Christmas Reading 2012

Wait... I have this blog too?! Whoa...

So, I haven't written here for the last couple of years because I've been working on my classic lit blogs, but I am aware that I have it. Usually, though, the writing on those blogs keeps me too busy to write here.

I do write, however, because there are a number of people who want to read what I'm posting here, so I leave it for their perusal.

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Every year for Christmas, my family starts by a reading of the Christmas story. Over the past several years, we've gotten a bit less "traditional" - by which I mean that we have expanded our Scripture readings beyond the second chapters of Luke and Matthew. We've done John 1, Isaiah 60, etc.

This year, my father suggested I find a reading for Christmas - something that included the same great story, but was more devotional and provided some kind of perspective. I peeked around the Internet and read some decent ones... but none that really resonated with me. So, I wrote my own. And here it is...

Seeking the Christ of Christmas in His Gospels
by Stephen E. Foxworthy

 
All Scripture readings are taken from the New Revised Standard Version.

Nowhere do the gospels disagree more than on the subject of Christ’s birth. While the stories of His ministry, death, and resurrection – minor discrepancies aside – remain largely the same, the subject of His birth differs from gospel writer to gospel writer. What differences exist and what do those differences tell us about the Christ of Christmas?

The Gospel of Mark was the first of the four to be written. It is simple, concise, and the blueprint for what a gospel should be. Both Matthew and Luke use his model to directly influence their own. However, nowhere in Mark’s gospel is any account of Christ’s birth or genealogy overtly mentioned or alluded to. For Mark, how Christ came into the world is seemingly not as important as the fact that He did come into the world. In Mark’s account, the ministry of Christ is the key.

Matthew’s account of Christ’s birth, however, was the first canonical version recorded. Matthew tells of stars and traveling wise men and vengeful monarchs, creating a tale of intrigue and suspense. Wise rulers from a distant land somewhere in the east, upon seeing a prophesied star, embark to Bethlehem in order to witness the coming of a “King of the Jews” in order “to pay him homage” (Matt. 2:2). Upon finding Christ’s birthplace, they present the child with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, gifts fit for any reigning monarch.

But by asking for a “king,” these distant princes awaken the paranoid fears of Palestine’s reigning “client king,” Herod the Great, who by the end of his life was ever fearful of someone usurping his throne. After his plot to find the child through the wise men proved fruitless, he decreed that all infants under two be killed to prevent any from potentially growing up to overthrow him. But God was with His Son, delivering Jesus and His parents to Egypt, where they remained until the threat from Herod the Great was finally over.

Matthew uses nobility and royalty in his account of Christ’s birth that is conspicuously lacking in all others. For Matthew, the birth of Christ is the birth of the King of all kings. Not only is His birth recognized by foreign rulers, but by the reigning monarch of Palestine as well, himself a Gentile. A quick look at Matthew’s genealogy in chapter 1 cements this idea of Christ as king by tracing Jesus’ lineage through all the kings of Judah from David all the way down to Jehoiakim. In fact, by tracing His genealogy through David, Matthew alludes to an Old Testament prophecy that his Jewish audience would be sure to understand: “…I will raise up your offspring after you… and will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me” (2 Sam. 7:12-14).

Luke’s gospel, on the other hand, takes a very different tack and, in doing so, becomes the definitive version of the Christmas story. In it, Jesus’s parents are in Bethlehem for a census of the Roman world instituted by Caesar Augustus who, as the adopted son of Julius Caesar, considered himself the son of a god. Though Jesus’ mother, Mary, was “expecting a child” (Luke 2:5), no room could be found for them in any inn in town, so they were relegated to a nearby stable so that she could give birth away from the elements. When He at last entered the world, Jesus was wrapped in “bands of cloth and laid… in a manger” (Luke 2:7).

At that moment, Luke cuts to some common shepherds attending their flocks at night. These shepherds were simple men, likely watching the flocks of wealthier men to ensure that no predators would lay hand, paw, or fang on them. They were amazed, however, when an angel appears suddenly in a burst of brilliant light above their heads, proclaiming the birth of “a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:11). Other angels quickly join them and sing together, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” (Luke 2:14).

After the angelic visitors vanished just as quickly as they had appeared, the shepherds rush into Bethlehem, abandoning their flocks in order to see if what the angels had told them was correct… and behold! Once they arrived, they witnessed the child lying in the manger, wrapped in cloth, just as the angel had told them. After seeing the child, they rushed out again, in order to proclaim His birth to anyone and everyone who would hear them, becoming – in essence – among the first proclaimers of the Gospel.

Gone are the royal trappings of Matthew’s gospel. Gone are the vengeful kings, the reverent princes, and the prophetic celestial orbs. Luke eschews these things in order to present a simpler, more humble origin for the Christ. Nowhere in his Christmas story does Matthew mention shepherds or mangers or angels… these are not a part of what he is trying to do. In making a move toward simplicity, however, Luke shows us the universality of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He did not come simply for the regal or the high-born – He did not even come only for the Jews! – but for the lowly, the simple, the common, and the ordinary. While the angelic messengers are certain to tell us that Christ’s birth is nothing short of divine, their audience lets us know that the message of Christ is for all… and even goes so far as to give us a clue as to how we ought to respond to such a message!

And then, there’s John. Of all the gospels, John’s is the most different. Unlike Matthew and Luke before him, he abandons the blueprint of Mark’s gospel for what is widely regarded as a more theological text, filled with symbolism and mystery. Like Mark’s gospel, however, John seemingly avoids the story of Christ’s birth, instead filling his first chapter with language of origins and Words and light and darkness. And yet, taking a closer look, we see that this chapter is, in so many ways, the story of Christmas after all.

Rather than beginning on a spring night in Bethlehem, John starts at the beginning of time itself, starting as the Book of Genesis does: “In the beginning…” Instead of introducing foreign magi, spiteful rulers, and lowly shepherds, John introduces us the “the Word” who “was with God, and… was God” (Jn. 1:1), claiming that this Word was “life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness did not overcome it” (Jn. 1:4-5).

John speaks of Christ’s incarnation, that God Himself took on flesh in order to dwell among mankind. Unlike Matthew and Luke before him, John is not merely content to think of Christ in human terms – even terms so great as those of a king. Instead, John insists on highlighting Christ’s divinity, His unity with God the Father. “Do you not believe,” He asks His disciples before His death, “that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (Jn. 14:10-11).

As such, John 1 is the story of Christmas – the story of God taking on mortal flesh in order to redeem mankind. To quote the apostle Paul, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And, being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:5-8).

So… what do the gospel writers teach us about the Christ of Christmas? How do we justify the differences between their various stories? In Matthew, we see a Christ born regal, recognized as kings by some of the most prominent rulers of His day, either in celebration or aggression. In Luke, we see a simpler origin, a boy born into poverty, attended by shepherds in a stable, who would grow to be the Savior of mankind. In John, we see God Himself, reaching down to bless mankind with His presence, emptying Himself in order to know our pain and to be our redemption. And, finally, we come to Mark. In Mark, we realize that the story of Christmas is not an end, but a beginning. Any talk of Christmas must take into account why this Christ came – He came to suffer, to die, and ultimately to redeem mankind. This is the Christ of Christmas. May we be like the wise men, always seeking Him. May we be like the shepherds, constantly proclaiming the Good News of His arrival. May we be like Christ, who Himself showed us what life truly means.