What (Not Which) Child is This?

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of a herald, who proclaims peace and preaches good news, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God is king!" (Isaiah 52:7). Amen.

Merriam-Webster recently tried correcting the wording of a classic Christmas hymn. But the self-proclaimed "America's Most Trusted Dictionary" ended up with eggnog on its face. In a now-deleted post to social media platform X, Merriam-Webster tried to edit the Christmas hymn "What Child Is This?" by posting "Which* Child Is This?"

As an author and public speaker, I'm very interested in proper words and correct English. But the online dictionary is just wrong. The dictionary presented themselves as smug, but even more biblically incorrect. The hymn isn't asking, "Which of these Jewish children born in Bethlehem is this?" That's a question of location. The hymn is asking, "What kind of child is this?" That's a question of theology.

"What Child is This?" was written in 1865 by William Chatterton Dix and was later paired with the ancient tune of "Greensleeves," which dates to the 16th century. In the first verse, the hymn answers the question of "What child is this?" with this statement, "This is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing."

St. John also answers the question of "What Child is this?" by stating, "The Word became flesh and dwelled among us. We have seen his glory, the glory he has as the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).

Verse 1: What child is this who, laid to rest, On Mary's lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet With anthems sweet While shepherds watch are keeping? This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing. Haste, haste to bring him laud, The babe, the Son of Mary!

What child is this who is sleeping on Mary's lap? This is no ordinary baby. It is a Child that the angels fill the night sky to sing about. It is a Child that shepherds leave their flocks to run and see. Why? Because this is no ordinary baby. This is Christ the King. He is the baby, the Son of Mary ... but so much more.

St. John writes about this baby. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him everything was made, and without him not one thing was made that has been made" (John 1:1-3).

This baby is no ordinary baby. He is also the God who formed a human body out of the dust of the ground. He is the God who was formed as a baby in the womb of the Virgin Mary. God breathed into the man's nostrils the breath of life and his heart started beating. He is the God whose very human baby heart started beating in the sixth week after his conception by the Holy Spirit within the womb of Mary. About 7 ½ months later, the Virgin gave birth to the Christ Child, and he took his first breaths of the air he had created.

The One who created life was alive in the womb for 9 months, then was born on Christmas Day.

The Word through whom everything was called into existence was now the Word made flesh.

The One who had walked among the stars and would one day walk on water, would have to learn how walk with shaky, little toddler steps.

The One who made the thunders clap would enjoy clapping his chubby, little baby hands in joy.

The One who had set up a marvelous system where animals from antelope to zebras would be fed, would have to be fed with milk from his mother's breast.

The One who would be like every child everywhere who has rolled mud in his hands to make a snake, would one day be pierced by the ancient snake of the Devil.

Verse 2: Why lies he in such mean estate Where oxen now are feeding? Good Christians, fear; For sinners here The silent Word is pleading. Nails, spear shall pierce him through; The cross he'll bear for me, for you. Hail, hail the Word made flesh, The babe, the Son of Mary!

If this Child is more than just the Son of Mary, why does he lie in such mean estate? Why is this baby lying in such lowly conditions, where the oxen are feeding? The Son of God came low to be among his lowly people. We are made poor and lowly by our sins. We are born in sin. We are dead in our sins. All we can do is evil – in our thoughts, in our words, and in our actions. We sin in what we do. We sin in what we fail to do. All that sin causes us to die. Dying with sin, wickedness, and unbelief, we are destined to an eternal death in hell.

What Child is this? A Child that was born to save us from sin, death, and hell.

The One who breathed life into the first man was now a man who needed to breathe to live.

The One who started Adam's heart beating was the second Adam whose heart was beating.

All that was reversed on Good Friday. The very people the Son of God came to save crucified him. St. John explains this. "The real light that shines on everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not recognize him. He came to what was his own, yet his own people did not accept him" (John 1:9-11). The creatures God created did not recognize or accept the Creator living among them. So, they pierced the divinely human flesh. The rough wood of the manger foreshadowed the rougher wood of the cross.

On the cross, the Word made flesh had his perfect flesh pierced with nails and thorns. The sun was darkened and the earth trembled as Jesus cried out, "It is finished." Then he closed his eyes, breathed his last, and his heart stopped beating. To make sure the Son of God was dead, his heart and lungs were pierced with a spear.

For three days, the corpse of the Creator of Life lay cold and dead in a borrowed tomb. Then as the first rays of sunlight began dawning on Easter morning, the darkness and death of Friday afternoon were shattered. Everything had been quiet and still in the darkness of the tomb. One moment the tomb was filled with darkness and death. The next moment the grave was filled with life and light! Darkness cannot extinguish the Light. St. John explains, "In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. The light is shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:4-5).

He who was born, wrapped in strips of cloth, and laid in a manger arose from the slab of the tomb clothed in glory, the firstborn from the dead.

Jesus took one breath and put death to death. With his first heartbeat, he defeated the Devil who imagined he had killed God's only-begotten Son.

The Creator of Life died. He rose. He lives. He will never die again.

When you believe in the Son of God as your Savior, you will still die because of your sins. But Jesus has removed your sins. He has endured your death. He has defeated your enemy of the Devil. Though you will die, you will live again. And you will never die again.

The Lord of Light will awaken you from the darkness of death. He will open your grave on the Last Day. You will live in the light of heavenly glory. For this Child is the life and light of mankind.

Verse 3: So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh; Come, peasant, king, to own him. The King of kings Salvation brings; Let loving hearts enthrone him. Raise, raise the song on high; The virgin sings her lullaby. Joy, joy, for Christ is born, The babe, the Son of Mary!

How do you respond to the question, "What Child is this?" In faith, you respond by bringing him your treasures – incense, gold, and myrrh. You bring him your treasures – money, vocation, prayers, works, and worship. Praise him with hearts filled with love. Praise him with mouths filled with song. Praise him with hands and feet filled with action and motivation. As the Virgin Mary gently sings her lullaby, so we gently sing our praises to the Christ Child on this Christmas Morn.

What Child is this? This Child is the One who had his birth announced to Bethlehem shepherds by angels in the sky and announced to Babylonian Magi with a miraculous star in space. This Child comes for the salvation of everyone from shepherds to Wise Men, from peasants to kings. He is the King of kings who comes into our world so we can be made heirs of his heavenly kingdom. He is the Lord of lords who enters our presence to welcome lowly sinners into his presence. He is the Word made flesh so that he can be a baby lying in a manger, then the God-Man shedding his divinely human blood as he lies on a cross, and then the resurrected Christ whose corpse is raised from the dead.

Jesus – the Son of God and Mary's Son – is now flesh and divinity for all eternity. Through faith in the divine Son of God and the humble Son of Man, our Savior with flesh, we will be standing before his throne as resurrected flesh and holy soul.

One commentator on Merriam-Webster's criticism of the hymn title, posted his own criticism of the online dictionary. He wrote, "I regret to inform you our modern dictionary is illiterate." The online dictionary wanted to "correct" the hymn but ended up being corrected themselves. Whoever wrote that post does not seem to understand Christianity.

By the grace of God and through faith in the Child in the manger, you and I are among those who do understand Christianity. We have received Christ and been born again through water and the Word. St. John writes, "But to all who did receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. They were born, not of blood, or of the desire of the flesh, or of a husband's will, but born of God" (John 1:12-13).

The 160-year-old hymn is correct. That's why we're singing it on this Christmas Day. "What (not which) Child is this?" Amen.

The Lord lays bare his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation from our God. (Isaiah 52:10). Amen.