13 Powerful Verses to Meditate on This Christmas

Christmas is a great time of year to be studious of the Lord’s Word, to meditate on the importance of who Jesus is, and consider what His life on earth meant for all of humanity. As the calendar turns toward a new year, we reflect on new opportunities and what the past year meant for our lives. Our reflections should also include meditation on the most important person to ever walk the earth.

There is so much that we can study about our Lord and Savior! Christmas is about more than just thinking about Jesus’ birth. It is also meditating on how incredible it is that there were so many prophecies about Him. Christians can spend time in awe that God humbled Himself to take on flesh and walk among us, walking away from His true power and glory for the sake of sinners.

There are so many verses that give believers much to think about, and these can inspire evangelism and salvation for others.

3 Prophecies about Jesus

These are just a couple of the hundreds of verses in the Old Testament that were prophecies about the coming Messiah, details about His life, and ways to know that He truly was who He is who He says He is.

“I see him, but not now; I perceive him, but not near. A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will smash the forehead of Moab and strike down all the Shethites” (Numbers 24:17).

“Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him — a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight will be in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, he will not execute justice by what he hears with his ears, but he will judge the poor righteously and execute justice for the oppressed of the land. He will strike the land with a scepter from his mouth, and he will kill the wicked with a command from his lips. Righteousness will be a belt around his hips; faithfulness will be a belt around his waist” (Isaiah 11:1-5).

“’Look, the days are coming’ — this is the Lord’s declaration — ‘when I will raise up a Righteous Branch for David. He will reign wisely as king and administer justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. This is the name he will be called: The Lord Is Our Righteousness’” (Jeremiah 23:5-6).

4 Verses about His Birth

These verses tell about the narrative of Jesus’ birth.

“Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel,’ which is translated ‘God is with us’” (Matthew 1:22-23).

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.’ … When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy.  Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:1-12).

“In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!’” (Luke 2:8-14).

“But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them” (Luke 2:19).

3 Verses about the Kenosis - God in Flesh

The kenosis comes from the Greek word ekenosen which means “emptied,” and refers to how Jesus emptied Himself of His glory to have the weaknesses of a man. 

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified concerning him and exclaimed, ‘This was the one of whom I said, ‘The one coming after me ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me’” (John 1:14-15).

“Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ. For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority” (Colossians 2:8-10).

“Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross” (Philippians 2:5-8).

3 Verses about Why He Came

These verses explain why Jesus chose to come to earth, and why it matters to the world.

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

“I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me would not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and doesn’t keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and doesn’t receive my sayings has this as his judge: The word I have spoken will judge him on the last day” (John 12:46-48).

“This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God — God remains in him and he in God. And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us” (1 John 4:13-16).

Two-thousand years ago, the Lord Jesus came as a baby to experience life like a person, and managed to do what no one else in history did. He lived without sin so that He could sacrifice His life for sinners and make a way for anyone who repents and puts their faith in Him. He gave the world His word, both the Scriptures and Himself, for this great purpose, and studying the Bible is a wonderful way to grow closer to Him at Christmas.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Timothy Eberly

Bethany Verrett is a freelance writer who uses her passion for God, reading, and writing to glorify God. She and her husband have lived all over the country serving their Lord and Savior in ministry. She has a blog on graceandgrowing.com.