One of the most profound, yet least understood parts of the Christmas story is the journey Jesus took from spirit to body. In John 1:14, it says, “The Word became flesh.” This statement is more than just a theological truth—it's a profound mystery. Before Jesus came to Earth, He wasn’t flesh; He was spirit. He was invisible, intangible—something you couldn’t see or touch unless He allowed it. His true form was beyond our human understanding.

Throughout the Old Testament, Jesus appeared in many forms, often as the angel of the Lord. In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul tells us that Jesus was the cloud the Israelites followed, the spiritual rock they drank from, and the fire in the burning bush. Jesus, in His eternal nature, could take on any form He desired, but none of those forms were permanent. He had no body.

In fact, eternity ago, Jesus didn’t even have a name in the sense that we understand it. He was called the Son of God, the Son of Man, and the Messiah. But when He came to earth, He was given a name—Jesus. In Matthew 1:21, the angel tells Joseph, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Jesus was a common name in those days, much like John is a common name in America. It wasn’t the name itself that made Him special, but the power and significance He brought to it. He gave the name meaning.

But Jesus didn’t just gain a name; He gained a body. And not just any body. The eternal Son of God, the Creator of the universe, left His throne in heaven to become a microscopic human embryo. Think about it—the God who is light became a tiny, helpless baby in the dark for nine months. When He was born, He looked like any other baby—probably weighing about 7 pounds, unable to feed Himself, unable to even open His eyes at first. He was dependent on Mary and Joseph for everything.

Here’s the incredible part—this wasn’t a temporary change. Jesus didn’t just take on a human body for 33 years and then discard it. No, this was permanent. Hebrews 2:14-17 tells us that Jesus shared in our humanity so that He could become our High Priest, making atonement for our sins. He had to be fully human in every way to do that. His humanity wasn’t a costume He put on for a short time—it became part of who He is, forever.

Even after His resurrection, Jesus showed the disciples His physical body. In Luke 24:39, He invites them to touch His hands and feet, saying, “A spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” His body, once crucified and buried, was glorified and permanent. In Colossians 2:9, Paul says that “in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.”

The body that was conceived in Mary, born in Bethlehem, crucified on the cross, and resurrected on Easter Sunday is the same body that ascended into heaven. And that’s the same body that will return one day, just as the Bible promises. Jesus’ transformation from spirit to body was permanent—an irreversible change. He remains fully God and fully man, forever.

Think of it like a block of marble. At first, it’s just a raw, unshaped stone with endless potential. But once the sculptor works on it, it’s forever changed into a masterpiece. In the same way, when Jesus became human, He underwent a permanent transformation. He didn’t add humanity and then discard it. He became human forever. And because of that, He is the perfect mediator between God and man.

That’s why I’ll never pray to Mary or a saint. Jesus is my mediator. His humanity is permanent, and so is my salvation. It can’t be undone.