In the person of Jesus Christ, we encounter incarnate Deity. But why did he have to take on flesh that first Christmas? God so loved the world that he sent his Son into it. That’s what we celebrate this week: the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnation of God in the flesh — Immanuel, “God with us” ( Matthew 1:23 23 Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, And they shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us. ). So of course, we can ask the question why: Why was the eternal Son of God born in a manger? Why was he enfleshed? Why did he need a body? This obviously is at the very heart of the incarnation. And to explain, here is a sermon clip from John Piper, as we find him preaching his way through the Gospel of John, and particularly as he and the church approached the Christmas season of 2009. Here he is to explain the purpose of Christ’s incarnation. Read or listen to this interview at our website: https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/why-did-christ-need-a-body Find other recent and popular Ask Pastor John episodes: https://www.desiringgod.org/ask-pastor-john