Messy Christmas - Philippians 2:8ff

Copyrights December 4, 2022 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

We all have Christmas traditions. We have family gatherings, traditions for gift giving and gift opening. You may have traditions regarding Christmas cookies or maybe Christmas caroling. Maybe you have a tradition of watching, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Holiday Inn,” “Christmas Vacation” or even “Elf”. Perhaps your family is one that works hard to teach your children that Christmas is about giving and not about getting. Whatever your traditions, it is part of the warmth and joy of Christmas.

Sometimes there is a certain panic, mess, or even anxiety that comes with Christmas. We have lists, decorations, presents to wrap along with the feeling that there is not enough time to do everything. In fact, sometimes actually getting through Christmas is a relief because all the preparation is finally over. . . until next year.

All our traditions and busyness overshadow the significant but messy nature of the birth of our Lord. We often sanitize all the circumstances of the birth of Jesus and I believe God was sending a message to us in the messy nature of that first Christmas. This morning I want to zero in on some of the messy things about the first Christmas.

An Unmarried Mom

In our day, sadly, the reality of an unmarried mom is not that unusual. But many of us can remember a day not long ago when such a thing would have been considered scandalous. People would sometimes be forced to withdraw from their churches, endure the whispers of neighbors, and at times the pregnant daughter would be sent away until after the baby was born and then given up for adoptio.

Things were even more severe in the days of Mary and Joseph. To be betrothed in marriage was more than simply being engaged. It was a promise. Money may have been paid for a dowry, work might have begun on expanding the family home to make room for the soon-to-be bride. A betrothal was as binding as the marriage itself. For a betrothed woman to be found pregnant would be considered an immoral and possibly adulterous act. This was so serious that Mary could have been killed for her perceived adultery.

These facts make Mary’s quick agreement to the angelic messenger who announced the birth of Jesus remarkable. Mary apparently believed if God wanted her to be pregnant with the Messiah, He would also protect her from public scrutiny. In fact, that may have been one of the reasons Mary went to visit her relative Elizabeth who was six months pregnant with John the Baptizer.

These facts also show the character of Joseph. One would have to think that Mary’s testimony about an angel and being fertilized by the Holy Spirit would, I suspect, be a little hard to embrace. Yet, when an angel appeared to him in a dream, he agreed to marry Mary and raise this baby as his own.

God picked remarkable and faithful people to carry out his work. I can’t help but wonder if the mandatory trip to Bethlehem to be registered for tax reasons, wasn’t in some ways a welcome distraction and escape from the neighborhood gossip. What do you think is worse, being talked about for something that you did or something that you didn’t do but everyone believes you did?

When you read an ad for a job you see the various requirements needed or desired for the job. The job may require certain education, a particular kind of work experience, or maybe certain skills on the computer. But, the only requirement Jesus is looking for is this: a willing heart. Rick showed us that last week in the calling of the disciples. The Lord is not looking for the skilled or the famous . . . He is looking those who are willing to be used by Him. No training is necessary! Mary and Joseph were in a messy situation, but they were faithful.

Their Accommodations

Caesar Augustus wanted to have a census of the empire. Everyone was to return to the place of their ancestor’s birth. For Joseph, that meant going to Bethlehem. Bethlehem was about 6 miles southwest of Jerusalem. It was a small town (smaller than La Harpe). Some estimate the population at 300-600 residents normally. Because of this mandated census, the town swelled in size. Surely, there was only one Inn in town and it was likely not very big. The rooms were gone quickly.

Because there was no room in the Inn, the Son of God was born in a stable. Imagine Joseph having to shovel out the animal dung so his wife could give birth. No woman would want to deliver her child in these circumstances. To the best of our knowledge, there was no midwife, and no family members were around to help out. Joseph may have had no experience in the birth process and may not have seen his wife in this condition before (since she remained a virgin until Jesus was born.) Can you imagine the fear this couple may have faced? It was the birth of the Son of God, and they had to do it all alone.

In these humble circumstances we need to remember Paul’s words in Philippians 2

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (2:5-8)

Paul tells us the Son of God willingly surrendered the honor and privileges He deserves and humbly became a man. Some who did not know what they were talking about would have called Him an illegitimate child, conceived out of wedlock . . . perhaps in their mind of adultery. They would see this as a shameful birth.

Jesus was born in unsanitary conditions like a slave. There were no Doctors in surgical garb, no incubators, no nurses standing by to take and clean up the baby. Jesus also humbled Himself by stepping off the throne as God Almighty and coming to earth as a human being. In all the details of Christmas it is easy to forget that radical step that was being taken here.

Jesus did not come to rescue those who feel they have nothing to be rescued from. He came to the poor, the weak, the broken. He came to make the sick (spiritually and physically) well. Yes, He wants to use a small town like La Harpe. He is eager to take the simple and accomplish something profound. He was born in a stable to identify with us.

A Missed Opportunity

It is a familiar part of the story . . . the birth of Jesus was announced in the skies themselves. First the angelic host announced it to the shepherds (a group that was seen as on the lowest rung of society) and next to the Magi from the east. Matthew gives us the details.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,

are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,

for a ruler will come from you

who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ (Matthew 2:1-6)

We are all familiar with the “Three Kings” or the “Three Wise Men” who often appear in our nativity scenes and on Christmas cards. However, these men (we get three because of the three gifts but there may have been several more) most likely did not arrive in Bethlehem until Jesus was living in a house with his parents. (Was this to avoid the whispers of their hometown?)

The chronology if you are trying to put it together, went something like this: Jesus was born, the Shepherds came to see Him, on the eighth day Jesus was presented at the temple in Jerusalem where he encountered Simeon and Anna who both spoke prophetic messages. Then, I believe, they returned to Bethlehem to build their life together as a family. Sometime after this, the Magi from the east came to Jerusalem. They asked the King Herod the Great (as he is known) about the matter.

Those who knew Herod could also call him Herod the paranoid! Herod had a simple approach to dealing with potential rivals for the throne (including his own children!). He killed them. So, when the Magi said they were looking for the newborn King of the Jews, Herod took notice.

We’ll see more on that in a minute. Right know I want you to see the critical fumble of the Jewish religious leaders. Herod asked these guys where the Jewish Messiah was supposed to be born. They don’t hesitate . . . Bethlehem!

So let’s fully understand the situation: Gentile intellectuals arrive in Jerusalem saying the King of the Jews was born. These leaders know that birth was predicted to be in Bethlehem. YET, they send the Gentiles, and the religious leaders (who have been waiting for this all their lives) stayed home!! How sad is this? The Messiah arrives and they are too lazy (or busy) to travel the short distance (6 miles) to find out if it could be true? That would be like saying they were giving out free money in Blandinsville, but you were too busy to take six minutes to see if it might possibly be true.

This continues to be a frequent occurrence today. Religious people, even people who call themselves “Christians,” go through the Christmas season knowing the truth about Christ but never embracing it. We get wrapped up in the family gatherings, the presents, the company parties, the year-end bonuses (if your company has done well) but don’t have any time to see Jesus. We don’t take any time to worship Him and to feel the wonder of what all of this means.

To that end, let me suggest a few things that might help you to avoid this situation in your life.

· Read through an Advent devotional (or any kind of devotional)

· Re-read the gospels continually asking, “What impact does/should this have on my life?”

· Look for ways to give gifts to others that point to the Lord.

· Come to worship and encourage all your family to do the same. Work to make worship as big of a Christmas tradition as anything else.

· Find the lyrics of your favorite Christmas songs and reflect on them. Too often we are filled with nostalgia or really like a melody, but we have no idea what some of the great carols are actually saying. So many of these songs are theologically rich.

· Use the Christmas season to introduce your family and friends to Jesus. A simple question such as “Why do you think we celebrate Christmas?” may open a door for you to talk about Jesus: How His coming was predicted; how His circumstances were humble; why this was the case; what Jesus came to do; and how you have now become one of those whose life has been changed.

The only time the religious leaders took note of Jesus was when His popularity began to eclipse theirs! I wonder how much better it would have been with these men if they had simply said, “We would like to come along with you to Bethlehem.”

A Tragic Response

13 After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, 15 and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”

16 Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. (Matthew 2:13-19)

Herod was appointed as ruler over the Jewish people by Antony and Caesar Augustus. R.C. Sproul describes Herod’s rule.

King Herod had magnificent administrative powers, which he used to appease the Jews, who were hostile toward him because he was not a Jew. He undertook the building of the new temple, which exceeded the temple of Solomon in its grandeur and became known as one of the wonders of the ancient world. The size of the blocks used in the building of the temple was monumental, and extraordinary engineering skill was employed to construct that edifice. Additionally, Herod built his winter palace on the high peak of Masada. The palace had, among other niceties, a working sauna, which was a marvel in itself.

Herod enjoyed a widespread reputation for his administrative abilities and his building projects. His reputation as a builder, however, was far exceeded by his reputation for cruelty. He had ten wives, two of whom he murdered. One of the two “was supposedly his favorite wife. He murdered in cold blood three of his own children as well as several other family members.”

Herod was so cruel and indifferent to the lives of others that when he knew his death was imminent, he issued a decree that on the day he died, the principal men of the Jewish nation were also to be killed. He did this to guarantee that there would be great mourning on the day He died. (The people ignored his instructions.)

There are some people that believe the whole story about Herod is fabricated because there is no record in secular history of this event. However, most people believe this slaughter would have amounted to 12-15 little boys at the most. Sadly, that was nothing in comparison to the other things Herod did in his life. Therefore, the fact that it was not recorded in other places is not that surprising.

Some point to Revelation 12 and a story about the great dragon (Satan) wanting to consume a child born by a woman as an illusion to the murder of the innocents by Herod.

If there is anything that shows the necessity of the coming of Christ, it was the massacre of the children. Of course, many ask: “why would God send His Son at this time if it meant these kids were going to die?” or “Why not warn ALL the parents in Bethlehem?” I don’t have a good answer to those questions. What we need to keep straight is the fact that it was Herod’s sin that led to the slaughter of these children just as it is the lost nature of man that is causing all the violence in our society today.

The point of all of this is that the world was a mess, and the birth of Christ was likewise messy. If you were writing a script this is certainly not the way you would have created God’s entry into the world. There should have been celebrations and parades and days off from school. But none of that happened.

Why didn’t it happen that way? Because God came into the world to save messy or messed up people. And the follow up truth is this: we are ALL messed up people.

Conclusions

I hope you can see that this realization makes the joy of Christmas available to everyone. First, we see that God shows us that He understands our situation. In fact, He came as a man and lived that situation. He has felt our pain, our anxiety, our sense of not having anything. He understands the one who is worn out by life or who can’t catch a break. He understands those who are even stressed out by their situation or feel they are “too far gone” to ever come out of the mess they are in.

The message of Christmas is: God knows our situation and has come to meet us right where we are. Jesus came to earth to lead us to a better life. He didn’t appear in the temple and wait for people to come to Him. He was born in the same messy world that we live in.

Finally, the Christmas Mess will not be a mess forever.The rest of Jesus’ life might seem to have continued the theme of the mess. He was attacked, arrested, rejected and crucified. However, the resurrection radically changed the story. Listen to the rest of that passage from Phillipians,

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)

Because Jesus was not afraid of, or repelled by, the mess of our world and of our individual lives, He came and gave His life to clean up the mess and give us a new and eternal home. The story of Christmas then is a story of how Jesus graciously and boldly came to the mess we are now in, to lead us to the life we never thought possible.