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“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given” — Isaiah 9:6a

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It is amazing how without fail the common questions that get asked upon the birth of a child. The first is obvious, is it a boy or girl and what is their name? Then, amusingly, the focus shifts to who the child looks like. Speculative questions are then asked such as what will the child be like, become, in whose footsteps will they follow, etc.? Our curiosity inevitably stirs the pot of interest. This is understandable, for in normal circumstances, a child born has a value, a meaning and a purpose in life that no other object or animal can have.

It is no surprise then that a promised Saviour to be born should bare the same interest and questions, more so in fact. Not surprisingly, Scripture (most of it prophetic) contains quite a lot in answer, even continuing straight on from the main text above to reveal aspects concerning Him. Have you ever stopped to consider what Jesus, the Saviour born and the Son given, was like?

What does His name mean?

It means “Salvation”.

What did he look like?

• He was like His Father in heaven.
  • “He who has seen Me (Jesus) has seen the Father” (John14:9).
• He was just ordinary, nothing glamourous.
  • “He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2).

What was He like as a boy?

• He was submissive and obedient.
  • “He was subject to them (His parents)” (Luke 2:51).
• He was clever and sound in mind and manner.
  • “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men” (Luke 2:52).

What was His character like as an adult?

• He had a strong yet gentle character, God fearing, zealous for God, concerned for the lowly and indignant towards hypocrisy.
  • “I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29).
  • “He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth” (Isaiah 42:2-4).
  • “He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes (religious teachers)” (Matthew 7:29).
  • “Zeal for Your (God’s) house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me” (Psalm 69:9).
  • “His delight is in the fear of the LORD” (Isaiah 11:3).

What was His purpose to be?

• To seek the lost and save souls.
  • “The Son of Man (Jesus) has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
• To preach the truth.
  • “For this cause I (Jesus) was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37).
• To be the atoning sacrifice for sin.
  • “He made His soul an offering for sin”, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:10, 4–6).

What does He look like now?

“I (John) turned to see the voice that spoke to me. I saw One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength” (Revelation 1:12–16).

What will He be like when He returns?

• He shall return as King to rule.
  • “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:11–16).
  • “And the government will be upon His shoulder” (Isaiah 6:9b).
• He shall be a Man of faithfulness, righteousness and justice.
  • “He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist” (Isaiah 11:3–5).

There are two sides to this Son born – firstly he came as a saviour (a suffering servant), but He will return as a ruler (a conquering King).

He is –

• meek yet mighty;
• a servant yet a sovereign;
• a Saviour yet a sentencer;
• pardoning yet punishing;
• a comforter yet a convictor;
• a kinsman yet a King;
• merciful yet ruling with a rod of iron.

Dear Reader, who desires to be His enemy, who desires to be considered His foe? The psalmist says, “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little” (Psalm 2:12). And the apostle John says, “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have [eternal] life” (1 John 5:11,12). The LORD God is a personal God, not impersonal. He seeks to save and restore each of us into a living and loving relationship with Himself through Christ Jesus who was the sacrifice for our sins. At the Cross, mercy and justice met. Why let the greatest joy the world has received, a Son, a Saviour given, be to you your greatest sorrow? If you do not know Him, then I implore you to repent, turn, embrace, follow and honour Jesus, the Saviour and King.

Judson McCawl