comes swaddled in weakness rather than
strength. It is not of this world. It is a place where peace rather
than anxiety gets the final word, and where all things are as they
should be. Through faith, Christians become card-carrying
members of the kingdom of God. We are, spiritually-speaking,
adopted and re-homed into our Heavenly Father’s household.
Our gracious Father gives us a new status and a new relationship: We are now his beloved sons and daughters, children of a
mercifully zealous (v. 7) Father who always sets an extra spot at
the table for his children and always keeps the light on.
HEAVENLY FATHER, THANK YOU FOR SENDING JESUS TO BEAR MY
SIN UPON HIS SHOULDER, TO GIVE ME HIS
RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND TO ESTABLISH MY
PLACE IN YOUR HOUSE FOREVER. AMEN.
Merry Christmas!!
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be
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Coming Home for Christmas: Advent in Isaiah © 2025 1517
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