A Rose E'er Blooming

“O Savior, child of Mary,
Who felt our human woe,

O Savior, King of glory,
Who dost our weakness know,

bring us at length we pray
to the bright courts of heaven,

and to the endless day.”

“Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” 
author known, 16th century Germany
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There are some theological terms that are frequently thrown about but seldom explained. Incarnation is one of those terms: Christ: the Word of God incarnate, was incarnate by the Holy Spirit, and so on. The Incarnation refers to the moment in time when Jesus was conceived in Mary's womb (via the Holy Spirit and completely without sin—hence “virgin birth”). It's the moment in time when the Son of God became fully man while remaining fully God.

Okay, so that's what the Incarnation IS, but what does it MEAN? The Incarnation of the Son of God means that Jesus knows more than physical pain, hunger, poverty, thirst, and what it’s like to feel cold. He knows sorrow. He knows worry. He knows fear. He's been tempted, ridiculed, betrayed, and tortured. He’s felt the pain of every lost husband and wife, every lost child, every lost brother and sister, and every bitter disappointment. He’s felt the wrongs you’ve felt and every tear you’ll ever shed, and He's paid for them all so that He can bring us to the courts of heaven.

Jesus' strength endured in the face of affliction in a way ours never can because above all things, Jesus knows love. You and I endure our human woes in a less perfect fashion, but still, we endure them with all the strength of God. Hold onto your baptism into Christ and look forward to that endless day where our human woe is no more.

"Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil."
Hebrews 2:14

For more on Jesus' sorrow, click here.