How Baby Jesus Gives Children Freedom from Fear

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. —Hebrews 2:14-15

When Jesus was born that night, it was not the Christmas-card Bethlehem. It was two people thrown into the salvation plan of God—Mary, who had no choice and Joseph who God filled with his compassion by the message of his angels to know he could act in faith.

I wonder how they felt as they experienced virgin Mary’s birth in that dark barn. What wonder must have filled their hearts as they held that tiny baby—the promised Savior, God’s Son, who came as us to free us from our greatest fear: death.

God knows the power that death has over us is a slavery. He knows how the devil loves to hold us in the grips of fear as he reminds us of all our past shame. Our Savior knows the nightmares our children wake up from in the middle of the night crying out for us. He knows the gut punch of a cancer diagnosis. He knows how we feel so alone in the hold of our addictions.

The reality of Christmas is that God gave up his Son to live in the darkness of our selfish existence. God’s Son became our flesh to share in our humanity. When Mary held that tiny baby, she held her son and God’s son. She held Jesus, whose purpose was not financial success and worldly power, but freeing us from the power of death by dying in our place. 

Jesus came to be sin for us to forgive us of all the things we did not do that we should have done. That tiny baby who is like us came to free us from living in hell eternally. That objective truth gives us freedom from the fear of death. God knows the terror we feel, and he is with us. His Words are our reality. It is finished. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. I am with you always. How great the love the Father has lavished on us that we are the children of God.

Use Hebrews 2:14-15 As a Conversation Starter for Your Family

What does it mean to you that Jesus was a baby like you were?

What do you think it was like for Jesus to grow up as a human but not sin?

What is scary to you?

What does it mean to you to know that Jesus forgives all your sins?

Only Jesus could take your place and be punished for all the bad you’ve done because he is God and he did no wrong the entire time he grew up on Earth.

Tell God how it feels knowing you do not have to be afraid to die because Jesus took the punishment of everything you have done wrong and all the things you did not do that you should have done.