As we approach Christmas, it is difficult to ignore the weight of the world around us. The past week’s events—like so many before them—have once again reminded us that our world is filled with violence. The days are evil.
That reality echoes the sobering assessment God made just before the flood:
“Then Yahweh saw that the evil of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5, LSB)
We may not yet have sunk to the depths of the pre-flood world, but it is evident that things are not improving. Evil is not receding; it is multiplying. And for many, that realization breeds despair.
Yet Scripture insists on a far greater truth: there is no hope in the world—but there is hope in our Savior.
Jesus came into this broken and evil world to redeem sinners and to give real, lasting hope. If you are weary, discouraged, or overwhelmed by what you see unfolding around you, know this with certainty: there is hope in Christ.
Hope Beyond Death
Charles Spurgeon once recounted a striking story that captures the difference between Christian hope and every alternative worldview.
In 1829, Alexander Campbell debated Robert Owen, a well-known skeptic. While walking through Campbell’s family burial ground, Owen remarked confidently that he had no fear of death. If only a few business matters were settled, he said, he would be perfectly willing to die at any moment.
Campbell’s response was pointed and revealing: “You say you have no fear of death; have you any hope in death?”
After a pause, Owen admitted, “No.”
Campbell then gestured toward an ox nearby and replied that Owen stood on the same level as that animal—well-fed, resting in the shade, with neither hope nor fear in death.
Owen believed death was the end of existence. With no judgment to fear, he claimed peace—but he also had no hope. Annihilation was the best he could imagine. And it is an odd thing, indeed, to call annihilation “hope.” At best, it is simply a desire to escape God’s judgment.
Christians understand something profoundly different: apart from God’s intervention, there is no hope at all. That is why Alexander Maclaren could say:
“The cross is the centre of the world’s history. The incarnation of Christ and the crucifixion of our Lord are the pivot round which all the events of the ages revolve.”
And it is why James Montgomery Boice rightly declared:
“The atonement is the real reason for the Incarnation.”
The world may celebrate Christmas with nostalgia and sentiment, but Scripture calls us to something far deeper. Matthew presents Christmas not as a comforting story, but as God stepping into human history to rescue hopeless sinners.
What Robert Owen lacked—and what every worldview apart from Christ lacks—is not merely comfort in death, but hope rooted in God’s redemptive action in history. And that is exactly what Matthew announces in Matthew 1:18–25.
This hope is not an idea, an ethic, or a feeling. It is a Person.
Hope in the Holy Origin of the Savior
Matthew begins by telling us plainly that Jesus Christ did not enter the world like every other king before Him.
After tracing Jesus’ earthly lineage in Matthew 1:1–17—proving His rightful claim to David’s throne—Matthew turns to the circumstances of His birth:
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows… she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:18, LSB)
Those few words carry staggering theological weight. Jesus is not merely an earthly king. He is of holy origin—the heavenly King, the Son of God.
Mary herself was ordinary by every human measure: young, poor, and from an insignificant town. She was godly, but not sinless. And when the angel announced that she would conceive by the Holy Spirit, she responded not with doubt, but with humble submission.
Joseph, too, was ordinary—a righteous man, likely a laborer, suddenly thrust into an impossible situation. Mary’s pregnancy placed both of them in grave danger socially and morally. Yet Matthew quietly insists on the truth that explains everything: this child was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
With those words, Matthew declares the incarnation. God Himself has come in the flesh.
As B.B. Warfield explained so powerfully:
“The glory of the incarnation is that it presents to our adoring gaze not a humanized God or a deified man, but a true God-man—one who is all that God is, and at the same time all that man is.”
This is where real hope begins. If Jesus is truly God incarnate, then redemption is not wishful thinking—it is guaranteed by divine power and grace.
Hope in the Hidden Hand of God
God’s holy work did not immediately remove confusion for Mary and Joseph—it created it. Joseph faced heartbreak, scandal, and an agonizing decision. Yet even in his distress, Scripture describes him as righteous and compassionate.
Matthew reminds us that the incarnation is not a spectacle:
“The incarnation is not a show. No, no!” —D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
In Joseph’s darkest moment, God intervened—not by removing the trial, but by revealing the truth. An angel appeared, declaring that the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit and that Joseph need not fear.
God’s hand was hidden, but it was never absent.
And the same is true for us. Even when clarity comes slowly and obedience is costly, God’s sovereign care is at work. His hand is unseen, but it is never inactive.
Hope in the Healing Mission of Jesus
The angel’s message reaches its climax in one sentence:
“You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21, LSB)
The name Jesus—Yeshua—means “Yahweh saves.” The child Himself would be salvation.
Jesus did not come merely to improve lives or offer moral guidance. He came to rescue sinners, to heal the deepest wound humanity possesses: separation from God.
He would be despised, rejected, and ultimately crucified. Yet through His suffering, He would save His people from their sins.
True hope flows from this truth: Christ came with purpose, and that purpose was redemption.
Hope in the Historic Promises of God
Matthew pauses to remind us that none of this happened by chance. Every detail unfolded according to God’s eternal plan, fulfilling promises spoken centuries earlier.
The virgin birth was not a divine improvisation—it was prophecy fulfilled. And the name Immanuel declares the heart of Christmas: God with us.
God did not merely promise rescue; He promised presence. He entered our suffering, our confusion, and our fear.
And because God keeps His promises, our hope is secure. Christmas proves that what God has spoken, He will accomplish.
Hope in the Harmonious Plan of God
Joseph’s obedience closes the narrative quietly but powerfully. He believed God, obeyed without hesitation, and embraced the cost.
By naming Jesus, Joseph legally adopted Him, securing His place as heir to David’s throne. God’s plan unfolded with precision and grace—sovereign and harmonious in every detail.
And that same God is still at work today.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28, LSB)
A Final Word
As we celebrate Christmas, we do so in a broken world. But we do not celebrate without hope.
Because Jesus has come, hope is unshakeable.
Believe who He is.
Trust how God works.
Rest in why He came.
And may this Christmas remind you that the light has entered the darkness—and the darkness has not overcome it.