CHRISTMAS: DIFFERENT STROKES
Its quiz time, folks! What is the significance of April 2nd 1984 in Indian History? Pat yourself on the back, if you have hit upon the right answer. Cheer-up, if you are still clueless for here comes a clue... well, well, well, the said date has something to do with Indian space history. If you have still not hit the bulls eye, do not worry... here comes the right answer... that was the day the first and the only Indian cosmonaut Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma landed in space, rather to be more precise in Salyut 7 space station (of erstwhile Soviet Union) and you know I AM MORE PROUD THAN MOST OF OUR COUNTRYMEN. Are you wondering why? Okay, let me not put you through the rigmarole of yet another quiz but instead come straight to the point. The answer is I share something more in common with him, than a common nationality or a passport. The fact of the matter is that both of us studied IN THE SAME SCHOOL! St. Georges Boys Grammar School, Abids, Hyderabad, India! EUREKA!
Dwelling more on that landmark day of Indian space history, I would like to focus on three types of reactions, which were so conspicuous consequent to Indian space hero's amazing feat. I still distinctly remember the crew of the solo National TV Channel (those were not the days of multi-channel entertainment) scampering from street to street trying to capture live the elation of the Indian public. While, the majority of those interviewed were jubilant about the epochal achievement of their countryman, strangely a few seemed indifferent. Difficult to believe that a few reacted with such casual indifference but its true! What about the reaction of some of our hostile neighbors? Well, Newspaper reports subsequently confirmed that Indian space age crossing a milestone caused much trepidation across the borders! Talk of mistaking a rope for a snake! What's new about it, some one may well ask!!!
Well, 2000 years ago, yet another cosmic event took place. Conversely instead of any Earthling going to space, Planet Earth had a visitor from "Outer space". The Creator now in the form of a Redeemer touched down upon His once perfect but now sin-marred creation to set its murky affairs in order. This "avatar" was not about killing sinners but laying down His life as atonement for them.
God's redemption plan can best be understood from a true life story, I remember reading in Our Daily Bread (an International Daily devotional Ministry), some years back. It was about a young man produced in the court by the concerned Police authorities after he had been caught committing some petty crime. During the course of the trial, the wise judge with his wisdom borne out of years of being the judge (so went the narration) came to a conclusion that this young man if given the "second chance", would surely mend his ways. However, how could he let go of a person caught red-handed by the police? That would be doing gross injustice to his chair. However, there was a strong urge within this Dispenser of justice, to act out of "GRACE" and not as per the "rigid law". Caught in the dilemma, the Judge, the story says, passed a judgment that the young man in the Box has to pay the fine in proportion to the crime committed. However this bizarre yet insightful story does not end there but takes a very different turn towards the end, with the Judge coming down from his judgment seat, standing before the now visibly surprised convict and saying that he would pay the fine on his behalf. Doesn't this story in a small way mirror God's Salvation plan. Man had to die for his sins (wages of sin is death- Romans 6:23) but it was the Creator, donning the role of the Redeemer who eventually took that death penalty upon Himself, in order that the sinful man gets a "second chance". Now to this forgiven man, the same Redeemer would assume the role of a Guide, faithfully guiding him till he reaches the Heavenly shores. That's the third dimension of the Christian faith...the Ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit in any Christian's life. If Christmas-the birth of the Christ child-on, which hinged the very salvation of fallen Mankind-, heralded the unfolding of God's plan of redemption, the Calvary's cross its completion, then the outpouring of the Holy spirit on the Pentecostal Sunday (Acts 2:1-4) on the believers confirmed its fruition! However the fact that the Holy Spirit can fulfill its mission only in the life of a redeemed man (John 14:23-26), underscores the significance of "THE ACT OF REDEMPTION" authored by Christ in no small measure in the Divine scheme of things.
Coming to "Different strokes" of Christmas, the grandest event-setting in motion God's most momentous plan- evoked amongst others primarily three kinds of responses, as can be observed in the II Chapter of St. Matthew on the basis of which, I aim to (in this message) categorize three types of people, who still the react to Christ coming to Earth the same way ...
1.THE EXUBERANT
The Wise men (well, they did not come exactly on Christmas day to Bethlehem), whose visit, St Mathew records in his Gospel, were from Babylon and thereabouts (Mesopotamia)...so conjecture the Biblical scholars basing their assumption on not only fact that Mesopotamia-ancient Iraq- lay to the east of Israel (Matt 2:2) from which, these Christ seekers claimed to have come but also on a very important prophecy recorded in the Book of Daniel (9:25).
As the Wise men-mostly astrologers by profession- being a dynastic clan, were a constant fixture in the courts of Eastern monarchs (Daniel 2:12/ Esther 1:13), it followed that they would have preserved the important records such as prophecies of one of their own, with great care. No wonder, say the Biblical scholars with reasonable conviction, that they would have preserved the prophecy of the wisest man to tread on the Babylonian soil-Daniel-with utmost care and passed it on to the succeeding generations. Being familiar with Daniel 9:25 (it says that from the time of recording of that prophecy, approximately 430 years would lapse, before the Anointed One comes) again it should not surprise us, if a picture of the traditional Mesopotamian astrologers gazing at the stars intently from their native observatories emerges in our mind, whilst still being in Babylon, especially since those 430 years were soon coming to pass and LO and Behold, on a particular night a special star appears to them marking the birth of the long-awaited Anointed one!
If, one were to put himself in their shoes, he can well identify himself with their exhilaration at the prospect of seeing the "supernatural one" born during "their times" --the very one, a renowned Prophet had written about, the very one, their fathers had spoken, so passionately about but had passed away without seeing and worshipping. TO THEM BELONGED NOW THE PRIVILEGE OF WORSHIPPING THE LONG-AWAITED SUPERNATURAL KING, WHICH THEIR FATHERS, HAD MISSED OUT ON. No wonder, it was this sense of exhilaration, which carried them to Jerusalem and then onto Bethlehem, without for once feeling the wearying, debilitating effects of a long desert voyage on camel backs! Anyone for stamina enhancing "natural" steroids, please? Look at the Wise men and learn to act wisely!! Cyclists of Tour de france popularity or notoriety (take your pick) and their ilk, please note, there can never be a substitute for gushing good ole' adrenalin in your system!!!
The modern day Exhilarant lot-who too have had a brush with "the supernatural"- like the Wise men (seeing the special star) never remain in the cozy comfort of their own cocoons, during Christmas time. In this era of grace, they who have experienced "the supernatural"- the Christ in spirit by opening up their hearts to Him and confessing with their mouths, their faith thereof (Romans 10:8-10)- rejoice in the assurance of their firm relationship with Him daily and intend to share their joy with others not only on Christmas but every day of the year. On Christmas, for this select lot, the greeting "Merry Christmas" is not a formal festive salutation to be repeated by rote but the one to be expressed with joy bubbling in their hearts...because He-the very one-the Wise men worshipped nearly 2000 years back is now indwelling them, as the Lord of their lives! Their joy, would tantamount to nothing, if it were not infectious!!! HEY, THE WISEMEN STILL SEEK JESUS...ART THOU WISE...
2. THE TURBULENT
Just as a radio relaying station can be of use to only those, who tune their radios to its wavelength, only those who have their hearts tuned to God's wavelength can also absorb His message with joy. Well, the Wise men had tuned their hearts properly to Him, no wonder Heavenly joy flowed in and through them. Well, the same could not be said of everyone at that point of time, especially of those whose hearts were far away from Him firmly set, as it were, on everything temporal and nothing eternal.
Men like power-hungry King Herod, who mercilessly smote his own relatives, (History bears witness to this grim fact) all with the sole aim of clinging to his throne, would never receive the news of birth of "yet another King of the Jews in his realm" with great delight but rather only with turbulence reigning in his mind. What place would God's redemption plan have in King Herod's wicked scheme of things! Even after the Jewish religious leaders of his day, confirmed from the Scriptures that the Anointed one, the Wise men have come searching for, from afar would now be at Bethlehem, his hard heart steeled to everything Divine, was as receptive to God's love manifested in His Son, as that of a corpse to a warm hug of love! He could not see anything beyond the safety of his own capricious throne. Oh, the plight of those who are alive but spiritually dead!
Even today, those who hang onto their earthly possessions, as if they are the only things in this world, can never come to grips with the call of Jesus to give their lives into His hands. That in their "death" to worldly desires lies the "doorway to true joyous, fulfilling life" (Luke 9:23-25/ John 10:10) is an anathema to them. They would be far more comfortable with a chubby Santa satiating their worldly whims, than with the One who is offering them Eternal life. Is not their stony hearts, myopic vision remaining unaffected by the joyous enthusiasm of "modern day Wise men", who are all enjoying their spiritual walk with Him simply a sad case of History repeating itself?
A non-interfering Jesus, behaving at best like many respectable, philosophical teachers' is a viable proposition to the Modern-day Herods. How about trusting Him with your lives? That very question on Christmas is sufficient to fill their lives with turbulence, bringing to the fore ...what else, their veiled hatred for Him.
3. THE INDIFFERENT
Now who were the indifferent lot to Jesus' birth? The Jewish religious leaders of the day. Period. Having confirmed, the place of birth of the Messiah to King Herod, did they go themselves to worship the long-awaited one? The Messiah confined to the Book, was far more acceptable to them than the Messiah in flesh and blood for he would instantly usurp their religious authority. Who would settle for ordinary pearl, which their ritualistic religion represented, when the choicest and the most precious pearl "had arrived" (Matt 13:45)?
This indifferent lot was no less wicked than King Herod. If King Herod craved political power, then this genre craved religious power. If for Herod going and worshipping the Messiah publicly would have amounted to stripping himself of political authority, then for this fundamentalist group it would have meant an end to their religious superiority, to which they had got so accustomed. If hatred of King Herod was manifested in his brutal plan to kill the Christ-child, then the latter's indifference to the Messiah at His birth came out...in its true colors for what it is...OUTRIGHT HATRED...when Jesus began His public ministry 30 years, later. From whom did Jesus face maximum opposition in His Ministry? Public sinners like tax collectors, prostitutes, thieves ...NO... far from it, from these "HOLY" men who were supposedly representing the same God, Jesus was standing up for! Kindly note, indifference to Christ, means nothing but hating Him.
Sadly, even today, there is no shortage of the indifferent lot to Christ's birth. Christmas is nothing more than a mere footnote in history for many, for whose sake the Savior had spilled His precious blood. We are neither with God nor with the devil, some reason. That in the spiritual realm, there is no neutral ground, does not make any sense to them. If you are not with God, you are siding the devil. Period.
Does not indifferent lot stand guilty before God (Heb 2:3)? Sins of omission are as detestable to God as Sins of commission, warns the Bible "If you know what is right to do, then do not do it, it is a sin" (James 4:17). Having known that God sent His Son, for the salvation of whole world (John 3:16), including us, if we choose not to respond to His Love, are we not being indifferent to Him, like the religious contemporaries of Jesus? On the Day of Judgment, God would send many to Hell not so much for sinning but for rejecting the ONLY ONE who could save them from their sins.
In conclusion, with which group, can you identify yourself; I would like to ask pointedly? The Exuberant ones or those caught in turbulence or the indifferent lot. Well, I for one can identify myself with the "FIRST CATEGORY" and for that I am more proud than being the schoolmate of the first Indian cosmonaut!
(Suresh Manoharan)
ps...This message replete with pictures can also be browsed by clicking on the following URL...
http://www.jandsmministries.com/message_dec15_07.asp
