"Let
this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
who... made Himself of no reputation, taking the
form of a bondservant, and coming in the
likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a
man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to
the point of death..." Philippians 2:5
 ur
sovereign King -- born into time as Man and risen in eternity as Savior --
doesn't do things our way. His more excellent ways confound
the world's most noble dreams and heart-felt
sympathies. They
always have! Contrary to our feel-good presumption about God and whatever "new thing" we attribute to Him, His narrow way rarely matches our
wide gateways to "success."
The world just doesn't understand
Him! Therefore its "Christmas season" raises all kinds of questions that
defy simple answers. For example, why would our heavenly Father send
His beloved Son to be born in a stable? Why didn't He prepare a more
comfortable room in Bethlehem's finest inn? And -- getting closer to
the divisive root of Christianity -- why did God
have to become a Man? It
makes no earthly sense.
But the world's questions reach far beyond the
circumstances of His humble birth. Why
would our Father allow His faithful children through the centuries
to be persecuted, imprisoned, beaten, starved, tortured, beheaded,
and martyred? Why not provide a more
secure existence?
Why -- after 2000 years of Christianity -- is "peace in the world" as
elusive as ever? And how
does His humble birth and humiliating death fit into all this?
God's answers bewilder those whose
hearts are set on this world.
"For the message of the
cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are
saved it is the power of God."
1
Corinthians 1:18
Why didn't Jesus show some gratitude
when Peter sympathized with His imminent crucifixion? Remember the
story? Toward the end
of His earthly ministry Jesus began to prepare His disciples to face His
suffering and death,
but Peter
refused to accept the bad news. "Far
be it from You, Lord," he argued. "This shall not happen to You!"
Then
Jesus
answered Peter,
"Get behind Me, Satan! You are an
offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but
the things of men.''
Matthew 16:21-23
Those words sound harsh, don't they?
Especially in light of today's obsession with unbiblical
tolerance. Didn't Jesus see the
compassion in Peter's heart? Didn't our merciful Lord understand
that His friend's motives were good and worthy of kindness, not rebuke?
Of course Jesus understood! But He
didn't come to earth to see reality through our eyes. He already knew
man's
thoughts, feelings and short-sighted perspectives.
[John
2:24-25]
Instead, He came
to open our eyes and change our hearts so that we might
see reality from His perspective. He had something
better than sympathy to offer His friend. Peter needed correction,
not affirmation. To fulfill his own mission, the well-meaning disciple had to grasp the fact that God's ways are
always higher and greater than ours.
[Isaiah
55:8]
Our finite minds can never comprehend the wonders of God's eternal
purposes!
"Oh,
the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!"
wrote the apostle Paul. "How unsearchable are His judgments
and His ways past finding out!"' Romans 11:33-34
Only through the incarnation -- God as Man, fulfilling the
requirements for our redemption and justification -- may we share in
those wonders. Only by His
Spirit, may we
know the wisdom and ways of God. "As it is written,
"'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the
heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit." 1 Corinthians 2:7-12
His wonderful revelations to us
include grace to resist a multitude of
distractions. Like Peter, we so easily dishonor Him by being
"mindful... of the things of men" instead "of the things of God." Do we love the visible things of
this world more than unseen treasures of God?
"He who loves son or
daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me," said Jesus. "And he who does not
take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me." Matthew 10:37-39
The cross was central to His birth.
Had He not been born into our world and died in our place, He would
not have freed us "from the curse
of the law" and from bondage to sin. Unlike Santa's lighthearted
reflection on the words "naughty and nice," God's
guidelines in His Word (including the Ten Commandments) represent a moral law with authority to expose
our sin and keep us forever separated from God.
"For it is written, 'Cursed is
everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in
the book of the law, to do them.' But... Christ has redeemed us
from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us...."
[Galatians 3:10, 13]
That's good news for those who, by
God's grace, sense the conviction and come to the cross. It's bad
news for those who deny the truth, justify their ways, and trust in
today's pleasing illusions. Remember His sobering words:
"...this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and
men loved darkness rather than light, because
their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil
hates the light....” John 3:18-20
No wonder
the world around us wants to censor His name and mythologize His Word! His revealing light is as uncomfortable
today as it was two thousand years ago. That's why Time Magazine's Christmas
issue (12-13-04)
featured the birth of Jesus but refused to honor Him! David Van Biema,
the author of "Behind the First Noel," tried in a every way to undermine the
Biblical
account of the virgin birth, the two separate angelic announcements
(to Mary and to Joseph), and the birthplace in Bethlehem. According
to Time, the
gospel writers were merely adapting existing
myths and pagan legends to their own
imagined scenarios. For example:
"As New Testament
scholars have delved deeper into the pagan faiths that competed
with early Christianity for followers, Mary's virginity has been
challenged... as a theme borrowed from the literature of the
non-Jewish world.... 'Virgin births were a rather Gentile
thing,' says the Very Rev. John Drury, chaplain of All
Souls' College at Oxford University.... Other scholars
claim that Luke especially might have been familiar with pagan
models...."
[Behind
The First Noel]
Such
assaults on God's Word are nothing new.
People have hated God, slandered Jesus, twisted His truth,
re-imagined His nature, and
persecuted His people for the last two thousand years. But as
interest in truth and facts diminish, the anti-Christian campaign is
fast gaining ground. Ponder these signs of our
times:
In 2004: "In the latest skirmish over Christmas in America,
a Christian group is not allowed to participate in Denver's annual Parade
of Lights, because church members sought to sing yuletide hymns and
proclaim a 'Merry Christmas' message on their float....
"Among those allowed to participate
is the Two Spirit Society of Denver, a support group for
American Indians who are homosexual,
bisexual, or transgendered, honoring
them as 'holy people.'
Also included are performers of the Lion Dance, a Chinese New Year tradition
'meant to chase away evil spirits
and welcome good luck and good fortune for the year'....
"Despite the inclusion of these groups
with spiritual connotations...the event does not allow 'direct religious
themes. '
Included in the ban are signs that read 'Merry Christmas' and the singing
or playing of Christmas hymns. 'We want to
avoid that specific religious message
out of respect for other religions in the region....
It could be construed as disrespectful...."
"Christmastime event is no-Christian
zone"
In 2003:
(UK) "...the Scottish
Parliament banned traditional Christmas cards due to similar
fears of offending other religions. Officials said 'Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year' could not appear on government
cards as the wording was not deemed to be 'socially
inclusive.'"
"Christmas CD banned
for mentioning Jesus"
To please today's
multicultural communities, Christmas cards -- whether or not they
showed nativity scenes -- were banned! That's how intolerable our
wonderful Lord and Savior has become to the world! Which brings us right back to
the first question: Why was Jesus, the King of the universe, born in
a lowly stable, not a palace?
The last week of our
King's earthly life illustrates the answer. The religious leaders
were busy planning His arrest and mock trial. Meanwhile, large
numbers of Jews making their annual journey to the Passover feast were crowding into
Jerusalem and surrounding towns. Many flocked to the nearby town of
Bethany, where Jesus was staying with His friends, Lazarus, Mary and
Martha. As the Bible tells us, "many of the Jews knew that He was
there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might
also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead."
[John 12:9]
Naturally, the curious masses wanted a glimpse of the amazing
Teacher who could revive someone who had been dead for three days.
"The next day," the
excited crowds gathered with their palm branches to offer Him a
royal welcome into Jerusalem. Many believed
Jesus to be the promised king
foretold by Old Testament prophets -- a mighty deliverer certain to
replace Roman tyranny with a reign of peace and freedom. They might
even have expected Him to
come riding on a splendid stallion worthy of a conquering king. But that would have been
man's way, not God's way. In contrast, the arrival of their King was anything but grandiose.
Consider Zechariah's description:
"Behold,
your King
is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey..." Zechariah 9:9
This wasn't the first
time His admirers mistook Him for an earthly king. After seeing His
amazing miracles early in His ministry, many wanted to crown Him king.
But He simply walked away. "My kingdom is not of this world,"
He later told Pilate.
God doesn't value
earthly success, prosperity, human skills, or large crowds as we do.
Instead, He seeks out the weak and lowly who would best demonstrate His
strength and wisdom. As Paul wrote,
"...not many wise according to the flesh, not many
mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the
foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God
has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the
things which are mighty... that no
flesh should glory in His presence.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Only a few poor
shepherds heard the angels' joyous
announcement and saw the newborn King. The
highly respected men of Jerusalem neither heard nor saw the
fulfillment of the long awaited prophesies. Content with their world
and committed to their ways, they were oblivious to history's most
momentous event!
How alert are we to
God's signpost in our lives? What do we choose?
The wide, popular road that pleases the world and brings earthly
success -- or the narrow road so despised by the world? Only those
who choose the latter will know the wonder of His eternal riches,
the joy of His presence, and the peace that surpasses all human
understanding.
In a world that is fast
forgetting God's Word, we can expect intolerance, hostility and persecution. That's why Jesus warned us,
"If you were
of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are
not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore
the world hates you.... If they persecuted Me they will
persecute you... for they do not know the One who sent Me." John 15:19-21
Following Him, we have nothing of
lasting significance to lose, and we have everything to gain!
Walking with Jesus in His lowly path -- never ceasing to demonstrate
His love, yet never compromising His truths to win approval -- we
enjoy a peace and joy that far surpasses all earthly thrills. Our
lives will be full of challenges, but He has promised to provide
all the resources we need. “My grace is sufficient for you," he
assures us, "for
My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Hopefully, you and I will
echo Paul's heartfelt response:
"Therefore most
gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of
Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in
infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in
distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am
strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
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