Accepting that each of us experiences Christmas through a different emotional lens, let’s consider the emotional responses from the major players linked to a lowly stable in the overcrowded city of Bethlehem that very first Christmas.
Mary—treasured
We begin with an adolescent girl from modest beginnings. A maiden who had little expectation that her life was going to be anything but ordinary. Especially growing up in the insignificant village of Nazareth, a nondescript dot on the map set in the fertile limestone hill country.
That changed in a big way, however, when the angel Gabriel came to the young maiden and told her she was chosen by God to be the mother of His son.
Blown away by these words, a youthful Mary found herself noticed–and who wouldn’t? The disclosed virgin birth of her son, to be named Jesus, defied scientific logic.
Yet this young girl chose to submit to the will of God and accepted the angel’s message, saying: “Yes, I see it all now: I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say… for he has deemed worthy to notice me, his humble servant…“
And then the physician apostle Luke writes one of my favorite verses found in Luke 2:19: “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Author Eugene Peterson paraphrases these words this way, “Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself.”
Joseph—uncertain
Is it even possible to identify with this misunderstood carpenter beyond that as a bit player in a story? Especially, given our present culture is so immersed in the delusion of fantasy, too often removed from the enriching substance of reality.
Joseph is best known as the husband of Mary, the upstaged earthly father of Jesus in the Christmas narrative. He was a man of rock solid conviction. He not only sought to do what was right but also to do things the right way. When his betrothed Mary came to him with the news of her pregnancy, he knew the child could not be his.
No doubt the starry-eyed suitor had a difficult time, struggling to reconcile this in his natural mind.
To his credit, Joseph chose to “live” the words the Apostle Paul would write to the church in Corinth, some half century later: “We walk by faith, not by sight.”
When his adoptive son, Jesus, turns twelve years of age, this God-fearing man with calloused hands and a tender heart, walks off the pages of scripture. It is the last time we hear his name mentioned.
Shepherds—curious
Who among us hasn’t at least spent one night sleeping under the stars? Imagine then looking up into that canopy of celestial lights and seeing an angel appear–along with a great company of the heavenly host…for the full effect! An angelic laser light show with the ultimate in surround sound: “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”
It would certainly get my attention! Might even cause me to question whether I was just “seeing things.” After all, it could be a consequence of living ‘round the clock with a fleecy flock of fatty-tailed docile stock. I might even be inclined to climb out of my own mantle of thick sheepskin and check the expiration date on the dried fruit in my skin scrip (tote bag).
This robust group of shepherds, however, took the angel at his word and after visiting the infant child, “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told”…their curiosity more than satisfied.
Wise men—reluctant
Speaking of stars, our next participants had established a reputation for following the patterns of the stars rather religiously.
Much intrigue swirls around these camel-riding stargazers from Persia, also known as the wise men.
Matthew is the only one of the four gospels to mention this class of astrological advisors. While Matthew’s account is somewhat vague and shrouded in mystery, he does let on that when these festooned foreigners arrived in Jerusalem, their curt bluntness had King Herod spitting out his morning espresso: “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Eugene Peterson paraphrases Matthew’s record of the events, in The Message, “Herod then arranged a secret meeting with the scholars from the East. Pretending to be as devout as they were, he got them to tell him exactly when the birth-announcement star appeared. Then he told them the prophecy about Bethlehem, and said, ‘Go find this child. Leave no stone unturned. As soon as you find him, send word and I’ll join you at once in your worship.’
“Instructed by the king, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time!
“In a dream, they were warned not to report back to Herod. So they worked out another route, left the territory without being seen, and returned to their own country.”
Being wise men, these three discerning dreamers were reluctant to accept the word of an egocentric king bent on destruction… a king who chose to worship himself.
Herod—fearful
As “King of the Hill,” Herod was alarmed at the prospect of a usurper, someone who would attempt to knock him off his pile and take his place. This conniving political figure, who scholars agree, suffered throughout his lifetime from depression and paranoia, would do anything– and I mean anything–to prevent this from happening.
When Herod realized he had been outwitted by the three sages, he gave orders to kill all boys of the age of two and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity.
Herod, who had no qualms in killing family members and friends, would not have given a second thought to killing a handful of babies in a small, obscure village south of Jerusalem in order to keep his throne secure for himself.
Macrobius, one of the last pagan writers in Rome, wrote: “When it was heard that, as part of the slaughter of boys up to two years old, Herod had ordered his own son to be killed, he [the Emperor Augustus] remarked, ‘It is better to be Herod’s pig [as a professed Jew, Herod would not kill pigs] than his son.’ “
Here was a man whose life was consumed by fear.
Simeon—anticipation
According to the biblical account, Simeon had been visited by the Holy Spirit and told that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
Acknowledged as one who held a prominent position in society and was highly regarded, we don’t know how long Simeon had waited in anticipation for the Christ child to be born. We do know, however, that he was led by the Spirit to go to the temple the day Mary and Joseph arrived with the child Jesus.
Simeon recognized Jesus the moment he saw Him. He took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “God, you can now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised. With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation; it’s now out in the open for everyone to see: A God-revealing light…“
Anna—grateful
The same day Simeon entered the temple, an elderly widow by the name of Anna appeared. All we know of her is found in three verses in the New Testament book of Luke. Anna had only been a bride seven years before her husband died. At the age of 84 years, she had spent the vast majority of her life without her helpmate and was ministering before the Lord in the temple.
When Anna encounters the infant Jesus in the temple, she immediately recognizes Jesus as the long-awaited Savior and her heart overflows with gratitude.
God—letting go
Ever have to give up someone you dearly love?
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again…“—John 3:16-17 The Message (MSG)
Merry CHRISTmas!
Former Cook County Commissioner Garry Gamble is writing this ongoing column about the various ways government works, as well as other topics.
Leave a Reply