The Meaning of Christmas in a Crumbling World
The meaning of Christmas is a bit like truth. The more that you think about it, the more incredible, almost unbelievable that it seems. A God who cared enough to take the time to become a human being? In the form of a baby? Born to poor parents? In the backyard of the Mediterranean? A God who loves us so much that He is relentlessly pursuing us to offer us total and eternal forgiveness? The truths of Christmas stop us in our tracks. They require more than just a bit of faith to believe.
It takes more than just a bit of faith when the world around us seems to be crumbling. Have there been times when your world appeared to be falling apart?
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the male children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men. 17 Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
18 A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children;
and she refused to be consoled,
because they were no more.
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and His mother, and entered the land of Israel (Matthew 1:16-21 CEV).
The atrocities of Herod the Great were so common that the historian Luke doesn’t even mention the slaughter of the innocents in his gospel. The much married Herod is said to have killed all of his family, sons, daughters, wives and in-laws out of fear they would desire his throne. Three hundred Pharisees were crucified on crosses while the families were forced to watch. Rome knew of his brutality, but weren’t really bothered. Augustus is believed to have said, “It is better to be Herod’s dog than one of his children.”
Even from the beginning, peace at home, let alone peace on earth, seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream. Realize that the message of Christmas is peace on earth; not peace with each other, but peace with God. Finally the battle is over. Finally the unbounded chasm of sin has been bridged over.
For peace on earth to happen between people, the message of the Gospel is going to have to change lives. Even at the time of the birth of Christ, the world showed so many signs of crumbling.
