Linus has become famous for his explanation of Christmas. I would venture a guess that more people hear it from him than from any other source. But what Linus says is only part of the story. From the book of Matthew we learn of other events that took place as Jesus came into this world.
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ ” When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus (Matthew 1:18-25).
As we think about the Christmas season, our minds naturally are drawn to the story of Jesus' birth. After all, this is what the Christmas season is all about. It's about the birth of our Savior. But what has caught my attention this year is how God accomplished all of this.
One day in Heaven God announces that the time has arrived for His redemption plan to begin. The Kingdom of Heaven would come to earth, and the Messiah would be none other than His Own Son. I can picture the excitement in Heaven as the plan was revealed. At last, the angels would have exclaimed. God will at last reveal His plan of Salvation for all of humanity. But could you imagine their shock when God informed them that the plan will unfold through the very people who are in need of a Savior. The Redeemer of all humanity would arrive on earth as an infant needing to be protected and nurtured. And Mankind’s greatest gift would be entrusted into the hands of two humans much like you and me; imperfect and weak. God did not choose two humans high on the social ladder or respected in religious circles. And instead of choosing Jerusalem, the hub of all religious activity, He selects a town far removed from the spotlight. God decided to entrust the Savior into the hands of a carpenter and his betrothed who lived in Nazareth, a small village on the other side of the kingdom. God didn’t choose the High Priest and his wife. God selected Joseph, the carpenter, and Mary, the young girl, to raise the Son of Man. And what we often miss is that God's faith in these two people was greater than we sometimes imagine.
Working through less-than-perfect people has been part of God’s plan all along. Matthew (a far from perfect Tax-collector by the way) begins his gospel account describing the ancestry of Jesus. In Matthew chapter one there is a long list of names that played a significant role in preparation for the day Jesus would be born. Among the names listed we find people with problems and weaknesses and sins in their life, just like you and me. Abraham told lies. Jacob deceived his own father. Tamar pretended to be a prostitute. Rahab was a prostitute. David committed adultery and murder. Bathsheba committed adultery. Solomon contaminated an entire nation by introducing pagan worship. But each of these individuals, imperfect as they were, were used by God in preparation for the day the Kingdom of Heaven would come to earth; the day the Messiah would be born.
God's faith in us never ceases to amaze me. His faith in us is greater than we often imagine. When God was working out His redemption plan, He included people not so different than you or me. And He brought the Kingdom of Heaven to the earth in the form of a helpless child dependent upon the care and protection of Mary & Joseph.
To me, this is one of the great mysteries about the Kingdom of Heaven. Not that God would send His Son to save humanity, but that God would choose to work through the very people needing to be saved. But this is the Divine prerogative; that God would chose to work out His redemption plan not through sinless people, but through people with flaws and weaknesses; those whose very sin nature were in need of a Savior.
Throughout the history of humanity God has chosen to work through imperfect people. And of course He can do that; He is, after all, God. But the fact that He does choose the weak and the lowly; the outcast and the despised, is a testimony to the depth of His faith in us. God actually believes that people like you and I can effectively witness for Him in this world. And instead of giving Him a thousand and one excuses why we can’t, maybe we need to realize just how much faith he has in us and accept what He is calling us to do.
The way I look at it, if a blanket toting boy with separation anxieties can effectively tell the world the meaning of Christmas, surely I can do the same. And as the world continues to ponder what Christmas is all about, I would hope that you and I would learn the lesson from Linus. Not to memorize the words as written in scripture, but to realize that even people like you and me can be used by God to tell a neighbor or a friend all about Jesus. And the truth is the world still needs to hear this. The world still needs to know this. And God still demonstrates an incredible amount of faith by using people just like you and me.
No comments:
Post a Comment