For Unto Us A Child Is Born
Isaiah 9 : 6
We live in a fallen world, filled with conflict, suffering, war, oppression, and much more. How do we usually respond to these challenges? Typically, war is met with another war. When threatened by military power, the response is often to counter with greater force. This is the way of the world. However, the Bible presents a different answer. Conflict, war, and suffering are not new—they existed even in the time of Isaiah. Yet, God’s wisdom is not like the world’s. Our triumphant God does not respond to oppression with more oppression. Rather, God chose to bring hope to humanity through the gift of a Child—-a response that defies worldly understanding.
Certain theologians highlighted that the attractiveness of Isaiah’s message is not in using the term “King of Peace”, but rather in using the term “Prince of Peace”. Gerhard von Rad, an Old Testament scholar from Heidelberg, suggested that this is an intentional “slap” of the Jerusalem monarchy. The childlike aspect of God’s good news is crucial here. God does not respond to oppression with a triumphant miracle, such as sending thousands of angels to defend Israel. Instead, He gives humanity the most humble gift of all: the birth of a child. Once again, this stands in contrast to worldly wisdom. How do we typically respond to arrogant people? Often, we become more arrogant ourselves, determined not to be ridiculed. We may even resort to revolution or force. But this is not God’s way. God responds by giving us the birth of a Child who overcomes His enemies not through strength, but through vulnerability, transparency, and humility. This message is, in many ways, a polemic against worldly empires. In the context of Isaiah, the great empire threatening Israel was the Assyrian Kingdom, a powerful worldly alliance. Yet, God’s answer to this threat is a birth.
As we celebrate Christmas, I want us to focus on the nativity scene, particularly the manger, which is a central decoration during this season. I believe it represents the core of the Christmas message: that God does not answer violence with violence, but instead responds with the vulnerability of a baby. When you read the story in the Gospels, you see that powerful figures, like King Herod and the religious leaders such as the Pharisees, fail to understand this message. Isn’t it striking that when Herod heard of the birth of a King, he felt threatened, not by a powerful, established monarch, but by a small, vulnerable baby? This is the hidden nature of the Christmas message. It’s paradoxical, and yet, perhaps not for everyone. In the Gospel of Luke, it is said that the message is for those whom God favors. Not many people accept the Christmas message. For example, the shepherds—who were marginalized and looked down upon in society—are among the first to hear the good news. And the Magi? They were Gentiles, not Israelites, foreigners from distant lands. Isn’t this a story of reversal?
In Isaiah 9:6, we see the title of God:
1. Wonderful Counselor
What is the content of this counsel? When we talk about a counselor or counseling, we are talking about wisdom. There is a reversal motive in the true wisdom of God, which does not respond to military power with more military power, or violence with violence. Instead, He shows His strength through the weakness of a baby in a manger. True strength comes through weakness. True victory comes from surrendering oneself. A victorious country is often described by attributes such as political stability, economic flourishing, military strength, and prosperity. This is the kind of victory the world understands. However, when we reflect on the life of Jesus, we see a life marked by complete surrender, even unto death on the cross. It is a divine system in which true life comes through death.
2. Mighty God
What does it mean to be mighty? The world often describes “mighty” as power, greatness, and unbreakability—having access to the best comforts and luxuries of life. Yet, the Mighty God comes in the form of a small baby, who is so powerful that He can save the world. How did Jesus save the world? He saved it through His sacrificial love. So, what is mighty according to God? Mighty is the ability to be hurt, to dare to become vulnerable, to love and forgive others, to embrace those you may not even like, and to have the courage to hope, even when your past offers little reason to move forward.
3. Everlasting Father
In the ancient Near Eastern culture, many kings claimed to be the father of their nations. However, this fatherhood was often self-serving and conditional. If you didn’t offer the right sacrifices or serve the king’s interests, you could lose his protection. Although this was a practice of the past, such opportunistic relationships still exist today—where protection is only given as long as you are useful to the ruler. In the world, fatherhood is often temporary, dependent on circumstances and conditions. But in Isaiah, we read of the “Everlasting Father” to describe God’s relationship with His people, Israel. Despite Israel’s disobedience, God continues to consider Himself their Father. Why? Because He is the Everlasting Father, not a temporary one. We long for this kind of steadfast, faithful relationship, don’t we? We grow tired of opportunistic, conditional bonds. So, this is the Christmas message: God is faithful, and He is waiting for us to embrace a healthy, lasting relationship with Him.
4. Prince of Peace
We constantly long for peace, praying for an end to conflicts like the war between Ukraine and Russia, or the tensions between Israel and Palestine. But how does God bring peace to this world? He does so by giving us the birth of His Son—one who is transparent and vulnerable, showing that human defiance or revolution becomes irrelevant in the face of divine peace. Often, we try to convince others of Christianity’s beauty through displays of triumph. We are familiar with the term Christendom (Christian Kingdom), which is sometimes linked to Christian nationalism. However, I want to emphasize that this concept of Christendom, which associates Christianity’s greatness with power, can be misleading. Some believe that if a president becomes Christian, it will bring the true hope for establishing God’s Kingdom. But if that were the case, we must ask: Why was Jesus not born as the son of an emperor?
How does light shine in this world? If we look at the story of Jesus, we see that His peace and light came through sacrificial love—through total surrender, even to death on the cross. This is the true way of Christianity, not the notion of Christendom. It is not about answering military power with greater military power, but about becoming weak in God, transparent, and vulnerable—just like the baby Jesus. (G.N.S)