Lessons on the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ and His Apostles
Lesson No. Forty-Nine

The How, Who, and Why of Christmas

The how, who, and why constitutes the doctrine of Christmas – “Christmas is not only a celebration of how Jesus came into the world but also of knowing who He is – our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ – and why He came” (Craig C. Christensen, The Fulness of the Story of Christmas, 2016 Christmas Devotional).

The how of Christmas is recorded in Mathew 1-2 and in Luke 2 – Mathew  begins his account of the how of Christmas in these words:  “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise” (Matthew 1:18).  Matthew and Luke write of the birth of the Lord Jesus and of shepherds, wise men, angels, and a star.  Remembering the Christmas Story, which is the how of Christmas, brings wonder and joy to child-like hearts, both young and old.

The who of Christmas is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ – “For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases….And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary” (Mosiah 3:5, 8).

“We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded on Calvary.  He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world” (The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles).

The why of Christmas is answered at Easter – The birth and the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, Christmas and Easter, are inextricably tied together.  As President Gordon B. Hinckley explained:  “There would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter.  The babe Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming Christ of Gethsemane and Calvary, and the triumphant fact of the Resurrection” (The Wonderous and True Story of Christmas, Ensign, Dec. 2000).

Jesus explained the why of Christmas:  “Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you – that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me.  And my Father sent me that I might be lifted upon the cross” (3 Nephi 27:13-14, italics added).

Only by keeping the commandments can we experience the why of Christmas and receive the full redemptive power of the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ – Then it will be with us like it was with the people of king Benjamin, and  “the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having a peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ…” (Mosiah 4:3).