The Christmas story is well known to almost everybody in America, whether they claim to be Christian, atheist, or of some other belief. There was a woman named Mary who became pregnant, without the assistance of a human man, and she gave birth to a baby whom she named Jesus.
And the story is not a simple one in terms of the spiritual dynamics and theology involved. But it is told in a remarkably humble, and simple manner that allows anybody to understand it.
The first thing I find interesting is that there was no fuss being made over Mary in her hometown. This wasn’t a 30-year-old woman walking around with her husband, proudly proclaiming her pregnancy.
Girls were betrothed in marriage in their middle teens in those days. Mary was a young, innocent teenager walking around; pregnant by a means she could not understand or explain. I am sure she was glad that there was not a lot of notoriety in her town.
Perhaps this has something to do with why Mary joined Joseph on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem to participate in the census. By law, Mary wasn’t required to go. Because she’s betrothed to Joseph and with child, she could have stayed home and be cared for by family and friends.
But perhaps the rough 80-mile journey to Jerusalem offered her more solace and peace than the short walks around town with everyone talking behind her back.
Those had to be difficult days for Mary. She was pregnant. She knew how, but I don’t think she could have really understood. She knew she was pregnant. She knew the baby would be a boy. And she knew he would be quite special. But did she understand any of it?
I think that what Mary did not understand parallels what we do not understand today. Let me explain.
When Gabriel appears to Mary, he has to calm her by telling her not to be afraid. We see angels appearing on TV shows, but in reality, seeing a true angel of the Lord can be a frightening experience, and in many cases it is often a cataclysmic moment in someone’s life. So, we can start to see how Mary may have been frightened when she saw Gabriel.
In the book of LUKE 1:30-37, Gabriel tells Mary,
"Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
Mary responded by saying "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”
I think that Mary knew this baby would be a very special baby of God, but I don’t think she knew exactly who Jesus would become. She may have had a hint to His special future, but again, I don’t think she could have fully comprehended the reality of the Creator recreating himself in the form of a human, and then becoming this life-transforming redeemer who works from people’s hearts and souls.
Again, let’s go back to Mary’s encounter with Gabriel. He tells her that God will “give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign… forever; his kingdom will never end.” Reign forever? How is Mary supposed to understand what that means? Oh sure, some of you get it, but you’ve already finished the book. You know how the story ends. In Mary’s day, the book wasn’t even written yet, so she had no idea how this would play out.
The word “Messiah” was used in LUKE for others who discovered the Christ-child. So, in those days there were only three major views of what a Messiah would be. The first was of a Military Messiah; someone who would come and conquer all of Israel’s enemies while sitting on the throne of David. Perhaps Mary and Joseph expected their Son to be the new king of Israel.
The second view was that of a political leader; not like the politicians of today, but political in the way that Moses addressed the Pharaoh – demanding freedom for Israel. Was it possible that they pictured their Son to be this type of Messiah?
The third view was that of a Prophet Messiah: One who would give Israel back the power of God. And while there are some principles in each of these views being manifest in Jesus, none of them are even remotely close to the man Jesus would become to all the earth.
Jesus would become a proclaimer of the Kingdom of God that was already ‘at hand”. He promised protection for His people, based not on military might or political alliances, but instead in power from the Supernatural presence of God. Jesus travels the countryside demonstrating God’s true love and delivering people to true life, lived abundantly and eternally.
There is no way that Mary could have known all that her Son would become. And, there is no way she could have known who was looking for her Son either.
Now, first, you know there were “Magi” from the East who came seeking the newborn King of Israel. The stories around these Wise Men are also common and very well known.
There was an art contest held at an elementary school one Christmas. One of the prize winners was a picture drawn by a nine year old boy showing three men, offering gifts to the baby Jesus in his manger. What made the picture unique was that it showed how these three wise men arrived; there was a picture of a modern day fire truck just outside the manger.
Now, to this young artist, that depicted truth as he knew it. Let me explain. A man went into a grocery store once and bought a nice ham for Christmas. On the way to the cashier, he passed by the turkeys. Those turkeys looked really good, so he asked if he could trade his ham for a turkey, and the manager told him it was okay because they both cost the same.
So, the man put the ham back, picked up a turkey, and started walking out of the store. The manager yelled at him and told him he had forgotten to pay for the turkey. The man said he didn’t have to, that he had traded the ham in on the turkey.
The manager said that was true, but that he hadn’t paid for the ham either. The man said he didn’t pay for the ham because he didn’t take the ham. That man’s perception is a little off, but in humor, we can see his perspective, can’t we?
The same with that young artist. When asked why he put the fire truck in the picture, he said in his southern drawl, “The Bible says the three wise men came from a far! His perspective was a bit off too, but I am sure we can see why he thought he had to include the fire truck.
Again, there is no way that Mary could have known these three important men would arrive bearing gifts for her Son. But these were not the only ones that God sent to receive the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
In LUKE 2:8:20, we read,
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
”Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
”When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
”So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”
Let’s talk about shepherds for a moment. The shepherds of that day were considered the lowest of the low. They were mere hired hands and they actually lived with the sheep in the fields. Now, if you have ever been around sheep for even a short length of time, you will know how the shepherds smelled, too.
Because of their job and living conditions, they rarely spent time around other people. As a whole, shepherds had a very bad reputation, one which most of them had earned. They weren’t even allowed to give testimony in a court of law.
Shepherds were not the kind of people you would expect to meet and greet anyone, especially the Redeemer of mankind. Yet, here they were; brought to the Christ child as He lay in the manger.
Some biblical commentators actually think these particular shepherds were watching over the temple flock, and if this is the case, they were looking out for the sacrificial lambs of Israel. How very appropriate that these were the first people that Heaven had notified that Jesus was indeed the Christ; the long awaited Messiah.
It was the lowest of people who were called to stand before the Lord of lords. Again, how symbolic that God would choose the humblest of all, to search for the new born babe in the manger.
And Mary could not have known who would soon be there.
In LUKE 2:25-38, it reads,
“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."
”The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: ‘This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.’
”There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting, and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”
Listen again to a couple of things Simeon said. “Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: ‘This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
The falling and rising of many in Israel. Perhaps falling like the Pharisee whose pride will not let him recognize the truth of Christ. Perhaps rising like the humble, the poor, the ill who do receive the hope and the grace of the living God.
Perhaps falling like Judas over the love of money above all other things. Perhaps rising as Peter did after denying the Lord three times. Perhaps falling like those today whose pride will not let their hearts feel the truth of Christ, or those that focus on wealth to the extent of excluding our Lord from their lives.
Perhaps falling like the many who sit in our churches Sunday after Sunday, listening to the messages yet never taking them personally. Like the many in churches today that think it is okay to just go through the motions – without ever humbling their hearts.
But in any case, Mary didn’t know, did she?
Look at the last, almost forgotten comment at the end: “And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” Perhaps a comment about how Jesus will have a sword thrust through Him as He hang from the tree. Perhaps a comment about the ache that will be in Mary’s heart as she sees her beloved Son hang on that tree.
Perhaps a comment about the future of those religious leaders who wanted things to stay the same they hated the Changer enough to kill Him. Perhaps a comment about how we today are still trying to do that in our time. Things are going pretty good, so why should we worry? It is like the old saying, “If it ain’t broke – don’t fix it.”
Well, in case you have never heard it before, let me be the first to tell you that things are indeed broken! And things desperately need to be fixed. And the only way to fix things is through the help of Christ Jesus.
Simeon and Anna are given an incredible blessing. They have spent the majority of their lives holding on to a faith that the majority of their people have abandoned. Simeon says, “My eyes have seen your salvation.”
Then Anna comes up as Simeon is holding the Christ child and begins to break into praise herself. Mary had no way of knowing, but these two wonderful and Godly people were searching for Jesus. They had been on a life long journey and now, at an elderly age, God let them see the Christ in person.
Last Sunday night, I spoke about a 2-step formula to find true thanksgiving. I spoke about how we all deserve nothing more than God’s total condemnation, and that we were all addicted to sin. I said that we deserve the wages that sin brings and that is spiritual death.
But then, I reminded us that if we take that formula, and then figure in a personal encounter with Jesus, as our Christ, we then find the key to the formula, which is God’s love and mercy.
I don’t know just how each of you came to Christ, and I don’t know what kind of a personal encounter you have had with Christ, but for those who have had a life-changing moment with Christ, you know it is like no other moment in your life.
You know that moment is the most powerful and most exciting thing you have ever experienced. Until that moment, you try your best to be in control of your life, and you will literally do anything to keep that control, won’t you? But the moment you have a real meeting with Jesus, you humbly give all that control to Him. It is like the bumper sticker that says, “If God is your co-pilot, you’d better change places with Him.”
I once read where “wise men still seek the Lord”. I have a little problem with that statement. To me, it rings of arrogance. It says that only the wise would know enough to seek Him. I think a truer statement would be, “Desperate men still seek the Lord.”
I think that is the reason we have church today; because God is still calling on the hearts of men to become humble and draw nigh unto Him. And we exist to make the Lord Jesus known in the communities we serve. We exist to testify to the reality of Christ.
From the earth to the cross; from the cross to the grave; from the grave to the sky. Mary had no way of knowing.
God is still calling on the hearts of mankind to humble before Him. He is calling you this day – can you hear Him, or are you still turning up your thoughts so you can drown Him out?
He knows where you are, yet He still loves you. We have the book, and we know the outcome in the last chapter. God wins. Mary may not have known this, but you do.
If you are still trying to be the one in control, let me tell you this straight forward - you will not make it to Heaven. But, I have some very good news, just for you! It is not too late. You can make a decision tonight that will take the negative from your heart and give you the hope of eternity – and you can claim it tonight.
But, you must want it first. You must want it. You must want it enough to get past the pride that keeps you from walking up during invitation. Do you want Jesus that much?
Will the Victory Singers please come back onstage?
Restoration with our Heavenly Father is ours to claim, and it is all possible through the mysterious and amazing birth of a child some 2,000 years ago. The child whose first visitors were a handful of wise men and a band of lowly outcasts.
Won’t you join the old man who finally held Christ before he died, and marveled at the wonder of it all? Won’t you respond to the calling of Jesus Christ tonight? You know that is available through Jesus, even if Mary didn’t know.
INVITATION
