Mahesh grew up within another faith tradition where stories of divine beings appearing throughout history were common—some as kings, others as animals, others as wise teachers who completed their task and returned to the divine realm. So when he heard Christians speak about Jesus, he smiled and told his believing uncle:
“Jesus is also one kind of incarnation. Our faith has many. There is no great difference.”
His uncle did not argue. He gently replied:
“Mahesh, may I show you why the Christian understanding of incarnation is unlike anything else in the world?”
What follows is the heart of their conversation—the truth Scripture proclaims about the uniqueness of Jesus’ coming.
A Real Incarnation in Human History
Unlike the mythical or symbolic settings familiar to Mahesh, Scripture places Jesus’ coming firmly within human history. Luke names Nazareth in Galilee, a virgin named Mary, and Joseph of David’s royal line (Lk 1:26–28). These were real people in real places. The stories Mahesh heard were not tied to dates, locations, or eyewitness testimony.
Nor does Jesus simply appear without preparation. His coming fulfils promises God made centuries earlier. God promised that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (Gen 3:15), that through Abraham’s offspring all nations would be blessed (Gen 12:3). Mary is called a virgin at the moment of announcement, echoing Isaiah’s prophecy that a virgin would conceive and bear a son (Isa 7:14). Jesus enters the world as the promised Messiah, fulfilling God’s covenant that a son of David would reign forever (2 Sam 7:13–14).
The incarnation is therefore not a legend attached to history. It is God fulfilling his promises within history. But if Jesus truly enters history in fulfilment of God’s promises, the next question is clear: who is this child?
A Revealed Identity Rooted in Eternity
In the stories Mahesh knew, the meaning of a divine appearance was usually understood only after the meaning of the story had unfolded. A figure would appear, confront evil, restore order, or complete a task, and only then would people recognise who that figure was and what the appearance meant. Scripture tells a very different story.
Before Jesus is conceived, Gabriel announces who he is: Jesus—“the Lord saves”—the Son of the Most High whose kingdom will never end (Lk 1:31–33). His identity reaches much further back than Bethlehem. John identifies him as the eternal Word who was with God, was God, through whom all things were made (Jn 1:1–3). The Word did not begin at the manger. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us (Jn 1:14).
Jesus’ identity is not discovered after the event or inferred from what he accomplishes. It is revealed by God before his birth and rooted in eternity. He enters history as the eternal Son whom the Father has already revealed.
But this raises another question: how can the eternal Son enter human history without ceasing to be who he is?
The Eternal Son Made Like Us
Mahesh thought of incarnation as a divine figure coming for a period of time to deal with a particular evil before returning to a heavenly abode. But Scripture presents something far greater: the eternal Son did not merely appear on earth, a divine manifestation; he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and truly became human.
Isaiah foretold that a virgin would conceive a son called Immanuel—“God with us” (Isa 7:14). When Mary asked how this could be, Gabriel explained that the Holy Spirit would come upon her, the power of the Most High would overshadow her, and the child would be the holy Son of God (Lk 1:34–35).
Here the Father sends, the Spirit conceives, and the Son assumes true humanity. In Jesus Christ, the fully divine nature and the fully human nature are united in one person without confusion, change, division, or separation. He remains fully God and becomes fully man.
Psalm 8 says humanity was made “a little lower than the angels” (Ps 8:5). Hebrews applies this to Jesus, who was made lower than the angels so that he could suffer death for us (Heb 2:9). God sent his Son “in the likeness of sinful flesh”—not sinful, but genuinely human (Rom 8:3).
The eternal Son came as a man, sharing our flesh and blood, yet without sin (Heb 2:14; 4:15). Because he shares our humanity, he knows our weakness, suffering, and temptation. We therefore have a High Priest who sympathises with us and invites us to approach God’s throne with confidence for mercy and grace (Heb 4:14–16).
But why did the eternal Son take on our humanity at all?
The Purpose of the Incarnation
Many religious stories describe divine appearances meant to restore moral order, defeat temporary evil, or correct cosmic imbalance before fading again. Scripture reveals a greater purpose.
The angel declares, “He will save his people from their sins” (Matt 1:21). When Adam sinned, humanity was banished from God’s presence and came under the power of sin and death. Jesus came as the Second Adam to undo what the first Adam brought into the world (Rom 5:12–19). Through Adam we were reckoned as sinners; through Christ we are reconciled to God. As our Mediator, he restores us to the Father through his suffering, death, and resurrection and gives us the right to become God’s children (Jn 1:12; Heb 9:15).
But salvation is not merely forgiveness. The child born to Mary is also Immanuel (Matt 1:23). Sin separated humanity from God’s presence; to restore God’s presence, sin first had to be dealt with. The incarnation begins the saving work that removes the barrier between God and humanity. John says the Word became flesh and “made his dwelling among us.” In Jesus, God’s presence is no longer only symbolised in the tabernacle or temple; God comes among us personally in the Son. We see his glory, full of grace and truth (Jn 1:14). Through Jesus’ incarnate saving work, believers receive the Spirit as God’s abiding presence, and the Father and the Son make their home with them (Jn 14:17, 23).
The incarnation accomplishes one saving purpose: God restores sinners to himself, brings them into his holy family, and is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters (Heb 2:11). Yet one question remains. Did Christ take on humanity for a season, or does his incarnation continue forever?
The Permanent Incarnation
In the stories Mahesh knew, divine figures took a form for a time, completed their task, and then returned to their original state or vanished back into the spiritual realm. Scripture announces something astonishingly different: Jesus’ incarnation is permanent. He rose bodily. He showed his hands and side to Thomas, inviting him to see and touch the wounds of the risen Lord (Jn 20:24–29). He ascended bodily into heaven. He intercedes bodily as our great High Priest (Heb 2:10–17, 7:14–28). And the angels declared that he will return in the same way he was taken into heaven (Acts 1:9–11). The One who became human remains human forever—our Saviour, our Mediator, our Brother, and our King.
Our future is not a disembodied spiritual existence. Because Christ rose bodily, believers also will be raised bodily. We will not lose our humanity; we will be changed. Paul says that “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye,” the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed (1 Cor 15:51–52). We will see Christ as he is and be made like him—not by escaping our humanity, but by having our humanity glorified in Christ (1 Jn 3:2; 1 Cor 15:42–49).
This is our eternal hope. The incarnate Son who took our humanity into heaven will return for his people and bring them into the new heaven and new earth. There God will dwell with his people forever, every trace of sin and death will be removed, and we will enjoy his presence without end (Rev 21:1–4). The gospel story that began with the incarnation will reach its glorious fulfilment when we dwell with him forever.
And if this is true, Mahesh’s original assumption can no longer stand.
Mahesh’s Question, Our Commitment
Mahesh began the conversation thinking Jesus was one incarnation among many. But as he listened, he realised he was hearing something entirely different: history fulfilled, salvation accomplished, God come near, and embodied hope secured.
If this is true, Jesus cannot be one spiritual story among others. He is the eternal Son who entered history, took our humanity, died for our sins, rose bodily from the dead, ascended bodily into heaven, and will return bodily in glory.
His uncle said: “Mahesh, this Christmas, put your trust in him. His incarnation is real. His salvation is complete. His presence is with us now, and your future can be secure in him.”
What Mahesh needed is what we all need: to receive Christ by faith, rest in his peace, and live in the hope of seeing him as he is. Because the incarnate Lord has brought us into God’s family, we gladly invite others into the same grace. The invitation is to trust him, worship him, follow him, and make him known.
One incarnation. One salvation. One eternal hope—God with us now, and we with him forever.
