"Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: 'A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be comforted, because they were no more'."
(Matthew 2:16-18)
Jesus enters the world in this little town of Bethlehem, born in a stable, the ultimate humble and lowly station for the Lord Incarnate. Angels herald his birth and shepherds leave their fields to come see what the angels have spoke of - this peace on earth and goodwill for men. Mary, surrounded by gold and frankincense and myrrh has treasured in her heart the voice of the angel and the gifts of the magi and the worship of those brought into the celebration of his birth. Mary saw the reaction of those in the temple at his circumcision who rejoiced knowing the promised Savior had come.
And then it all changes.
Joseph is warned to go to Egypt with his family to save Jesus from Herod's wrath. There is no time to enjoy this bundle of joy as a new family. They are on the run and live in exile in the earliest years of Jesus' life. In the midst of the joy and celebration of his birth, the very real danger of his life has immediately begun. Jesus, who will be hung on a cross like a common criminal, not only enters the world as a helpless baby, but as one who is immediately in mortal danger. Not only was he born in a stable, he couldn't grow up at his hometown for fear of his life.
I've often wondered what it was like to be Mary. I imagine a woman with great loneliness in her life. The whispers as the child grows within her, even though she has no husband. The glances when they return from Egypt, knowing that all the families in the area of Bethlehem have no sons to grow in wisdom and stature. The conversations in the caravan of people having heard that young Jesus was staying in "His father's house" (the temple) after the Passover feast instead of coming home with his parents. And then later, a young widow, watching her son leave his home and roam the countryside preaching and teaching and healing, ridiculed by his own town while the Pharisees plot his death.
How many silent nights did Mary lay awake praying for peace and strength to raise this son God had given her?
While we normally focus on the angels and presents, joining the joy and merriment, Jesus was born into a broken world, into controversy and danger, into poverty and homelessness. The King of kings and Lord of lords has no throne, no kingdom, no palace, no people, no guards to protect him, no land to call his own.
When God says, "Immanuel" - "I am with you" - He is saying: I am with you when you can't sleep because the weight of the world is on your shoulders. I am with you when the enemy is closing in. I am with you when you have no home, no stability, no peace. I am with you in your silent nights and I am with you in your loneliness. I left the glory of heaven and entered into the struggle and pain to be with you here and now.
It's not always easy to experience the joy of Christmas. Life sometimes gets in the way. But the angels didn't bring tidings of comfort and joy to a people already basking in glory. They brought tidings of comfort and joy to the lost and the broken; to the poor, nomadic shepherds who were also going to sleep with the animals that night. We don't put on a fake smile and call it joy because it's that season. We come weary, broken, lonely, poor and needy. There is nothing more real on Christmas than the pain of the world. It is this pain that Christ came to heal.
The prophet Jeremiah, immediately after the verses quoted by Matthew above, gives more than just a picture of pain and sorrow. Jeremiah writes:
"Thus says the Lord, 'Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded, and they will return from the land of the enemy. There is hope for your future and your children will return to their own territory." (Jer 31:16-17)
When Jesus states "I did not come to call the righteous, but the sinners" (Matt 9:13b) it makes me think that Christmas isn't really for the joyful. Christmas is for the restless. For the doubting. For the troubled. Christmas is to see with fresh eyes our neediness and find all the joy and hope and peace right there in the midst of the toil and hurt. Christmas says that God is with us in the here and now, just as we are.
This is truly good news - and makes the darkest night seem merry and bright.
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