Christmas does have some virtues I appreciate; people seem to be a little more sensitive to the homeless in our society, little 'ole ladies getting help crossing the streets, and people do stop and pull the stranded out of snow banks. I like this kind of stuff and it gives your heart a little boost when you see or read of people reaching out to others...cool stuff!
And yet, deep within I have to wonder...Why does "Christmas" seem so temporary and fragile to me? It's a time that sweeps into our everyday lives and seems to vanish as quickly as it came.
This whole "born in a manger" story...is mind boggling to say the least. God has only One Son...right? So, in order to turn mankind from "Darkness", originating back to the Fall in Eden, the requirement for mankind to be delivered from this vast Darkness...is God's Only Son has to come and become "one of us"..there simply is no other way.
Christ Jesus didn't arrive on earth with an entourage of Heavenly angels that could destroy anyone and everyone who might stand in His way, He didn't come and become the greatest political leader the world has ever known, nor did He establish an earthly Empire that could never be penetrated or it's "laws of the land" modified... He didn't do any of that.
He arrived totally helpless...a baby needing the care and attention of others...just like any of us...if we are to make it...even into childhood. He came to an place that was under foreign rule and oppression, He was born in a region of Israel that had a poor reputation, and He was not even born in a hospital or a real home...He came into this world among farm animals. On top of all this...the family He was born into...were far from wealthy.
And it only gets worse...the "Beginning of Sorrows" one might say. A short time after His birth it is thought between 6 to as many as 30 babies lost their lives in Ramah...because a Roman Governor of the region known as Galilee wanted this Son of God put to death...this very young toddler...because He was a threat to the Roman Empire. Through a Divine Warning, this baby Jesus along with His earthly mother and father had escaped to Egypt...and was not found by the fearful Roman governor named... Herod.
Herod...according to the historical data available...was a "head case". He seemed to be a guy engulfed in paranoia. He would go to great lengths to keep any one from "knocking him off his throne"...including members of his own family. He had members of his own political staff killed, he had his own military leaders executed for treason, he had Pharisees of the Jewish sect killed for "foretelling he would be removed from his throne", and he even had 3 of his sons killed to eliminate any threat of a "coup'. The Roman Emperor remarked about Herod saying: " It is better to be Herod's pig than his son."
So, with the arrival of the "King of the Jews", a title Herod had been given, this Babe born in a manger became an immediate threat.
Some historians conclude the event at Ramah, known to many as "The Slaughter of the Innocents" never really happened. This story was nothing more than an old wives tale stemming from the bitter hatred between the Jewish people and the Roman Empire. One early and popular Jewish historian, Josephus, never wrote on the incident that happened in Ramah, so many conclude it never really took place. Yet, other historians write that it really did take place...and although it brought horrific tragedy to mothers with 2 year old boys or under in Ramah...it was a rather "small event" in relation to the greater news of the day.
For myself, I do think it happened, if for no other reason, it is recorded in the Sacred Scriptures. I think there is truth that it was not rather "big news" simply because this was not a totally uncommon thing to do...destroy your enemies...and their families. Yet, in light of the Scriptures it was "Big News", and speaks to me how God never takes any deaths lightly...even in a case like this... making God Himself look like the "bad guy"...Jesus being born brought death to others His age. This of course is not true...it is the choices people make in their own hearts...that can bring joy and blessings to others, or bring sorrow and death...because of their own insecurities and godless lifestyles.
Then...there are the "Wise Men". I did an article from last year about these "guys". The Scriptures never said there were "3", and personally I don't think they were "kings". Rather, I think they were "king makers". If you get a chance....read the article from last year...it gives you my opinion...on "what went down" the first few years of Christ Jesus coming to earth.
So...if Christ Jesus chose not to arrive with a host of Heavenly angels, if He didn't come to gain a throne like the Roman Empire, or if He didn't have a lot of wealth or wanted earthly power...what was He after?
Hmmm?
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