God had a goal in mind when he sent Jesus into the world. Jesus’ birth, as great as it was, was not the end goal.

The Bible says that God sent forth his Son for many reasons—He came to teach truth. He came to fulfill the Law. He came to offer His kingdom. He came to show us how to live. He came to reveal God’s love. He came to bring peace. He came to heal the sick. He came to minister to the needy.[1]

But God’s ultimate purpose for sending Jesus to earth was to die on the cross, to provide a satisfactory payment to take away our sin. We often say that Jesus was born to die. That was really the whole point of the incarnation.

Galatians 4:4–5 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

The AH tells us (Hebrews 2:9)  Jesus, … was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death … that He … might taste death for everyone.

From the very beginning of Jesus’ story, we find connections to his death. Long before he was born, the ultimate purpose for his birth was clear. Jesus is the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8).

Bible students have always noticed certain parallels or connections between Jesus’ birth and his death. Some of the events of Jesus’ birth foreshadow events of his death. The two events are connected in many ways, and the Bible reveals some parallels or similarities. “The cradle stands in the shadow of the cross.”

The point is that as we celebrate Jesus’ birth, we must do so with the full recognition that God sent Jesus into the world to die for our sins. Jesus birth was just a step along the process that led inevitably to his death. We appreciate and celebrate Jesus’ birth because we value his death. We can’t celebrate one without acknowledging the other.

[1] John MacArthur, “Born to Die.” https://www.gty.org/library/blog/B141219/born-to-die