One of my favourite Christmas verses is found Galatians 4:4 (ESV):

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law.”

Taken by itself, and left unexamined, one might conclude that the incarnation occurred once God the Father determined it should occur. And of course, that conclusion is not incorrect. God determines all things — even the pathway of every individual molecule — and therefore certainly the sending of his Son into the world.

We might go further and say that the historical context into which the Son of God was to be born was also determined by God.  The fact that Israel was under the dominion of the Romans, leaving the nation yearning for a Messiah was not insignificant.  Furthermore, the national belief that they were near the end of the age was everywhere felt.  The corruption in the religious leadership, the poverty among the Galilean people, and many other factors were significant during this time period.  We are all aware of Luke’s description of the baby Jesus being brought to the temple for ritual purification.  Luke 2:25-26 indicates not just the longing of one man, but the longing of the nation.  Luke states,

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”

And so, whether it is an aged priest or a longing nation, it is clear that Jesus came at just the right time.  God the Father saw to that.

As attractive as it might be to interpret Galatians 4:4 against that historical background, a closer look at the passage shows us something else.  We notice that Paul not only states that Jesus entered the world in the fullness of the Father’s time, but he also states he was born of woman.  At first glance, we might say these three words are unnecessary.  After all, who isn’t born of woman?  But Paul is referring to Genesis 3:15, and the promise that there would be a seed of the woman who would bruise the head of the serpent.  The strange language of a woman having seed gives us the impression that something unusual will happen in the conception of the long-awaited messiah.

But still, this is not Paul’s principal point.  After the reference to the woman, he mentions that Jesus was born under the law.  Galatians 3 is a marvelous treaty on the nature of the law.  The law is incapable, says Paul, of changing the heart.  It is very much like a doctor’s diagnostic instruments.  They identify the disease but are unable to treat it.  And so, the law tells us what sin is and how we are sinning.  But the law also contains elements that speak about forgiveness, and how it is to be attained.  In that sense, the law is so much more than a diagnostic tool.  It is also the instrument chosen by God to explain the need for atonement and the shedding of blood for the remission of sins.  The law, says Paul, also stirs the human heart to greater rebellion than if it had never been given.

God waited for the law to have its full effect before sending his Son.  Israel’s sin against the law of God eventually led them into the Babylonian captivity.  They suffered for their rebellion.  But the law also continued to hold out hope that a sacrifice capable of forgiving sin was coming.  And as the glory of the law was made known, so also were the consequences of law breaking.  How desperately Israel needed a saviour – one who would fulfill the law, but also break its curse.

And it is here where Paul’s words have full effect.  “In the fulness of time”, he says.  When God’s redemptive plan had reached the stage that the ministry of Jesus could be understood, he sent his son.

This tells us that God never leaves anything to chance.  All things are planned.  Even the smallest detail is used for his glory.  Christmas tells of a meticulously sovereign God who would only send his Son when all other matters were fully dealt with.

Christmas then reminds us of the infinite wisdom of God.  How wonderful that the story of our salvation is a perfect story.  Our God does all things well.  Merry Christmas.

For more on Galatians 3–4 and Christmas, listen to Dr. John’s new audio series: Christmas From Galatians.