ChristMess - 4

ChristMess - 4

Introduction

Christmas can be a time of surprising controversy. This season of perpetual hope can become a season of perpetual fighting. Let’s take a poll, a show of hands to see where you stand on some divisive issues around this great season:

—Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

—Turkey or Ham?

—Gift wrap or gift bag?

—Eggnog or Fruitcake?

—Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?

During any time of the year, but especially at holidays, it can be easy for us to develop an “us vs. them” mentality. We can separate ourselves from other people, and even look down on them. “I’m on this side, you’re on that side.” Easy to do.

TS - The text we are going to spend time with today reminds us that there are no sides at Christmas. All of us are in this together. Christmas unites us all in our common need.

- At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.

6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

Luke is careful to give to us the simple details and facts of the Christmas story. There is no pomp or circumstance. This is hardly a birth worthy of a King.

But one thing that Luke is quick to do is anchor this account firmly in history. He tells us exactly when and where this all happened. This is all under the time of Caesar Augustus. This is the height of the power and influence of the Roman Empire. This is the time of Governor Quirinius. A time of kings. A time of power.

He also shows us how Mary and Joseph are drawn out of their hometown and towards Bethlehem…for a census. Caesar Augustus, approaching 60 years old by this point, wants to solidify his legacy and count the size of his empire, and to tax them all. All for the glory of Rome, he said…a census and tax that happened every 14 years.

So at the whim of a king, Joseph and Mary are forced to travel to Joseph’s ancestral hometown…Bethlehem, the city of King David. It also just so happened to be the prophesied city of the birthplace of the Messiah, the promised Deliverer from the Old Testament.

There is a great irony here. Caesar Augustus thinks he’s doing something for his own glory and for his gain. But that’s not true at all. He is just setting up the board for God. He is putting all the pieces in place for God to do what he has been promising for hundreds of years.

They get to Bethlehem and the time comes for this baby to be born. Luke tells us of the lowly circumstances involved. Baby Jesus is placed in a manger (food trough for animals), no room for them in town.

The picture that typically comes to mind here is this poor couple - Joseph and his very pregnant wife - kicked out of the local Holiday Inn Express by the jerky innkeeper. So Jesus then has to be born in a barn. There’s cattle and sheep everywhere. Partially true. The word used here for “lodging” or typically translated “inn” in some translations is actually the word for “guest room.”

This is Joseph’s hometown. They are likely staying with family here, but since there is no room for them in the spare bedroom, they have to stay in what was known as the common room, the lower level of a typical first-century Jewish home. In that open common room you’d typically find many animals because they were brought in at night to protect them from predators and thieves. The side benefit is that their presence helped warm a house.

The common room is where the animals stayed and because of that, mangers were a common piece of furniture in that room so they could feed the animals at night. Jesus is most likely born in this common room (without privacy) and placed in that feeding trough since they didn’t have an adjoining hotel room.

While Jesus may have been born in the city of King David, he is certainly not treated like a king. Ordinary house. Ordinary family. Common room because no one was caring enough to give up the spare bedroom. Surrounded by the family animals. Placed into a feeding trough. If you’re looking for the King, look low.

So Jesus is now born, the main event has passed. Now it’s time for the baby announcement. And some people are really good at these.

—Baby pic 1

—Baby pic 2

—Baby pic 3

Jesus gets one of the craziest and most famous birth announcements in the history of the world.

- 8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,

    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

This baby announcement is made by the angels. And that is certainly appropriate, we are talking about God in the flesh. And while the angelic armies make this announcement so incredible, the most astonishing part of it is the audience. This isn’t taking place in Herod’s palace in Jerusalem. This isn’t in the presence of Caesar Augustus. This isn’t at the Temple. This isn’t even at the local synagogue in Bethlehem. This is in a field outside Bethlehem in the middle of nowhere. And this announcement doesn’t go to the powerful, the political, or even the religious elite. It goes to shepherds…the messiest audience imaginable.

Shepherds were counted as some of the lowest citizens in their society. They were looked down upon. They spent most of their time out in the fields away from people. Not much social interaction. They are dirty and they smell bad from being with animals so much. So they are low socially. They are also low religiously. Shepherds were unable to keep the ceremonial law in the Old Testament. In fact, they were exempted from it because they were always too busy with the flocks. They couldn’t keep up with the crazy schedule of ceremonial washings and multiple other laws that everyone else kept. So they are dirty, physically and religiously. Because of these issues, they were looked upon with suspicion, to the point where shepherds were not allowed to serve at witnesses in court.

These shepherds, in particular, have something going to for them though. At the Temple in Jerusalem, the priests sacrificed a spotless lamb every morning and every evening as part of the normal services of worship. To get that done, they had to have a special flock of sheep that were their own, raised locally.

Bethlehem is only 5 miles away from Jerusalem and there is a tower there called Migdal Eder, a watchtower where they would watch all their sheep. That tower is located on the road to Jerusalem, outside of Bethlehem so the flocks could make the trip easier.

Oddly enough, the Jewish Rabbis believed that the glory of the Messiah would be revealed at Migdal Eder because of an obscure prophecy in . Could it be that it is these shepherds who raised the spotless lambs for sacrifice that first heard of the true spotless Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world? Even so…they are still shepherds.

Angels, an army of them, appear to these dirty, smelly, ostracized men and tell them the King is here. The Savior has been born, go and see him. And the angel details what to look for…he is wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger. That’s what shepherds did to their newborn babies. The angel is saying to these lowly men, “go and find this King who is just like you. He is just like your kids.” If you’re looking for the King, look low.

This really shouldn’t surprise us. The first time someone was sent into Bethlehem to find a king, they needed to learn this same lesson. God sent the OT Prophet Samuel to Bethlehem in to find a new king. King Saul had been chosen before as King because he was tall and Kingly looking. A king to look up to. That didn’t work out so well. He was terrible.

Samuel is now sent to Bethlehem to find and anoint a new king. God sends him to the home of Jesse because the king will be one of his sons. Things don’t go down how he thinks they will.

- 6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!”

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Samuel sees Eliab, the oldest, the tallest, the strongest. But he’s not it. If you are looking for the king, look low. He goes through the rest of the 7 sons only to discover God hasn’t chosen any of them. Samuel turns to Jesse to question what’s happening. Turns out there is an 8th son, the youngest that Jesse hadn’t even bothered to invite. Samuel looks low at this youngest son and there he finds the new king…David.

This is the same exact message the angels have for the shepherds. Go look for the King, but look low. Now…let’s be clear. Jesus is not low because he deserves to be low. He’s not low because he’s only earned that position. The titles the angels give to him make that abundantly clear.

- 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

Jesus is the Savior. He is the Messiah (Christ). He is the Lord. Three very powerful, high end titles. Jesus is THE Savior, not a Savior, but THE only one. He has come to rescue, to deliver. He is the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Chosen One, the Promised One from the OT. History revolves around this baby. Jesus is Lord. He is King. Ruler. Sovereign. In control. These are not lowly titles, this is not a lowly Jesus. In fact, the angels here are describing Jesus in the highest possible terms. The NLT translates “the Messiah, the Lord” from a title that is used only once here in the entire Bible…literally translates as “Christ Lord.” He is the highest of high. The King of Kings. The Lord of Lords.

So if Jesus is so high and lofty, why do we find him so low? Because that’s where we are. He is low because he came chasing after us. He’s not low because he deserves it…he’s low because we deserve low. The Savior comes low to save those who are low. The Lord comes low to lead those who are low. The Messiah comes low to meet those who are low.

This message from the angels shows the shepherds this is true. This baby has come low enough they could see him and know him. And that’s exactly what they do. How could they not?

- 15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

As they head into Bethlehem, they look low and find the King. And they worship him. They praise God because he has come near. He’s right there with them. They may be messy, but Jesus is with them in the mess.

And isn’t that the good news of Christmas? Isn’t that the good news that will bring joy to all people? God has come low. He has become one of us. He has not left us in our mess, he walked right into it. So he could meet us there. So he could lead us out of it. So he could save us from it.

Paul David Tripp - “Jesus didn’t show up for a celebration. He wasn’t here for a vacation. His world wasn’t well decorated, and he surely wasn’t well fed. He came to a world that had been dramatically broken by sin…[There is] a sharp contrast between our celebrations at Christmas and the true condition of the Messiah’s entry into our world. Most of us would be in a complete panic if we had to birth a baby in such conditions. But none of this was an accident. These conditions were God’s plan. They announce to us that the Messiah came not to be served but to serve. Since he came to rescue sufferers, it was essential that he suffer too. And his suffering wasn’t reserved for the cross; it started the moment he was born. Everything he suffered was on our behalf.”

Some of you are sitting today in the midst of your mess. You feel it. Christmas has made it all the more real. Broken relationships. Broken dreams. Broken lives. You feel the mess. You feel low. Here’s the good news for you in the middle of that…that’s where Jesus is. He did not come into the world in the highest of highs. He didn’t have some royal procession into the palaces and kingdoms of his day. He came to the lowly. The shepherds. The outcasts. The ordinary. The low. He made himself low so he could be where you are.

Tim Keller - “If God has really been born in a manger, then we have something that no other religion even claims to have. It’s a God who truly understands you, from the inside of your experience. There’s no other religion that says God has suffered, that God had to be courageous, that he knows what it is like to be abandoned by friends, to be crushed by injustice, to be tortured and die. Christmas shows he knows what you’re going through. When you talk to him, he understands.”

But maybe others of you aren’t feeling low today. For you, Christmas is the high point of your year. That’s great! God has blessed you. And this season wonderfully reminds you of that, and makes it all the more real. But be careful…don’t place yourself too high. Don’t elevate yourself so high that you miss Jesus in the low.

Remember, Christmas teaches us there is no us vs. them. Christmas shows us our universal and common need. No matter how high or low your station in life may be, our sin has brought us low. We are universally low in our disconnect from God. Our sin against him has caused an uncrossable gap between us and him. We are outcasts of Heaven. We are alienated from him. But hear the good news that brings great joy to all people…The Savior has been born. God has come low.

Conclusion

In his book Hidden Christmas, Tim Keller relates the account that in 1961 the Russians put the first man into space, Yuri Gagarin [pic]. Nikita Khrushchev was the Russian premier at the time, and he said that when Gagarin went into space, the cosmonaut discovered that there was no God. In response, C.S. Lewis wrote an article titled “The Seeing Eye.”

Lewis said that if there is a God who created us, we could not discover him by going up into the air. God would not relate to human beings the way a man on the second floor relates to a man on the first floor. He would relate to us the way Shakespeare relates to Hamlet. Shakespeare is the creator of Hamlet’s world and of Hamlet himself. Hamlet can know about Shakespeare only if the author reveals information about himself in the play. Lewis says the only way to know about God is if God has revealed himself.

Friends, the good news of Christmas is even better than that! God did not merely write information about himself to us…he wrote himself into the story! He has come into our world as Jesus Christ to save us.

Don’t miss the beauty of Christmas. Because in Christmas we see the greatness of the gospel. God has come to us. When these angels show up to the shepherds, they could not be more opposite. The highest of Heaven contrasted with the lowest of the earth. At Christmas, Heaven and earth collide. Jesus makes it so.

Here in this low place we can meet him as Messiah, see him as Savior, love him as Lord. Not because we could go up high enough to be with him, but because he came low. If you’re looking for the King, look low.

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