The Speechless Word
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger…. So they hurried off, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. Luke 2:11-12, 16
At Christmas we remember that the son of God, known from the beginning of time as the Word, came to earth unable to speak. He began at the beginning of human experience: a helpless, tiny bundle, only able to express himself by crying. He had to learn speech; he had a first word; he had to be taught by his parents.
Because the biblical narrative moves quickly through Jesus’ childhood, sometimes we do, too. We want to get to the part where he speaks—where he teaches, where he prays, where he heals and he forgives. But Christmas asks us to remember that God loved us enough to take our whole journey with us. Jesus came to earth and found his voice so that we would have good news to share with our own voices.
When the king comes as a baby, it falls to others to announce that he is on the way: John the Baptist, crying Prepare! in the wilderness. It falls to others to describe the king’s arrival: the shepherds, filling the Bethlehem streets with the biggest news they’ve ever heard. It falls to others to interpret his birth: Simeon, holding the child and declaring (Luke 2:30): My eyes have seen your salvation.
The speechless infant Jesus reminds us that we all need to grow into our voices. Speech is a gift and a skill, and one way to model Jesus is by not using it recklessly. Jesus at Bethlehem reminds us of his astonishing humility, coming into the world unable to defend himself physically or verbally. The scene the shepherds find—"just as they had been told” (Luke 2:20)—reminds us that human speech isn’t the only way to share and experience truth.
We don’t know Jesus’ first words. But in the gospels, his last recorded speech comes after his resurrection as his disciples both worship and doubt (Matthew 28:17). This is what he says to them:
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:20
He is Emmanuel—God with us—to the very end, in our worship and in our doubts. He was Emmanuel from before he could speak, and he is Emmanuel now as we wait to hear his voice again. Today, reflect on the silent vulnerability of Jesus coming as a child.
Song: “Come Adore the Humble King” – Matt Boswell and Matt Papa
This song is part of our Silent Nights playlist on Spotify.