One Giant Leap For Mankind

The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.

~Isaiah 9:2

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped from the Eagle onto the Moon’s dusty surface with the words, “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” 

When Jesus came into this world, it was a giant leap forward for mankind. People were walking in darkness. Darkness in this sense means blindness or ignorance, or the inability to see eternal reality. The best they had done was figure out a plan to do enough good to sway God in their favor. It wasn’t really working but they tried as best they could to please God with their rules and actions. God always met them where they were at.

However, when Jesus came onto the scene, it all shifted. It shifted from “doing” to “done". God, in Jesus, reconciled Himself to mankind. He took on the form of a man so that He could be unified with us, even us in our sinful state. He came to understand us, to relate to us, to “be” us. This is how He would later carry our sins and cast them as far as the east is to the west on the Cross. 

Jesus revealed a Father we could worship with our Spirit rather than externally with sacrifices and appeasements. He let us in on the heart of the Father for our wellness, our wholeness, and our value. Jesus would say, in John 5:19 - “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.”

In the beautiful Christmas hymn, O Holy Night, it is expressed this way: “Long lay the world in sin and error pining, ‘Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.”

On the first Christmas, this prophecy from Isaiah was fulfilled:

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

~Isaiah 9:6

The people who were in darkness (blindness/ignorance about who God is, His character and unending love for mankind) were now given a great light because a Child was born. The Son was given. And the government of His eternal kingdom is upon His shoulder. He is Wonderful. He is a Counselor. He is Mighty. He is an Everlasting Father. He is the Prince of Peace. This changed everything. And this is what we celebrate at Christmastime.