It is often said that John’s Gospel does not speak of Christmas. By that, people usually mean John does not record angels, shepherds, or a manger in Bethlehem. That observation is true on the surface — but it misses something far more important.
John does speak of Christ’s birth. He simply speaks of it from eternity’s vantage point, not from the stable floor.
When Jesus stands before Pilate and says:
“Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world…”
He affirms something unmistakable: He was born, and His birth had purpose.
This is incarnation language — not poetic, not sentimental, but deliberate and royal.
Birth With Intent, Not Accident
No ordinary man speaks this way. None of us can say we came into the world for a defined mission. We are born into circumstances we do not choose. Jesus speaks differently because He existed before His birth.
John opens his Gospel not in Bethlehem, but “in the beginning.” The Word did not begin at the manger; the manger marks the moment the eternal Word entered time. When Jesus says, “for this cause came I into the world,” He is interpreting His own birth.
Matthew and Luke show us how He was born.
John shows us why.
Kingship Framed by the Incarnation
Notice the context of Jesus’ statement. It comes during a conversation about kingship. Pilate is concerned with power, authority, and political threat. Jesus responds by anchoring His kingship not in conquest, but in incarnation.
“To this end was I born…”
His authority is not seized — it is inherent. His kingdom is not established by force — it is revealed by truth. His birth is not incidental to His mission; it is the means by which that mission begins.
John’s Gospel makes clear that Christmas is not about vulnerability alone. It is about voluntary humility.
“Came Into the World”
That phrase appears repeatedly in John, and it always carries weight. It assumes:
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pre-existence
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intentional descent
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divine purpose
The Word became flesh. Light entered darkness. Truth stepped into a hostile world. John is not ignoring the birth of Christ — he is explaining it.
Christmas, in John’s Gospel, is not about the silence of a holy night. It is about truth confronting the world.
Why This Matters
When people say John does not speak of Christmas, what they often mean is that John does not decorate it. But Scripture does not exist to decorate truth — it exists to reveal it.
John strips away nostalgia and presents the incarnation as:
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necessary
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purposeful
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confrontational
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redemptive
The birth of Christ is not merely something that happened. It is something that was chosen.
A Closing Thought
John’s Gospel does not begin at the manger because John wants us to understand that Bethlehem was not the beginning — it was the arrival. When Jesus says, “To this end was I born,” He affirms that His birth was the doorway through which eternal truth entered a fallen world.
That is Christmas — not denied, but defined.
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