Hebrews 10:5–7
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased. 7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, O God.’ ”
Have you ever pondered Jesus's first words at Christmastime? The Scriptures reveal a conversation between Jesus and God at his incarnation: “When Christ came into the world, he said: ‘Sacrifices and offerings you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.’” (Hebrews 10:5). Quoting Psalm 40:6–8, the author of Hebrews portrays the preexistent Christ speaking through the psalmist.
The advent of Jesus, meaning “coming” or “appearing” in Latin, occurred during a time of religious and political exhaustion. Late Second Temple Judaism had expanded God’s commandments into 613 laws of which 248 were positive (do …) and 365 negative commands (do not …). In effect, making faith a burden of endless rules. Religion had grown mechanical, lacking heartfelt devotion. As Hebrews 10:6 states, “With burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.”
Meanwhile, life expectancy during Jesus’s time hovered at just 20 years. Up to 25% of the Roman Empire was in poor health requiring immediately medical attention, and as much as 40% of the population lived in slavery. The much-celebrated “Pax Romana” failed to deliver true peace.
What the world could not provide through political power or religious rituals, Jesus achieved by bringing “Shalom,” or true peace in resolutely following God’s will in our behalf; indeed, in our place. His first recorded words, as echoed in Hebrews 10:7, reveal this mission: “Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, O God.’” At Christmastime, these words remind us that God desires wholehearted obedience, not empty rituals.
The phrase “in the scroll” highlights Jesus’s commitment to the Scriptures. From his first words to his final moments before death, Jesus consistently upheld the fulfillment of God’s Word, saying, “Let the scriptures be fulfilled” (Mark 14:49). Unlike the four Old Testament sacrifices mentioned in Hebrews, which often lacked accompanying faith, Jesus’s sacrifice was voluntary and wholehearted.
God repeatedly rejects hollow religious acts without sincere devotion: “Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me” (Isaiah 1:13). Unlike animals offered in ritual sacrifices, Jesus willingly gave his life to fulfill God’s eternal will, as planned before the world’s foundation (Ephesians 1:4). This emphasizes that what God desires is not outward performance but inward faithfulness.
Jesus’s example, as interpreted in Hebrews, echoes Old Testament teachings: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6). David and other psalmists understood this, knowing that God values sincere hearts over ritualistic obedience.
At Christmastime, let us reflect on the deeper meaning of Jesus’s words and actions. Hebrews 10:5–7, quoting Psalm 40:6–8, captures the essence of Jesus’s mission. Only through the incarnation could Jesus do away with sin and accomplish God’s will in his death, burial and physical resurrection. His life reminds us that true worship involves heartfelt obedience, not hollow traditions. Something we could never achieve on our own, without His atoning-help.
This season, may we follow Jesus’s example by offering our lives in sincere devotion to God, magnifying his love and peace through our actions and relying on him in the moments of “faithlessness,” because “He remains faithful” (2 Tim 2:13).
Jeremiah J. Johnston, PhD, is an elected member of the preeminent New Testament scholarly guild Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS) and ministers internationally as president of Christian Thinkers Society. Jeremiah loves the local church, and also serves as pastor of apologetics and cultural engagement at Prestonwood Baptist Church and Senior Fellow of Christian Origins, Dallas Baptist University.
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