""Who is My mother and who are My brothers?" And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother." - Jesus Christ, Matthew 12:48-50
Many people around the world today will be celebrating Christmas alone for some reason. Some are far away from home because of work, some because they are in the mission field, and some because they are without a family member to come home to.
Regardless of the reason, some will be celebrating Christmas alone and away from family. This can feel very lonely, but there's something that can help if you are in that situation - Christ knows how that feels and is there for every person He loves.
Christ understands
The Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus understands what every person goes through. Hebrews 2:17 tells us that "in all things He had to be made like His brethren." He became fully human like us, and so He is able to understand what we feel and what we are going through. As such,
"...we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15)
One of the things that Christ understands is the loneliness that people feel. He Himself felt the loneliness that is common to many. In fact, He felt the kind of loneliness that no other human can ever feel:
"He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him." (John 1:10-11)
Loneliness beyond human comprehension
Friends, the Lord Jesus felt more sadness and loneliness compared to what we could ever feel. Many would say they are the loneliest person in the world, but in truth there's no one who would ever feel the sadness that Jesus faced.
The Bible records for us the kind of rejection that He faced from the time He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the virgin's womb. Here are but some:
- Joseph, His earthly father, wanted to call off their engagement because Mary, His earthly mother, was pregnant with Him. God had to intervene. (see Matthew 1:18-21)
- Before He was born, Herod issued a decree to have all young boys killed. God had to intervene again. (see Matthew 2:13-16)
- When He was doing His earthly ministry, His own brothers did not believe in Him. (see John 7:3-5)
- Pharisees sought to have Him killed (see Matthew 12:14)
- A disciple sold Him for thirty pieces of silver (see Matthew 26:15)
- His disciples abandoned Him when they should've stayed (see Mark 14:50)
- One of His closest disciples denied Him three times (see John 18:15-27)
- The people He loved, healed and fed called for His death (see Luke 23:13-25)
These things tell us that Jesus, sinless and righteous as He was, was rejected. He came here to show us God's love, but we all rejected Him. Isaiah 53:3 tells us very clearly:
"He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him."
An encouragement
Friend, if you feel alone this Christmas, I want to encourage you that you're not alone. Christmas should remind all of us that Christ came for our sakes, that we would be given the opportunity to be reconciled with God, and thus we will never be alone anymore.
If you find yourself alone this Christmas, know that Christ went through such loneliness that you wouldn't or shouldn't have to feel it anymore. He is with us always.
