Missing Christmas: Familiarity

Nazareth was too familiar with Jesus to think that he was special.

Luke 4:14-22  Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit's power. Reports about Him spread quickly through the whole region.  15  He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

16  When He came to the village of Nazareth, His boyhood home, He went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.  17  The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

18  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, for He has anointed Me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free,  19  and that the time of the LORD's favor has come. "

20  He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at Him intently.  21  Then He began to speak to them. "The Scripture you've just heard has been fulfilled this very day!"  22  Everyone spoke well of Him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from His lips. "How can this be?" they asked. "Isn't this Joseph's son?"

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Nazareth was a crude, uncultured town that was quite a distance from Bethlehem. It wasn't know as a nice place to raise a family but that is where God decided that Jesus would grow up. Remember the words of Nathanael when he said: “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46).

Jesus grew up in this rough town yet he did not sin, the devil must have been at work in this town, I don't think that he would leave Jesus alone for thirty years without trying to get him to sin. It seems to me that Jesus would have stood out as somebody special in the crude environment that he grew up in yet the people that knew him best completely missed him.

Since none of the people in his hometown figured it out he went to the temple one day and announced it to them. They were very familiar with the passage that he read from Isaiah, they knew that it was about the Messiah that they had been anxiously waiting for, they knew that Jesus was the only kid in town that never did anything wrong yet they missed out on Christmas.

Luke 4:22  Everyone spoke well of Him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from His lips. "How can this be?" they asked. "Isn't this Joseph's son?"

Luke 4:28-31  When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious.  29  Jumping up, they mobbed Him and forced Him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push Him over the cliff,  30  but He passed right through the crowd and went on His way.  31  Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day.

Despite having all of the facts about Jesus and having their own testimony of what they had seen and what they had heard for thirty years they still thought that killing Jesus was the best reaction to him. The people of Nazareth, who knew Him better than anyone, had no idea who He really was. Mark 6:6 says that even Jesus wondered at their unbelief.

They thought they knew Jesus
Acts 7:51-52  "You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That's what your ancestors did, and so do you!  52  Name one prophet your ancestors didn't persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One--the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered."

What was their problem? Familiarity. They knew him too well or they thought that they knew him. As Stephen said to the crowd before he was stoned, "You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth." Many people think that they know Jesus and they don't think that he is anybody special because they haven't really met Jesus.

It is sad to see this happen so often in the United States. There is so much access to information about Jesus that we might as well be in his hometown watching him grow up yet so many people in our country don't really know him.

I am reminded of Jesus warning that "when someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required." (Luke 12:48)

Missing Christmas: Idolatry

The Romans had so many gods they didn't need Jesus.

Luke 2:1  At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.

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It wasn't just the Jews that missed Christmas, the entire Roman Empire also missed Christmas even though they God used them to bring about the circumstances that the prophets told us would be a part of Jesus birthday. Caesar Augustus ordered the census that took Mary and Joseph to the prophesied birth place of Jesus.

Caesar Augustus is mentioned in the Bible as a part of the Christmas story. He ruled the Roman Empire from 27 BC to 14 AD. His first name was Octavianus. He was the nephew of Julius Caesar and he came to power after Julius Caesar was assassinated.

Roman soldiers were probably all over the place trying to deal with crowd control and overseeing the census. They tried to be in charge and all knowing but there is something about one of the babies that they counted in Bethlehem that they don't know about.

Rome missed Christmas because of their idolatry. They had their own gods and they were even willing to let their emperor pretend to be God. Wikipedia reports that: "The Romans thought of themselves as highly religious, and attributed their success as a world power to their collective piety in maintaining good relations with the gods." (Wikipedia, "Religion In Ancient Rome")

You don't have to go to a distant land where they never heard of Christ to find paganism and idolatry. You can find plenty of idolatry right here close to home. Most people around these parts don’t worship carved idols or follow demonic superstition like the Romans did, but they nevertheless worship false gods.

Some people worship money. Others worship sex. I know people who worship cars, boats, houses, power, prestige, popularity, and fame. Those things represent the pagan gods of the 21st century: selfishness and materialism. If that is what you worship, you’ll miss Christmas.

The Christmas season itself is full of idols that replace the real reason for the season. From Frosty, to Santa and Rudolph, there are plenty of fictional characters to distract us from the real personality of Christmas. Decorated trees and houses covered with lights are a lot of fun but if all of the fun stuff at Christmas takes the place of the baby Jesus in your heart then there is a problem.

Nobody wants to stop the celebration of Christmas with all of it's fun and the boost in economic spending but what the world wants to do is take the attention off of the baby. It's the same thing that the world does all of the time, it's okay to mention worlds like God, faith and prayer, just don't mention Jesus! It really is important to keep your focus as you celebrate the reason for the season.

Forgive me Lord for allowing other stuff to creep in and become more important than you on your birthday. I want to celebrate your birthday with my focus on you and your reason for coming to earth.

Missing Christmas: Religious

The shepherds story amazed everybody but nobody else went to see Jesus.

Luke 2:8-20  That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.  9  Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified,  10  but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  11  The Savior--yes, the Messiah, the Lord--has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!  12  And you will recognize Him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger."

13  Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others--the armies of heaven--praising God and saying,  14  "Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."

15  When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."  16  They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.

17  After seeing Him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.  18  All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished,  19  but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.  20  The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

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The dirtiest most despised outcast of Jewish social groups were the people that watched sheep. This is the same group of people that the Egyptians didn't like either.  (Genesis 46:33-34) The shepherds didn't have the opportunity to maintain the ceremonial washings and observe all the religious festivals and feasts. They didn't have the opportunity to allow religion to come between themselves and God.

These shepherds were just outside of the city of Jerusalem, possibly staying in the fields that are between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, possibly caring for the sheep that would be used in the temple sacrifices. How fitting it is that they were the first to know that the Lamb of God had arrived!

The amazing thing is that the shepherds were excited about Jesus birth and they went to see him and then they gave their testimony about what happened and nobody else went to find Jesus. All of Jerusalem missed Christmas except for some shepherds.

Why did Jerusalem miss Christmas? They missed Christmas because of religion. These people were very religious, they visited the temple on a regular basis, they made their sacrifices, they followed all of the ceremonies and attended all of the feasts and festivals and yet they missed Christmas. They were looking for a great leader; not a child in a manger. They were looking for relief from the Romans: not for somebody that would tell them to love their enemies.

They hoped for a leader who would support their religious system, Jesus opposed everything that they thought was important when he gave the Sermon on the Mount, they were disappointed in who Jesus is. He offered truth that would free them from the tyrannical, demanding, oppressive, legalistic religion the scribes and Pharisees had burdened the people with but the majority of people were so established in their religion that they wouldn’t listen to the good news.

2 Corinthians 11:14-15  But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  15  So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.

Religion can be a deadly trap, ritual and rules help us feel spiritual when we are not, church tradition will send you to hell if that is all you have. Church membership isn't going to help you when you step into eternity, being baptized and taking the Lord's supper isn't going to have any value to you when you stand before God. Satan loves religion because it helps us feel righteous even when genuine righteousness is found in one place.

Romans 3:20-22  For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.  21  But now God has shown us a way to be made right with Him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.  22  We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

You may be a follower of Jesus and you may be on your way to heaven but you may miss Christmas because of religion. We can pack the church calendar with a lot of good things that keep us too busy this time of year. We need to focus on and be thankful for the gift of being made right with God through Jesus.

Missing Christmas: Indifference

The Religious Leaders didn't care that the Messiah had arrived.

Matthew 2:3-6  King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.

4  He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, "Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?"   

5  "In Bethlehem in Judea," they said, "for this is what the prophet wrote:   

6  'And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for My people Israel.'"

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A whole group of people missed the first Christmas, a group of people that should have never been guilty of missing something so obvious, these people were the religious leaders.

The religious leaders were experts in the Old Testament so when Herod went to them and asked them about the new king that the Magi were asking about they should have taken notice. They were the theologians of the day, they knew that the answer to Herod's question could be found in Micah 5:2. They knew that the Messiah was going to be born a few miles south of Jerusalem in Bethlehem.

You can see how much the arrival of the Messiah meant to the people when John the Baptist started his ministry (Matthew 3:1-5) but despite all of the anticipation for the arrival of the Messiah none of them bothered to go to Bethlehem and see if he was there. With all of the oppression that the nation was experiencing under the Romans you would think that they would be excited about the possibility of a Messiah whose kingdom and reign would restore the nation you would think that they would take a short walk and see if the thing that the nation of Israel had been waiting for had finally happened.

The religious leaders missed Christmas because of their indifference. They knew all of the facts about the Messiah but they didn't care. Having the Messiah was no big deal to them. They didn't need a Messiah because they were already self-righteous. They felt that their works were good enough, in their minds God couldn't want them to be anything more that they were, these guys were proud.

Indifference is one of the most common reactions to Jesus, many times it is the "good" people that are the hardest ones to convert, they do not see themselves the way that God sees them. Their good works have become their God.

Luke 5:32  I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent."

If you don't know you need a Savior then you wont see any value in Jesus, they don't oppose Jesus, they aren't evil people, they just don't see their need for him. What a dangerous place to be, to imagine that you are good enough, and then to find out that you were wrong.

How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? (Hebrews 2:3)

Missing Christmas: Fear

Herod didn't want to give up his throne.

Matthew 2:1-3  Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2  “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

3  King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.

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Another person that missed Christmas was Herod. He had worked hard to impress Rome and convince them that he should have the title of "King of the Jews." So he wasn't happy when a group of guys came into town started asking around about a new king that had just been born.

In the previous post we saw that the innkeeper missed Christmas due to ignorance but Herod is very different. He was well informed, he was told all of the facts about Jesus birth by the religious leaders and the wise men also told him what they knew, but he still missed Christmas.

The scriptures tell us that he was troubled, the original wording of this text uses the word that means to be agitated or shaken up, Herod wasn't just a little annoyed. Herod wasn't willing to let anybody live that was perceived as a threat to his throne. He was a madman that would kill members of his own family.

Herod devised a plan and asked the Magi to come back after they found the child so that he could go and worship him. After he realized that the Magi had neglected to return to him and inform him where the baby was he decided to kill all of the baby's in his kingdom.

Herod missed Christmas because of fear.

The political situation in Israel was similar to many governments that we have in power today. There are kings and presidents that are similar to Herod. They slaughter innocent people in order to protect their throne. Other governments do terrible things to their people in order to suppress the church.

It isn't only world leaders that play the part of Herod, like it or not, there is a little bit of Herod in all of us. We resist the idea of somebody else sitting on our throne and taking control of our little kingdom. Whoever sits on our throne gets to decide important things about our life, this new King may interfere with our career plans, our family plans or he may ask us to give up our luxuries.

Proverbs 21:30  No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the LORD.

We are no different than Herod. Sooner or later you will find out that the Lord's plans and his purposes are different from our own. We will have to decide if we are going to give up our crown and our throne and allow God to have the controls. God's plans are not going to be changed because we think that we are in charge. Herod tried to be in control and interfere with God's plans but Herod is dead and gone and God's plans are still moving forward.

Losing control is one of the main reasons for rejecting Christ. There are plenty of people that want the comfort and the resources that are available to the child of God. There are many that try to claim the promises of God's children when they are dealing with a death in the family. They run to the church and ask the minister to give them comfort when there isn't any reason to have the same hope that God gives to his children.

Jesus wants to be more than just a spiritual resource that we run to when life is hard, he wants to be more than a ticket to get out of hell, he wants to be crowned Lord of our life. All of us should respond to God's reign in our lives the same way that Mary did. Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true." (Luke 1:38)

What about you? Have you said no to Jesus in your life because you are afraid to give up your throne? Because you want to be the Lord of your life? The master of your fate?

Help me Lord to give you the throne of my life, it is so difficult to have 100% trust in you.

Missing Christmas: Preoccupied

The innkeeper was too busy for Christmas.

Luke 2:1-7 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2  (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

3  All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4  And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5  He took with him Mary, his fiance, who was now obviously pregnant.

6  And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7  She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

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"Obviously pregnant" is how Matthew describes Mary's condition. Mary came into the busy city with Joseph and requested a room at the inn but they were turned away.

How could the innkeeper not notice? Couldn't he see that she needed a room so she would have a clean place to give birth? Wouldn't he care enough to send his wife over to where they were staying? Maybe he could have called for a midwife. Certainly a midwife would make some room somewhere and give Mary the help that she needed.

The verses in Luke say that "she brought forth her first born son and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger." It sounds like Mary had this child without any assistance. The prophets said He would be despised and rejected so it isn't any surprise that his mother gave birth to him without any help, without the sanitary conditions that we expect, she had to clean him up and wrap him and lay him in a feeding trough.

The first person who missed Christmas was the innkeeper. It was right in front of him but he missed it. He told them that he didn't have room but he also missed Christmas by being so indifferent that it looks like he didn't even call for help for Mary when she gave birth.

Matthew 11:28  Then Jesus said, "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

The innkeeper missed Christmas because he was too busy, he was  preoccupied, his business was booming. The city was overflowing with people from out of town because of the census. Imagine how many people were asking him for a room, there must have been people in tents and sleeping out in the open, every room of his inn was probably filled with more people than normal.

So many times we are just like the innkeeper that said that there is no room. We fill our Christmas with stuff that doesn't matter and we miss the birth of our Savior. The world around us tries to dictate what Christmas should be and it offers us plenty of distractions that take our focus off of the baby.

Just like the innkeeper the the world is ignorant, the real Christmas is right in front of them but it is getting squeezed out by a lot of false ideas of what Christmas is, many of them don't know who this baby is. All of the distractions of the season make it difficult for them to get what it is all about.

I need to be careful that I don't get distracted by the world's idea of Christmas and miss the real reason for the Christmas season. I need to share the real Christmas message with someone who doesn't know.