Some Final Reflections on Christmas
Christmas. The fancy name is Incarnation – the “in-fleshment” of God. Scriptures document that the baby in Mary’s womb was the result of God intervening. Matthew records it this way, “she (Mary) was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit”. Joseph didn’t have “relations” with Mary, and yet she was pregnant. This qualifies as a miracle - “an interference with nature by supernatural power”. A master wordsmith, Max Lucado, puts it this way, “He who was larger than the universe became an embryo…he who sustains the world with a word chose to be dependent upon the nourishment of a young girl. God as a fetus. The creator of life being created.”
The classic image of Christmas is the manger scene where Joseph and Mary surround the baby who is “asleep on the hay”. The Bible gives details of this event and the events leading up to it. Interestingly, we have little information about Jesus as a young boy or as a teenager. Have you ever tried to imagine scenes from these stages of our Lord’s life? Lucado helps us here, “Angels watched as Mary changed God’s diaper. The universe watched with wonder as The Almighty learned to walk. Children played in the street with him…Jesus may have had pimples. He may have been tone-deaf. It could be that his knees were bony. One thing’s for sure: He was, while completely divine, completely human…He felt weak. He grew weary. He was susceptible to wooing women. He got colds, burped, and had body odor. His feelings got hurt, his feet got tired, and his head ached.”
I’ve often wished that accounts from the early years of our Lord’s life were included in “the gospels” (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). The insights and lessons would be priceless. We could use them strategically in parenting our kids.
Place yourself in Mary’s shoes. Not only are you still marveling about the source of your pregnancy, but you’re catching moments as Jesus grows up that take your breath away and cause you to reflect deeply on the nature of your son. Lucado captures the possible experiences that Mary had and puts them in the form of questions that some of her friends might have asked her in hindsight.
- Mary, did you ever see him with a distant look on his face as if he were listening to
someone you couldn’t hear?
- Mary, did he do well in school?
- Mary, what was it like watching him pray?
- Mary, when he saw a rainbow, did he ever mention a flood?
- Mary, when he saw a lamb being led to the slaughter, did he act differently?
Fascinating questions—the answers to which we’ll never know this side of eternity. And yet they cause us to admit the tension between Jesus’ human and divine natures—two natures in one person, a mystery. A mystery, and yet we must not settle on favoring Jesus’ divinity at the expense of his humanity. To focus on the humanness of Jesus seems to reduce him down to our level, which leaves us feeling like we’re doing him a dis-service. Lucado helps us again here, “To think of Jesus in such a light is—well, it seems almost irreverent, doesn’t it? It’s not something we like to do; it’s uncomfortable. It’s much easier to keep the humanity out of the incarnation. Pretend he never snored or blew his nose or hit his thumb with a hammer. He’s easier to stomach that way. There is something about keeping him divine that keeps him distant, packaged, predictable. But don’t do it. Let him be as human as he intended to be. Let him into the mire and muck of our world. For only if we let him in can he pull us out.”
That last line resonates with me. “For only if we let him in can he pull us out.” If I do not consider the idea that Jesus was tempted with sexual sin, or with pride, or even with doubt, how can I call on him for help when these issues knock on my heart? The fact that our Lord, while here on earth, was genuinely tempted “in all ways” and resisted those temptations gives me hope that He can accurately and sufficiently strengthen me to stand against these struggles.
In addition, connecting with the Son of God on an emotional level becomes more plausible and inviting when I recall that He experienced the full range of human emotion. Jesus cried. Jesus felt rejection. Jesus became angry. There were moments when he felt lonely. He had moments of ecstasy and exhilaration. He laughed. He took delight in or disdained the actions of others. He hated hypocrisy in all its forms. He was surprised and at times confused. At other times hopeful. He felt compassion for those who got the short end of the stick. He loved what was right and hated what was wrong. There is no emotion that I can possibly experience that he has not experienced.
When I recall that, I feel free to talk with him about any of my issues or circumstances. I can bring my life’s moments and emotions to someone who has experienced the whole spectrum of life’s moments and emotions and thus feel his comforting touches on my heart. He “pulls me out” because I acknowledge and draw on the fact that he has been “in” and, thus, can pull me out. I’ve experienced this when my brother died of cancer, when my mom was suffering with Alzheimer’s’, when I felt confused about my life’s direction, when some friends questioned my allegiances, and when God provided for our financial needs.
The Incarnation, God with us, the Word become flesh. Fascinating words and concepts. But emanating from these concepts is the reality that my life is being led by a Savior who knows and understands and who feels our pains and our joys. May we all be inspired to worship this Savior with greater fervor as we walk with Him through 2010.
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