Christmas and the High Cost of the Free Gift

Recently as I was reading through Romans in our Women’s Bible Reading Plan, a phrase popped out in a new way for me even though I have read through Romans many, many times over the years.  The phrase is “the free gift,” and Paul uses it five times in three verses (Romans 5:15-17).  Maybe it’s because Christmas is approaching and I’m naturally thinking about gifts.  Or maybe I’ve been hearing the offer of  “free” things quite often.  Regardless, as I’ve pondered the meaning of this phrase, God has blessed me with a rich truth that I pray will be a blessing to you too.

What exactly is a free gift?  A gift, of course, is something someone gives to somebody else without payment in return.  And if something is free, it costs nothing.  Therefore, a gift is always free to the person receiving it.  But when you think about it, that gift is not free to the giver.  The giver pays a price to give a gift, which is then free to the receiver.  And this reasoning is what Paul seems to have in mind in Romans 5:15-17.  The gift he is referring to is life in Christ, salvation.  He is saying that to those who receive the gift of life in Christ, it is a free gift.  As we prepare our hearts for Christmas, I’d like you to consider with me the high cost of this free gift.

Let’s start by reflecting on Mary and Joseph. Mary and Joseph were a chaste young couple, in love and betrothed to be married.  It’s a familiar story that is easily romanticized.  But think of what it must have been like for this young girl to have an angel visit her!  “She was greatly troubled.”  Well, I would think so!  Gabriel, the angel, told Mary what was about to happen and she was afraid.  She wasn’t naïve and had some questions.  In the end though, she said, “Yes,” to Gabriel.  Mary’s recorded words were, “Behold, I am a servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”  Mary overcame her fears, paid the price of possibly losing her beloved Joseph, being misunderstood and judged, so we could have the free gift.  Joseph, also, paid a high price.  He was, no doubt, also misunderstood and judged within his community.  Like Mary, he overcame the hurdles and obeyed the Lord.  Joseph provided for Mary and the baby so we could have the free gift.  He and Mary paid a high price as they traveled in the last month of her pregnancy to Bethlehem and were possibly frantic when they couldn’t find a place to stay as she went into labor.  And after baby Jesus was born, they absorbed the cost of little baby boys being killed all around them because their own son was the object of intense hatred and the other babies were caught in the crossfire.  In obedience, Joseph took his little family to Egypt for safety and on return went to Nazareth where they lived out their years.  And don’t forget the terrible panic they must have felt when they thought they had lost their 12-year-old son, Jesus, in the crowd in Jerusalem!  Thank you, Mary and Joseph, for putting reputation aside, overcoming your fears, and protecting your boy.  Thank you for raising the Son of God so we could have the free gift!

Now, let’s consider the high price paid by Jesus.  From the cradle to the cross Jesus paid the cost, the ultimate cost, so we could have the free gift of life in Him.  Thank you, Jesus, for leaving the glory you had with your Father since before time began, so we can share in your glory forever.  Thank you for being born as a human being, a little baby boy.  You are not only fully God, but became fully man, so you could fully pay for our sin. And then you paid the price of the cross.  Oh, how we romanticize the cross, but you knew.  You asked if your Father would spare you the cross.  When the answer was “No,” you put His will above your own and obeyed.  (Just like your mother!)  You despised the shame of hanging on the cross.  And then you paid the ultimate price of being separated from your Father for the first and only time in all eternity.

Thank you, Mary, for saying “yes.”  Thank you, Joseph, for your obedience.  Thank you, Jesus, for paying the cost from cradle to cross.  All so that salvation, eternal life, is a free gift to us.

Dear friend, as you celebrate Christmas by opening gifts, keep in mind why we do this.  In giving and receiving our gifts we are illustrating a deep truth.  The giver paid a price so the receiver could receive the free gift.  And let’s enjoy this wonderful tradition of gift-giving with humility and great rejoicing, remembering that Jesus paid it all.

Merry Christmas!

*To prepare your heart for Christmas and enrich your celebration, take time to read and ponder the following Scriptures.  They are presented in sequence that follows the order of the blog article.  

Luke 1:26-38

Matthew 1:18-25

Luke 2:1-7

Matthew 2:13-23

Luke 2:39-52

Philippians 2:5-11

Luke 22:41-44

John 17:1-5

Hebrews 12:2

Matthew 27:46

Mark 15:34

Romans 5:15-17