Readers may recognize the title, The prince and the Pauper. It is a novel, published by Mark Twain in 1881, in which a prince and a pauper switch places and experience life, immersed in each other’s worlds. But have you heard the story of the King and the Pauper? This is a story in which the King of the Universe becomes a pauper, so He can show His love to the world. We celebrate that story each December 25th. For many, it is “the most wonderful time of the year.”
Christmas is not wonderful because of the presents or decorations; it is wonderful because it is a celebration of a birth like no other. Jesus’ birth was not special like the birth of a famous celebrity; it was far more significant and consequential. We celebrate Christmas because it is when The King of Kings was born a Pauper, so He could redeem mankind. Jesus was God in a human body, “reconciling the world unto Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19).
Jesus’ birth was so special that the stars and angels couldn’t help but shout about it. But it was also special because God came to earth so humbly and unassumingly – without human fanfare. God lived among us so we could all see how a poor, uneducated person could be born to blue-collar parents, live among a repressed people whose religion had been hijacked, and still change the world. The story is unlike any other in all the religions of the world
Pastor Jonathan Dodson captures the heart of Christianity like this:
The truth is that God is Jesus. Christianity is the only religion where God is born as a man, and becomes fully human. This is the height of enlightenment. All other religions teach that humans must work their way toward divinity. The truth is Jesus. The truth is a person who dies in our place, for our crimes, and in turn gives us his life. The truth is that God works his way down to humanity and dies for us. That’s grace. See, the truth isn’t a special prayer or code word we say at the pearly gates. In Christianity, the truth is essentially revealed in a Person, Jesus, full of grace and humility. In all other religions God is impersonal, but in Christianity we meet God in Jesus. The truth is a Person who dies for us. Wonderfully enlightened, moving.
Many world religions and philosophies focus on selfish and unappeasable gods, or on the self-righteous deeds performed by religious people. Christianity takes the pressure off. Jesus came to love, to give, and to save. His salvation is free and available to all. Ironically, many have trouble embracing the only love-based religion in the world, because Christian believers must take the same humble route Jesus took. In other words, many people are prepared to do hard things for religion, but are not comfortable with humbly admitting their need for a Savior, and then simply following that Savior, as He leads them to eternal life.
The King of Kings became a Pauper so see could all see how a human being could be humble and obedient in a world where pride and self-sufficiency are highly regarded. It is a unique, true story which will soon climax with the crowning of that Pauper, as King of Kings.