Every year in December, toward the end of the year, we all sense a strong festive atmosphere. Orchard Road is adorned with dazzling lights, and shopping malls everywhere are filled with Christmas and New Year decorations. The crowds of shoppers and the sound of laughter make people feel that life is good. But does the cheer and laughter really mean that everyone has true peace and joy? We all know this is not the case, because when the laughter dies down, we are not truly satisfied—only left with a greater sense of emptiness. We then look forward to the next outing or some other thing to fill the void. Moreover, it is also possible that just when people are rejoicing, our joy can quickly be shattered by sudden, or even inexplicable, hatred or arrogance, as seen in recent events in Australia and Taiwan. We thank the Lord that similar incidents have not occurred in Singapore, but this does not mean that we can completely avoid such things. In any case, this only shows that both our outward world and our inner world lack true peace..
Such turmoil is nothing new. On the one hand, we are still shocked by it, yet on the other hand, we have already grown accustomed to it. However, the state of the world, together with the increasing number of natural and man-made disasters, inevitably leads us to see that Jesus’ prophecy about the world being in great unrest is being fulfilled step by step. “Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives. The disciples came to Him privately and said, ‘Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?’ answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, claiming, “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains’” (Matthew 24:3–8). In this passage, the disciples ask Jesus what signs will precede His coming and the end of the world. This refers to the events that will take place before Jesus’ second coming. In other words, we are living in the age between Jesus’ first coming and His second coming, and from Jesus’ prophecy, we see that we are drawing ever closer to His second coming. When Jesus comes again, simply put, it will mark the end of the world. At that time, Jesus will judge the world according to His righteousness. “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left” (Matthew 25:31–33). Who are the sheep? Who are the goats? Verses 34–46 that follow show us that the sheep are the blessed ones, because they are the righteous who care about Jesus and the righteousness of His kingdom; the goats, on the other hand, are those cursed by Jesus, because they are the wicked who do not care about Jesus and His kingdom. These people do not care because they do not believe what Jesus has said; those who care about Jesus and His kingdom do so because they believe His words.
God’s peace comes through Jesus to those who care about Him and His kingdom—that is, to those who believe in Him. “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The peace that Jesus gives is a peace that overcomes all suffering and challenges; it is a peace that surpasses understanding. This peace is given only to Jesus’ disciples and to those who believe in Him. On what basis is Jesus able to give such peace to those who believe in Him? This peace did not come easily. It was accomplished through Jesus’ first coming into the world, by addressing the problem of human sin and overcoming the world. When Jesus was first born into this world, angels proclaimed: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests!” (Luke 2:14). Jesus came into the world as a baby, born of a virgin. This was a great miracle that fully displayed God’s glory. Yet this miracle was not merely about the birth of a child, but about the birth of a Saviour. When Jesus was born into this world, He was without sin, and throughout His life He committed no sin. His holiness fully qualified Him to bear the sins of humanity and to take upon Himself the punishment for sin on humanity’s behalf. “Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:4–6). The meaning of Christmas lies in this: God’s peace has come to the world through Jesus. If we are willing to believe, we can fully experience—and forever possess—this true peace..