There is a big problem with the way Christmas is presented. I don’t mean the Santa and reindeers nonsense. That is just silliness beyond understanding; extraordinary escapism! Of course, we only do it for the children: so that their enduring memory of Christmas is being told ‘porkers’ by the people who love them the most?
What I see as a real problem is the infant God syndrome. It is the way, when Jesus is mentioned at Christmas; he is constantly presented as a ‘babe in a manger’. It is as if he never grew up! It is as if he is just a cute religious motif for the season. Please don’t get me wrong, it is not that I don’t believe that Jesus was born to the unwed Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem, announced by angels, visited by shepherds. Those facts are part of the historical record about Jesus[1]. Of course I believe it all happened. The problem is this: while we focus our attention on the vulnerable infant in the manger, we miss the incredible significance of his birth. The celebration of ‘Christmas’ becomes a homely festival, instead of the anniversary of a world changing event when the Creator stepped into His Creation to become its Redeemer. Could you imagine taming the anniversary of 9/11 and turning it into a sentimental commercial and gastronomic celebration?
When Jesus was born God set in action his plan to redeem and restore the world and the people he had made from scratch. Now, God didn’t do what he could have done: He didn’t arrive with troops to round up the guilty parties, to administer justice and clean up the mess humankind had made[2]. Instead, he showed his true character: humble, loving and generous beyond compare. Instead, He chose to take the consequences of humanity’s rebellion on Himself, in the person of Jesus. By doing that, he saved people, wherever possible, from the certain, and indescribable horror of coming face to face with the unique and pure power of God, an encounter we could not survive. Jesus, both man and God, became the human shield for us – at one time both suffering for us, protecting us. Jesus was certainly born: he was only briefly the infant God, but he grew up more than we can grasp – he was born to die in our place, redeeming us and our world.
[1] If you read Matthew 1-3 and Luke 1-3 you can see how careful the ancient authors were to locate the events in time and space. These things really happened!
[2] Jesus made it clear that he could have taken this course of action, but choice not to do that was consistent with God’s word.
