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When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them." (vv. 2--5)


There was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he was quick to let others know his opinion. However, his wife was a Christian who raised their children with her beliefs. She encouraged them to ignore their father's critical comments.

One snowy Christmas Eve as his wife was leaving their farm to take their children to a Christmas Eve service, she asked him to come. He refused, saying, "Christmas is nonsense! What kind of God comes to earth as a man? What unrealistic humility. It's ridiculous!" So she and the children left, and he stayed home.

A little while later, the howling winds called him to look outside. The gentle snow was turning into a blizzard. The thickness of the snow made it hard to see. He returned to his chair to relax by the crackling fire. Then he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window. Then another thump. He looked out the window, but couldn't see anything in the blinding snow. So he put on his heavy coat and ventured outside to see what was making the noise.

Several yards from his house he saw a flock of wild geese flapping and aimlessly confused. Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm. They were stranded on his farm looking for food and shelter. Evidently, a couple of them had been attracted to the light from his window.

The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them. It was warm and safe. Surely they would be able to continue their journey the next day. So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide. He hoped the geese would notice the open barn and go inside. He waited, but the geese just fluttered around aimlessly. They didn't even seem to notice the barn let alone realize the safety available.

Then the man tried to shoo them into the barn, but that just seemed to scare them, and they moved further away. He went into the house and returned with breadcrumbs to make a trail leading to the barn. They still didn't catch on. He was getting frustrated as all his attempts to help were failing. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe.

He exclaimed, "Why don't they follow me? Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?" He deliberated for a moment and realized that these wild geese would never follow a human. He thought to himself, "If only I were a goose, then I could save them."

Then he had an idea. He went into the barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese. He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn and one by one the other geese followed it to safety.

He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them!" Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier. "Why would God want to be like us? That's ridiculous!"

Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the geese - blind, lost, and perishing. God became human to show us the way to salvation. The man realized the meaning of Christmas. He stood in the midst of the storm with an unusual peace. He knew why Jesus was born. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer: "Thank you, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm!"