在1986年，烏克蘭車諾比核電廠爆炸，成為全世界關注的焦點。隨著災難的嚴重性加劇，官員們紛紛著手執行控制輻射的重要任務，使用機器人清理現場。然而，這些機器人都被來自高放射性碎片的致命伽瑪射線所摧毀。

在這種情況下，他們不得不派人前往災難現場！數千名英雄人物成為核爆清理者，以九十秒或更短的時間「輪班」清除危險物質。這些人冒著生命危險，完成機器人做不到的事。

在數千年前，人類始祖對上帝的悖逆引發了一場災難，使世界從此陷入災難之中（參閱創世記3章）。因亞當和夏娃所犯的罪，我們選擇悖逆造物主，並將這個世界變得一團糟。對於這個亂糟糟的世界，我們絕對無法靠自己來清理。

這就是耶穌降世為人的目的，也是聖誕節的意義。使徒約翰這樣描述耶穌說：「這生命已經顯現出來，我們見過了，現在也作見證，並且向你們宣揚這本來與父同在，又向我們顯現過的永遠的生命」（約翰一書1章2節，新譯本）。約翰還宣稱：「[上帝]兒子耶穌的血也洗淨我們一切的罪。」（7節）

耶穌完成了祂的創造物做不到的事。只要我們相信祂，祂就會恢復我們與天父之間原本的和好關係。祂已經徹底勝過死亡，這生命已經顯現出來了。

In 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine dominated the world’s attention. As the magnitude of the catastrophe became apparent, officials scrambled to the critically essential task of containing the radiation. Lethal gamma rays from highly radioactive debris kept destroying the robots deployed to clean up the mess.

So they had to use “bio robots”—human beings! Thousands of heroic individuals became “Chernobyl liquidators,” disposing of the hazardous material in “shifts” of ninety seconds or less. People did what technology could not, at great personal risk.

Long ago, our rebellion against God introduced a catastrophe that led to all other catastrophes (see Genesis 3). Through Adam and Eve, we chose to part ways with our Creator, and we made our world a toxic mess in the process. We could never clean it up ourselves.

That’s the whole point of Christmas. The apostle John wrote of Jesus, “The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us” (1 John 1:2). Then John declared, “The blood of Jesus, [God’s] Son, purifies us from all sin” (v. 7).

Jesus has provided what His creatures could not. As we believe in Him, He restores us to a right relationship with His Father. He’s liquidated death itself. The life has appeared.