What about Christmas?

This is a different blog from my normal postings. I have been doing a lot of thinking and reading about Christmas and I just felt inspired to write about it.



We all have this sanitized view of the first Christmas - Mary, Joseph, the Babe, the manger scene but it was a terrible time. A horrific time.

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  And everyone went to their own town to register.
 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

Step back a minute. First, we have the Roman world. Rome could be compared to the United States of America today. They believed they had the divine blessing of God to rule over the world. They were the blessed nation. I remember attending a church service in the US on Independence Day and came out wondering if I had worshiped God or the USA. (Not a good feeling at all) During the first century, Rome had dominion over Israel.  In 63 BC, after much turmoil and civil war within Israel, the Romans invaded and conquered Jerusalem. In the sermon Eric had this morning in our church, we learned that Jerusalem was THE city - the place of honour and power.

In order to keep control over the Galilean and Judean peoples, Julius Caesar and the Senate installed Herod as king. It would take Herod three years to finally gain all control over the still hostile Jews, but he would in due course keep a firm rule over the whole region. Herod was a ruthless, power hungry, narcissistic, selfish ruler. In due time, he murdered his wife, his three sons, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, uncle and anyone that he felt was a threat to his rule. I also read that he is well known for building and refurbishing many theaters, amphitheaters, momuments, pagan alters, fortresses and the greatest work of all (finished after his death) - the temple in Jeruslaem.

King Herod

Caesar Augustus had issued a decree that the whole world (his Roman world) would be counted.  This was so that the emperor would be able to tax the people with greater accuracy.  Emperor Augustus would have used the money to fund his military, for building expansion projects, and for overall imperial control. The people under Roman rule were quite literally taxed to death.  The taxes were used to purchase grain for the military (which was large) that was used to keep the people submissive and under the Roman rule as well as building projects.  It was not because they had anything to gain under that rule but to fight it meant certain death. It was a no-win situation.

Each person was told to return to their hometown and for Joseph (and Mary) this meant Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David.

Bethlehem would never know what hit it - it would become a large city one day

Why they had this requirement is never really established. Bethlehem was just a hole in the ground kind of place. As our pastor stated - you could stand at the "welcome" sign at one end of town and see the "Please Come Again" at the other end. Why Bethlehem? The prophets had already mentioned it in their writings and teachings (Micah 5:2). The name Bethlehem was mentioned 44 times in the Old Testament (I haven't physically counted but that's what I have read).  Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth. It was about 90 miles away and a grueling journey. They needed a reason to go to Bethlehem, not just as tourists or because they knew they were carrying the Saviour, but  an actual reason that was out of their hands. God had a hand in this by getting Caesar to feel powerless and needing a count of the people that he could tax appropriately. Caesar needed more money to feed the armies and build grandiose buildings and temples to further his power and rule over the region.  (What man uses for evil, God uses for good)

I wonder today, if we had to do this - would I have to return to Portage La Prairie and Ray to Dorchester or both of us to Dorchester?  Where would you have to return to? What a logistical nightmare! I saw the map of the planes flying over the USA yesterday and today and it is solid with planes ferrying people "home".

Plane travel in the world the day before Christmas

  In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,  to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.  The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.  For no word from God will ever fail.”
 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Mary - a young girl living a simple life, engaged to Joseph. According to tradition, she would have been a teenager, maybe around 15 or 16. They married younger in those days and the expected prospect for any girl  was marriage and children. She is just minding her own business, being a proper Jewish girl when Gabriel swoops in. I can just imagine her fright. What's God want with little insignificant me? Then she's told she's pregnant. She knows that can't be true because she knows enough about Sex 101 to know it can't be true. Then she's told it is true. She isn't ready to accept this but she asks questions. Can you imagine her mind at that moment - racing with this news yet also fearing the loss of her good reputation (who's going to believe here?)? What would she tell Joseph? Her family would be mortified. His family would be advising him to run while he can. As much as we like to think we are a progressive society, girls are still shamed for getting pregnant before marriage. Shamed for being pregnant as the result of someone who they are not engaged to. I give her kudos for finally letting it all go and trusting. Trusting that this will work out. It is a lot to expect for a young girl.  Little does she know, that her acceptance of this situation will change the course of the world forever. 2,000 + years later, she will be remembered and revered. Not bad for a little Nazarene  nobody.

Then there's Joseph. He was known as a righteous man - he was a law keeper. He followed the Jewish laws to a T. He's probably a little angry, very hurt at Mary's news. He loves her enough that he decides to divorce her quietly (engagements were a big thing back then, nothing to back out of at the last minute) so she could salvage some pride over a embarrassing situation. She could have been stoned! (Deut. 22:23 - 24) Enter a dream. I may dream dreams but usually forget them come morning. His dream is more than just a silly mind wandering, it's an angel telling him to defy the gossip and stay with Mary. He must have been gobsmacked by that dream but decides to follow the urging and marries her. They stay celibate until after the birth. He deserves more respect than what he is given because he is usually just a bystander in the manager scene (an awkward extra) but he is the one who  has to take Mary to Bethlehem at the worst possible time in her pregnancy and then has to run with his family to Eygyt as refugees with nothing but the clothes on their back. He has to return to Nazareth and build a reputation as a carpenter, raise the son of God as his own and yet Mary seems to take most of the glory. He was a good man. He even lets Mary leave for a few months while he has to contend with the questions and stink eye of his village.

Mary decides to take a few months away from the gossipers and nasty people of her hometown to visit Elizabeth, her much older cousin (or similar relative - not sure what she was), who is also experiencing a miracle of her own. Elizabeth is old and has already been disgraced by her peers for not being able to bear children. Her plight was known by Rachel, Hannah, Rebekah, and Sarai. How cruel and heartless we can be! An angel tells them that they are having a child in their old age. Zechariah, her husband, has been rendered speechless after conversing with the angel. Moses was also changed when he saw the vision of God - it must be an overwhelming sight. Elizabeth is pregnant long after the earthly doctors have told her to give up as it's not even possible anymore. I don't envy her though. As much as she may long for a child, those sleepless nights, the energy of a toddler, the schooling requirements etc. would be daunting. It doesn't mention how long they lived after John was born but he was a "different" child who wandered in the desert and ate locusts and honey. Long haired hippy person, I guess. Two women pregnant with sons they did not hope to have. Two miracles about to happen. What would we have said: "Weird family", or "something in the water?". It just seems to be so strange. Already the Christmas story has some dubious claims.

When Mary is at her most uncomfortable time, Caesar decides to throw a monkey wrench into the whole business. A census has to be done so he can figure out how much more he can tax everyone. I am sure this is what brought her labour on. Imagine sitting on a donkey, traveling for about three days over rough terrain.

It would surely bring about labour. She doesn't know what to expect - it's her first time so I can imagine her fear. Joseph tries to find someone to take them in. It's a small town and the rooms would go to paying patrons. The innkeepers were probably renting the rooms to the highest paying people - a windfall for them. Were the people of Bethlehem that cold and selfish. Most people of every age and culture go out of their way to help women in need, but somehow the people of Bethlehem closed their doors to this young woman about to give birth. I often wonder if there could have been a small bedroom somewhere but it was not to be. The King was going to enter the world in complete poverty and no fanfare whatsoever. A kindly innkeeper probably saw Mary and realized she needed somewhere warm. A barn is really a wonderful place - I recall the cows quietly chewing their cud, the stations clanking, the calves settling in the straw, the cats looking for the warmest place beside the cows to sleep - a very peaceful place at night. Where was he born? They mention  a manger in the Bible so we assume it was a stable but that could have been a cave used to shelter animals. The manager was the feeding trough for the animals - not exactly sterile but with some straw and the strips of cloth, it could have been a cozy spot. They mention the strips of cloth as this was the way newborns were wrapped up. No blankets or Winnie the Pooh sleepers then. Nothing fancy. What an ordeal for any first time mother! Giving birth alone with only Joseph to help. I gave birth in a car which was interesting enough but I was taken to the hospital shortly after for proper care. She had nothing.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,  and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Shepherds! Life changed this occupation since the time of David. They had become the outcasts of society. The lowest of the low. They were considered lazy, dishonest and unclean. The priests would not allow them in the temple, could not speak in court as their testimony would be considered lies. Why would God pick shepherds to tell the good news to first? Why would Jesus pick the women to tell his resurrection story to, first? God likes to turn our self-righteous, pompous asses on our head and chooses the least likely first. Shepherds were in the fields, watching the sheep which would be used for temple sacrifices. They had to watch for predators and possible thieves. Not a tough job. A nice touch though, that God would choose shepherds when the baby would one day be the Great Shepherd. These poor guys must have been freaking out when the angel chorus came. A bright, blinding light. A beautiful choir singing in the quiet fields. It was wondrous enough for them to abandon their sheep to find this stable. They had to see if they were dreaming or if it actually happened. When it all comes together and they see the baby, they go out and tell everyone they meet. Remember, Shepherds were not be trusted. They were known to be thieves and liars. Can you imagine the response they received? Go back to your stupid sheep and shut up. 

Mary and Joseph must have been surprised to see them but then again, everything leading up to this moment has been surreal so why should this be any different.Mary must have been so weary, so tired but to see these men invade her delivery room, must have been mind boggling. 

 Somehow, Joseph and Mary stay in Bethlehem for awhile (probably so Mary can recover from her ordeal on the donkey). Not sure how Joseph found work, food and shelter

but they go to the temple on the eighth day for circumcision and purification after 40 days (see the laws in Leviticus 12). They meet Simeon, who has been waiting to meet Jesus and Anna, an old widow who has been waiting to see Jesus too. Simeon has some troubling words for Mary.
“This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Can you imagine receiving those words? Mary "ponders" these words (she thinks about them a lot). This has to shake her up. She must have relived those words at the foot of the cross. The sword has certainly pierced her thoroughly.

Next are the Magi, astrologers from the far east. A lot of mystery surrounds these men. There is no accounting for the number of them - it could have been a large caravan of men who had seen a wondrous light in the sky and wanted to study it. Daniel has an encounter with Magi in the book of Daniel when he is called to interpret dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar (don't ask me to spell that again!). It was an amazing site to see in the little hamlet of Bethlehem. Men on camels coming from far away looking for a baby. Herod heard about them and summoned them to his palace. When they talk to him about a King of the Jews, he becomes worried and enraged. He thinks someone is coming to conquer him. He gets tricky and tells them to find him and come back to tell him where he is so he can do a pastoral visit to the new family. It all sounds so good but there comes more dreams. The Magi find Jesus in a house in Bethlehem and bring the destitute couple gold, frankincense and myrrh. These valuable items were standard gifts to honor a king or deity in the ancient world: gold as a precious metal, frankincense as perfume or incense, and myrrh as anointing oil. Surely you have seen the meme that is they were truly wise, they would have brought casseroles, baby clothes and maybe offers of employment.

Still, Joseph could have sold the gold for his trip to Nazareth (or Egypt as it turned out). The frankincense and myrrh had medicinal properties. Always good to have on hand like we have tylenol and antibiotic cream in the medicine cabinet. When the Magi or wisemen leave the house, they have a nap at some fancy inn and they each have similar dreams to get away from there and not go back to Herod. They basically sneak out of the country, leaving Herod with no information. Now he is really angry. In keeping with his barbarous nature, he decides he needs to get rid of any competition for his throne like he did with so many of his family members. He decides to commit an crime so heinous that today we would consider it a war crime. He calls for the murder of any boy aged 2 and under. Look around you - how many little boys do you know? They were slaughtered in front of screaming mothers to appease a ruthless king.
“A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”

This has to be the most heartbreaking verse in the Bible. Innocent children slaughtered. Happens today, happened in the 40's in the oven of Auschwitz,  many Neolithic groups routinely resorted to infanticide in order to control their numbers so that their lands could support them, sacrifices of infants was done by many pagans, it never ends. Joseph had been warned of this before Herod sent his henchmen into the county side and escaped to Egypt with his young family. Destitute, homeless, a refugee - not exactly  a royal beginning for a king. 

Today, we criminalize the refugee (stay at home and make it better in your own country instead of invading our sense of  privilege) We condemn the pregnant young mother who hasn't got two pennies to rub together (if you can't afford kids, don't have them). Don't believe the words of those drunken, pot-smoking lazy asses (get a proper job). Mary made a choice to trust rather than run which changed the history of the world. It isn't a lovely little story but a time of fear, a time of great poverty and hatred. When you dig into it, it is an amazing story. How it ever morphed into what we see as Christmas today is crazy. I just spent the afternoon trying to organize my thoughts about the real story behind the lights, calls for joy, the celebrations. Mark Lowry sums it up in this song:

Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you

 

Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God!

The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb

 

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect lamb?
That sleeping child you're holding is the great I am!!

 

(References are several websites talking about the Christmas story, Tim Keller's book "Hidden Christmas", sermons by Eric Groot-Nibbelink, NIV study notes and mostly the Bible (the cornerstone of them all).