A Dragon in the Manger

Christmas is the time of the unexpected. Today we celebrate the king- the creator of all the universe coming and putting on our humanity to save it. To redeem it. And so, every year, we sing carols, we put up lights, we put up trees, we give gifts, and we have certain expectations. Certain assumptions.

So we assume Jesus looks like the little baby in our nativities, with blue eyes and blonde or brown hair. What if I told you that he probably had dark olive skin, and black curly hair?

We assume that Jesus was born in a barn. What if I told you that this was probably more likely a spare room simply separate from the rest of Joseph's family because they were ashamed?

We put the wise men in the manger, but what if I told you that they didn't show up for two years?

We celebrate on December 25th, but what if I told you that Jesus was probably born some time in September? (http://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/when-was-jesus-born)

Sometimes we need to have our assumptions, our ideas, our expectations examined to bring us face to face with heavenly realities. And don't worry. I'm not calling for anyone to cancel Christmas. When were done, we can all retreat to our Christmas bubbles, but I want to pull back the veil a little bit here and see what is going on at Christmas that we do not see.

Luke 2:8–14 NLT

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

And at Christmas, just read right through that. And you might be thinking, "well, that's nothing new." That doesn't show us anything we don't already see every Christmas. And we breeze over this passage, not pausing to ask questions. But I want to stop here on Christmas Day to ask a question:

What are the armies of heaven doing there in the field?

What's the purpose of an army? To wage war. So what on earth are the armies of heaven doing there in the field, singing?

At Christmas, there's more going on than meets the eye. See, in our house, my wife has this really pretty nativity. It's a Willow Tree nativity, so we have Mary and Joseph, and Jesus and a donkey, and some sheep, and a shepherd, and it's really nice. Really pretty. Prim. Perfect. But there's one figure that's not a part of the set that lurks in there with it as a reminder.

This red dragon. And maybe you're laughing a little bit here, but make no mistake, there was a dragon in the manger, doing everything he could to prevent Jesus from being born, from being born in Bethlehem, from living once he was. The story of the birth of Jesus is not one of peace and quiet, but one of war and danger. So back to my question: what on earth were the armies of heaven doing there in the field right after the birth of Jesus, singing?

They had just finished waging war. They had just won a great victory, and because of their work, Jesus was successfully born in the right place at the right time. Let's pull back the curtain here:

Revelation 12:1–5 NLT

Then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance. I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant, and she cried out because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth. Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born. She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne.

Revelation 12:7–13 NLT

Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last— salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth— the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.” When the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.

Revelation 12:17–18 NLT

And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children—all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus. Then the dragon took his stand on the shore beside the sea.

Now, I'm not going to cover this exhaustively here today: that's what the Revelation series beginning next week is for. But there are a few things I want to highlight. There was a dragon in the manger that night in Bethlehem. And he suffered in that moment a defeat of everything he wanted to accomplish. And the dragon is angry. He's furious. His whole being is now dedicated to destroying those who would follow Jesus.

And in this book, Jesus' ministry is done in a verse, but he painstakingly came. He fought. He struggled to come here. To put on flesh. To give us life. To forgive our faults, failures, sins, and rebellions. He lived perfectly. He died sacrificially. For you. Remember that today. That the birth of Jesus means nothing without the death and the Resurrection of Jesus.

The point is that at Christmas, amidst the pies and the turkeys, and the lights, and the trees and the presents, know this: the dragon is real. And he if you follow Jesus, he will try to destroy you. But take heart: Jesus has won the victory. It was hard fought, full of peril and danger. He did it at great personal cost. And he did it to show you how valuable you are. At Christmas, we celebrate that we have received the best gift we could ever be given: freedom. From sin, from fear, from death, from Hell, and from Satan. That though he may kill the body here, he can do nothing to our souls.

So today, it's okay to retreat into your Christmas bubbles. We all have them. It's okay to listen to Bing Crosby and open presents and eat pie and turkey, but don't forget the reason that we celebrate today:

Jesus came at great cost to himself to love us, to save us. He entered into this war. He stormed the beachhead. He won the war. And that silent night was pierced by the cries of a baby boy, and the cries of heavens armies as the sung the song of victory for us to the glory of God.

Merry Christmas.