Although Jesus was not born on December 25, but sometime in September or October on the Feast of Trumpets, it is the day his birth is celebrated. But apart from the shepherds and the angels and the wise men in the fields, which they would not do in December but in September, the scripture tells us what Christ himself said on that day of his birth.
His words are found in the Book of Hebrews which tells us: “Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: ‘Sacrifice and offering you did not want, but a body you prepared for me. Here I am, it is written about me in the scroll, I have I came to do your will, my God.’” (Hebrews 10:5-7).
It is incredibly important to understand that his words are a quote from a Psalm that says: “Sacrifice and offering you did not want, but you opened my ears, burnt offerings and expiation you did not ask for. Then I said: ‘Here I have come, from me it is written in the scroll I desire to do your will, my God, your law is in my heart” (Psalm 40:6-8).
This idea of a body in preparation is a clear reference to the incarnation, to the Word made flesh. The Psalm says, “You have opened my ears,” an alternate reading of David’s words. Both ideas are true and both are full of mystery and meaning.
In short, the psalmist is talking about a practice that Moses taught in which a servant who wanted a lifetime contract with a homeowner could publicly display his pledge and publicly receive the pledge from the lord. This was not slavery as we commonly call it. This is a voluntary giving of one’s life to serve another out of deep love for that person.
Moses states how the contract was sealed: “And it shall come to pass that if he says to you: ‘I will not turn away from you,’ because he loves you and your house, since it is well with you, then you shall take an awl, and pierce it through the ear to the door, and he will be your servant forever” (Deuteronomy 15:16,17).
The piercing was a visible mark of servitude, ‘because he loves you and your home’. It was voluntary slavery to a call on a person’s life. Imagine, all over Israel for centuries, people would take a hammer and nail and pierce the flesh into wood to show a contract.
Jesus affirms the same when he shares that his body was prepared to be pierced, his ears were opened, showing his condition as a voluntary servant to the cause for which he came, to seek and save the lost. It is incredible to contemplate the beauty and mystery of these verses. The King was incarnated in Bethlehem as a slave to his Father’s cause to carry out his mission until death.
Let us not forget that the “House of Bread” was also born in Bethlehem, whose economy was sustained by raising lambs to be sacrificed during the Temple services on behalf of the sins of the people. Truly he is the mystery revealed in so many innumerable ways.