January 2010

by Dr. Harry Wendt
01/11/10

Reflections After Christmas

Christmas 2009 has come and gone. No doubt shop owners are counting the cash, some on the home front are checking credit card bills, and many recipients of gifts are wondering where they will store them. The biblical Christmas narrative makes no reference to such concerns.

In the opening verses of his third chapter, Luke states that Jesus’ entering into human flesh delivered a message, not only to ordinary, everyday people, but also to the Roman Emperor, to the Roman governor of Judea-Samaria, to Herod Antipas and Philip (two of Herod the Great’s sons), and to those who headed up Jerusalem’s corrupt Temple system, Annas and Caiaphas.

The Roman Emperor proclaimed the following beliefs: "Caesar is Lord! Caesar brings good news! Caesar rules the world! Caesar brings peace!"—the last two by means of Romans swords. How different from Jesus’ concept of "kingdom!"

In Jesus’ day, no Jewish person was waiting for the coming of a savior from sin. They saw no need for such a person. They were not “fallen.” They were merely "flawed" (and God had made them that way!). They could fix their sin problem through obeying the law codes listed in Exodus- Deuteronomy as interpreted by the rabbis of their day. Even so, they were waiting for the coming of a descendant of David who would reestablish the Davidic dynasty, rule the Jewish people, and give them eternal dominion over the nations of the world.

The NRSV translation of the Bible makes use of the word "gospel" only once in the four Gospel narratives; see Mark 8:35. However, those four narratives make reference to Jesus as "the Son of Man" 82 times. That term surfaces in Daniel (ch. 7, v.13), and is a symbol for the "saints of the Most High," the Jewish people. It assures the Jewish people—who have suffered under the Babylonians, Medes, Persians, Greeks, and now the Greek Seleucids who rule them from Syria— that they themselves will soon be given dominion over the nations of the world forever.

The more we understand these insights, the more enormous are the person and mission of the Messiah described in the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament. Jesus teaches us that His Father is the Maker and Owner of the universe and humanity. He teaches us that we can do nothing to earn God’s favor; we can only trust in the forgiving grace that He offers freely to humanity.

He teaches us that being blessed has nothing to do with what we (supposedly) possess and enjoy; it has only to do with serving Jesus in all His distressing disguises (the hungry, thirsty, sick, and lonely, those lacking clothing, and prison inmates). Jesus never states that religion and politics are to been seen as two distinct and separate spheres; rather, He points out that if He is not embraced as Lord of life, then Satan is.

Radical? What an understatement! Little wonder, then, that the political and religious leaders of Jesus’ day nailed Him to a cross. Today we can do something similar merely by shrugging Him off and ignoring His message. However, Jesus persisted in His Servant walk to the point of giving away life on a cross. In doing so, He declared His judgment of the world’s systems and ways, and conquered Satan, "the ruler of the world"; ponder John 12:31.

Yes, Christmas has come and gone. But Lent, Holy Week, and Easter are just around the corner. If you did not study Crossways International’s Christmas: The Real Story this past Advent, how about studying its Road to Coronation during the coming season of Lent? The eyes of the disciples were opened only after the resurrection. In a world full of distractions, many human eyes (possibly our own) need to be opened to the Person and message of the real Jesus. May God grant you a blessed celebration of Lent, Holy Week, and Easter!

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