DECEMBER 22ND
A Bittersweet Christmas
Matthew 2:1-12 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Yes! We are still examining the same passage, adding one more new verse with an interesting nugget about the wise men. We read that God sent the wise men a dream not to go back to Herod and not to tell him the child's location but instead to return to their country by another route. Very interesting, isn't it? We'll explain more about that in a moment, but first, let's talk about chocolate!
Dark chocolate is the most frustrating candy ever made. It's sweet at first, but it leaves a bitter taste many people don't care for. At first glance, Christmas is a holiday that seems all sweet: fun times with loved ones, special music, pretty lights, good food, and lots of presents. What's not to love? Even the Biblical story of Christmas seems sweet to us. The new baby, angels singing, and the star shining all paint a lovely picture. Yet all that sweetness leaves a hint of bitterness. The lights of the first Christmas cast the shadow of a cross. This shadow appears in one of the sweet scenes we associate with the Christmas story: the visit of the wise men.
Opening gifts on Christmas morning is one of the sweetest parts of the holiday. Parents love seeing their children's faces light up when they open that special toy they have been wishing for. Children love the fun of finally revealing secrets they've been holding in about what Dad bought for Mom or what they picked out for their siblings. The room is full of excited squeals, “thank you's”, and hugs. When the wise men gave their gifts, however, Jesus likely wasn't showing much excitement. Even though He was the son of God, he was also human, and most human two-year-olds are much more interested in the wrapping paper than the gift! But what about His parents? Indeed, they were probably pleased and honored by the first two gifts. Gold was a gift for a king, and frankincense was used in offerings to God. So these gifts affirmed that her child was the son of God just as the angel had said He would be. But when Mary saw the myrrh, she must have felt a bitter grief that would have seemed totally out of place for a birthday celebration. You see, myrrh was used to prepare the bodies of the dead for burial. When Mary saw it, it was a reminder that her baby had been born to die, and her time with Him would be limited.
From the moment she laid Jesus in that manger on Christmas night, the shadow of the cross hung over Mary's baby. We see that from the very first Christmas, the sweetness of the birth of Christ has been accompanied by the bitterness of what He was born to do for us on the cross, similar to how a dream warning of danger accompanied the joyous journey of the wise men. Amid the gladness of finding the promised Messiah, they were reminded of the sobering and bittersweet idea that many would want this child Messiah dead. Far from making Christmas a sad occasion, however, the knowledge of why Jesus was born and what He would grow up to do makes the sweet parts of Christmas sweeter by comparison. If you try to separate the sweet from the bitter of Christmas, all you're left with is a cotton candy holiday that tastes sweet for a second but has no substance and cannot satisfy. The dark shadow of the cross makes the star seem brighter, and the final taste left on our tongues by Christmas is sweet, for we know that the story doesn't end with a cross either, but an empty tomb.
Dark chocolate is the most frustrating candy ever made. It's sweet at first, but it leaves a bitter taste many people don't care for. At first glance, Christmas is a holiday that seems all sweet: fun times with loved ones, special music, pretty lights, good food, and lots of presents. What's not to love? Even the Biblical story of Christmas seems sweet to us. The new baby, angels singing, and the star shining all paint a lovely picture. Yet all that sweetness leaves a hint of bitterness. The lights of the first Christmas cast the shadow of a cross. This shadow appears in one of the sweet scenes we associate with the Christmas story: the visit of the wise men.
Opening gifts on Christmas morning is one of the sweetest parts of the holiday. Parents love seeing their children's faces light up when they open that special toy they have been wishing for. Children love the fun of finally revealing secrets they've been holding in about what Dad bought for Mom or what they picked out for their siblings. The room is full of excited squeals, “thank you's”, and hugs. When the wise men gave their gifts, however, Jesus likely wasn't showing much excitement. Even though He was the son of God, he was also human, and most human two-year-olds are much more interested in the wrapping paper than the gift! But what about His parents? Indeed, they were probably pleased and honored by the first two gifts. Gold was a gift for a king, and frankincense was used in offerings to God. So these gifts affirmed that her child was the son of God just as the angel had said He would be. But when Mary saw the myrrh, she must have felt a bitter grief that would have seemed totally out of place for a birthday celebration. You see, myrrh was used to prepare the bodies of the dead for burial. When Mary saw it, it was a reminder that her baby had been born to die, and her time with Him would be limited.
From the moment she laid Jesus in that manger on Christmas night, the shadow of the cross hung over Mary's baby. We see that from the very first Christmas, the sweetness of the birth of Christ has been accompanied by the bitterness of what He was born to do for us on the cross, similar to how a dream warning of danger accompanied the joyous journey of the wise men. Amid the gladness of finding the promised Messiah, they were reminded of the sobering and bittersweet idea that many would want this child Messiah dead. Far from making Christmas a sad occasion, however, the knowledge of why Jesus was born and what He would grow up to do makes the sweet parts of Christmas sweeter by comparison. If you try to separate the sweet from the bitter of Christmas, all you're left with is a cotton candy holiday that tastes sweet for a second but has no substance and cannot satisfy. The dark shadow of the cross makes the star seem brighter, and the final taste left on our tongues by Christmas is sweet, for we know that the story doesn't end with a cross either, but an empty tomb.