What Child is This?

The Christmas carol, What Child is This? was written by William Chatterton Dix. After becoming deathly ill, he became severe depressed. This experience changed him completely. As he recovered, he experienced a spiritual awakening that inspired him write hymns and wrote the lyrics of What Child Is This? Dix used the tune of the traditional English folk song, “Greensleeves” for his hymn. Greensleeves was already one of the most beloved melodies of the festive season at that time and dated back to 1642. What Child Is This? was first published in 1871. The poignant lyrics and melody bring our minds to the nativity. The carol helps us envision God himself coming to be with man to rescue us from the curse of sin. 

Here is the first verse:

What Child is this, who, laid to rest, On Mary’s lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,While shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this is Christ, the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing: Hast, hast to bring Him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary!

People today still ask, “Who is Jesus?” This baby arrived in a world under the curse brought about by our own sin. God provided salvation by becoming one of us, fully man, while being holy, fully God. Though tempted, Jesus never sinned but ultimately paid the price for our sin, exchanging His innocence for out guilt and giving the gift of eternal life, which only He deserved, to all who would believe and follow Him. Jesus is the victor over sin.

Through the centuries, Israel was God’s chosen people to share his love and message across the world. Israel longed for a deliverer from the curse. The prophets pointed toward Messiah, who would take away the sins of the world. “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7.14, 8.8). Jesus fulfilled the prophesies of the Old Testament. Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior.

In the fullness of time, after 400 years of God’s silence between Malachi and Matthew, and according to God’s plan, details about Messiah were shared with the one who would bear God’s Son. Gabriel announced to the virgin Mary. Read Luke 1:26-33:

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, 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.” 

What was the core of Gabriel’s message? Jesus is the Son of God.

Joseph, Mary’s fiancé and Jesus’ future stepfather, was also informed. God provided assurance for Joseph to accept his part in the mission to save the world. 

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,  and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25)

Do you recognize the quote from Isaiah? Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. By the way, the name Jesus means “the Lord is salvation.” Jesus is Salvation

John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, would be the forerunner of the Savior. His father, Zechariah, spoke about Jesus prophetically through the power of the Holy Spirit as read in Luke 1:67-75.

“And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.'”

What is Zechariah’s pronouncement? Jesus is the Redeemer.

God does not often use the rich and famous of the world. Most all the time, he uses the least and lowest he did this at the birth of Jesus. In Luke 2 beginning in verse 8, we read about some shepherds. Shepherds were social outcasts. The smelled like sheep, they were ceremonially unclean, and were generally thought of as undesirables. An angel appeared to them, and God’s glory appeared to them. This was the first time it had appeared since the days of Ezekiel in the Old Testament. God’s glory had returned because there was great news of wonderful joy. The baby born in a manger was the Christ, the Messiah, for whom they had been longing! A multitude of angels then appeared, praising God and declaring peace having come upon the earth. Peace can only truly come through salvation. Salvation is only found in Jesus. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).  Jesus is the Lord…Jesus is God!

What Child is this?

This, this is Christ, the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing: Hast, hast to bring Him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary!

Merry Christmas!