Devotional thoughts on Exodus 13:13b-15 and Luke 2:22-32
By Josh Cadwell

Throughout the Old and New Testaments, God shows us the importance of birth order and sacrifice. Paul informed us that Jesus is “the firstborn over all creation.” Luke informed us that Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one. So it is easy to see why people might say, “Jesus is the reason for the season!”

Is Jesus the Reason for the Season?

Is Jesus the reason for the season? Before you answer, consider John 1:1-4 and verse 14: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. . . . The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father.”

We see that Jesus was glorious from the beginning. In Revelation we find that he will be glorious at the end of time. So to get a biblical picture of Jesus, we see that he is outside of time and he stands before time. We see he is glorious, he reigns victorious, and he hung the galaxies in place. The “firstborn over all creation” was God before this season ever happened, and he will reign supreme when this season is over. He is God every day of the year. He is miraculous, immeasurable, immovable, and unstoppable. He is beyond description and beyond words. His name is above any name.

But Is He the Reason for the Season?

The name Jesus is taken from the Hebrew word Yesua indicating “the Lord saves.” Matthew informed us about what Jesus came to do. He came to “save his people from their sins” (1:21). Throughout history God has linked the dedication of the firstborn with redemption.

We read the Bible and are reminded that the firstborn of all creation was dedicated and sacrificed for you. So you are the reason for this season. He came for you.

Josh Cadwell is the Lead Minister at Victory Christian Church in Franklin, Indiana. He and his wife, Becky, have four children: Caleb, Mikayla, Kalli, and Carter.