In 1929, The Saturday Evening Post ran an article on Albert Einstein. It was an interview with this brilliant man. And in that interview, he said this: “As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew,” he said, “but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene…” Einstein went on to say, “No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.”
We would, no doubt, agree with these thoughts of Einstein toward Jesus, that “luminous figure of the Nazarene.” When we read the Gospels, the Words on the page, we recognize the actual pres-ence of Jesus. “His personality pulsates in every word.” We might stop and marvel at Einstein’s confession of Christ, recognizing God in the flesh…except, Einstein was not a Christian. In fact, in another interview he said regarding his religious beliefs: “I believe in Spinoza’s [pantheistic] god, who reveals himself in the harmony of all that exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fate and the doings of mankind.”
It just amazes me that such a brilliant mind can, with one breath, acknowledge something pro-found in Jesus. Yet with the next breath deny this life-giving, enlightening, divine Word-made-flesh, whose express purpose for coming was to concern Himself with the fate of mankind! But it turns out that from a 20th Century Jewish man to many countless 1st Century Jewish people, there’s really not much difference.
“The true light,”—that luminous figure—“that gives light to everyone, was coming into the world,” John tells us. “He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” All throughout the Gospels we see this very reality playing out. He came to His own people, but they did not receive Him. All throughout Scripture, in fact, it happens over and over again; it’s the same old story. God’s people just don’t receive Him, or His Word; or, they don’t recognize Him when He is acting and working and speaking. And here it is again. “He was in the world…but His own people did not receive Him.”
Now we might be tempted to think highly of ourselves as if, “Had we been there, we would have known. We would have recognized this man from Nazareth as the Son of God. We would have received Him, cared for Him, followed Him out of the darkness.” But we have the benefit of hindsight on our side. We can see the whole story played out for us; we can read it for ourselves. But the first century people of Judea didn’t have such a luxury.
Their understanding of Scripture prevented them from seeing the greater plan. From their per-spective, they had no reason to even consider that God would embody Himself as a little baby, growing up in a backwater town. In their worldview, they had no reason to think the one through Whom all things were made would make a living as a carpenter-turned-traveling-rabbi. From all they knew, they had absolutely no reason to expect the Messiah to be the Light of Life walking in the dark alleyways of sinful lives. So, they were absolutely clueless when they asked, “Who is this who commands even the winds and seas, and they obey him?” They really had no idea when they asked, “Who is this who speaks with such authority?” They were sincere when they asked, “Why does this man speak like this…Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And so, like John said, “He was in the world…and yet the world did not recognize him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”
But it’s not as if this caught God off guard by all this—He knew precisely how humanity would respond. It’s not as if the angels thought the world would stop everything to welcome its Savior—only if they had not announced the news to Shepherds in the fields nearby would it have been a relatively “silent night.” And, it’s not as if Jesus expected everyone to know who He was—which is why He could say with such compassion and concern on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” No, our Lord was not caught off guard by the lack of a welcome party at His arrival. In fact, Jesus came into the world precisely for the purpose of NOT being recognized or received, at first—in order that we WOULD recognize Him and receive Him, now. What does THAT mean? Let me explain through a parable.
Soren Kierkegaard, the Danish philosopher, told the story of a prince in search of a maiden suitable to be his queen. He searched and searched, but found no one to his liking. One day, while running an errand for his father in a local village, the prince passed through the poor section of town. Looking out the window of his carriage, his eyes fell upon a beautiful peasant girl. Over the next several days, he passed by this young, poor girl, and he quickly became enamored with her—convinced that she was “the one.”
His problem, though, was that he didn’t know how to seek her hand in marriage. As the prince, he could order her to marry him—talk about romance! But, of course, he didn’t want her to feel like a slave the rest of her life. Even princes want their brides to marry voluntarily and not through coercion! He could put on his most elegant uniform, drive up to her front door in a carriage drawn by six beautiful horses. But if he did this, he’d never be sure she loved him or if she was just another “gold digger,” focused only on the wealth and splendor.
So the prince came up with another solution. He gave up his royal robe for a time. He moved into the village, entering not with a crown or elegant uniform, but in the clothes of a peasant. He made his dwelling among the people; shared their interests and concerns; spoke their common vernacular, which was quite foreign to the way of speaking he was accustomed. In time, the maiden grew to love him because he was just one of them…and because he showed that he loved her first.
The prince’s entire plan hinged on no one recognizing him. In order for anyone to receive him—and especially, in order for the poor peasant girl to receive him, she could not recognize him. And that, in many ways, is what John is describing God did for us. Of course, God went a step fur-ther. God’s whole plan for our salvation hinged on the fact that sinful humans would neither recognize nor receive Him. The whole plan for Christ to redeem His bride was for His own people to reject Him. Betray Him. Put Him on a cross to die. To bury Him in a tomb like every other dead body. “He was in the world…and yet the world did not recognize him…and his own people did not receive him.” And for this we say—strange as it is—“Thanks be to God!”
For it is precisely because He was rejected that we are now acceptable before God Almighty. It is because He was not received by His own people, God the Father now receives us as His dear chil-dren. Jesus came into the world precisely for the purpose of NOT being recognized or received, at first—in order that we would now recognize Him and receive Him. By grace and the Spirit’s ena-bling, we recognize that Jesus Christ is the King of creation, and we receive citizenship in the Kingdom of God. We recognize our own sins, and we receive forgiveness and mercy. We recognize that His death was in our place, and we receive eternal life in His name. We recognize our need for a Savior, and we receive salvation in Him. We recognize our unrighteousness, and we receive Christ’s righteousness as our own. We recognize that He is the true Light, and we receive His calling to go and shine as lights in the world.
Because that’s what WE are—we are lights, shining in the world, now. The world rejected its Savior before, but that doesn’t stop Him from continuing to act in the world today. Now, Christ, the true Light, takes action in the world through those who DO receive Him. John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” That’s present tense stuff, folks—the light shines! And He shines through you and me in the world today. We continue the Kingdom work that Jesus began in His earthly ministry. That’s why the prayer the second week of Advent, historically, has been this: “Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son…”
“To make ready the way...” That’s our job as lights in the world; as those who have recognized and received the True Light of life. Now, I’m not saying that’s easy to do. The world rejected Christ, the true light, when he came 2,000 years ago…so it should come as no surprise when the world rejects us, His light-bearing people today. It should come as no surprise when TV and film no longer adhere to Christian values. It should come as no surprise when morality and truth become subjective to the individual. It should come as no surprise when politicians brand themselves “Christian,” in name only, to gain voters. It should come as no surprise when brilliant minds like Albert Einstein reject the message of salvation in Christ alone. None of this should surprise us. And so, we continue our job. We go out as lights into the world. We go out to make ready the way of the Lord.
We make ready the way by raising our children in this Christian faith. That’s shining the light of Christ in the world. We make ready the way by living as honest and honorable employees. That’s shining the light of Christ in the world. We make ready the way by not speaking poorly about others, but put the best construction on things. That’s shining the light of Christ in the world. We make ready the way by putting our life of worship before all the other activities and events in life. That’s shining the light of Christ in the world. Telling others about the one who entered into the darkness of the world, all for you. That’s shining the light of Christ in the world. And where we fail at all this—we make ready the way by confessing our sins before God and before one another, and forgiving one another. That is shining the light of Christ in the world. All for the purpose that, others, too, may recognize and receive Christ. We want others to see Jesus, the true light, in us; to recognize Him in all that we say and do.
My daughter is at a fun stage. She’s 18 months old. She's learning so much. And saying so much. It amazes me! When she sees a nativity, she knows exactly who that little baby is. She points, and she confidently says, “Ze-sus! Ze-sus!” We had the Circuit Church Workers’ Christmas dinner this past Friday. We were in the Fellowship Hall, and the stone-looking nativity was there. And she went right up to the baby and said it, “Ze-sus! Ze-sus!” And it was a proud Pastor-Dad moment, in front of all these other church workers, for them to hear that my daughter knows who Jesus is.
But then, she kept going. To all three wisemen, “Ze-sus!” To Joseph, “Ze-sus!” And I thought it was just because they all had beards…but then, she pointed to Mary. “Ze-sus!” To just about every figurine in this church, she said, “Ze-sus!” There went my proud moment.
And yet, as I think on it…in a way…to every person in this church she ought to be able to walk up and recognize Jesus. That was the promise made to her in her baptism. That’s the promise we have the tradition of making at every baptism, at Holy Trinity. We ask the congregation, among other things, to work to be lights in the world—so that when they see you, they see Jesus. And the congregation always replies, “We will, with the help of God.”
She and all the baptized people of God, and anyone walking in off the streets for that matter, ought to be able to come into this church, and point and recognize Jesus in each of us. Not because of anything great in us, but because the true light shines through our darkness. So our question to ponder tonight is this: Will others recognize Jesus in us? As we continue in this Advent season: Will others recognize Jesus in us? As we celebrate the birth of our Savior: Will others recognize Jesus in us? In our daily lives—at work, at the grocery store, at a restaurant: Will others recognize Jesus in us?
Brothers and sisters in Christ, the true light has come into the world. By the Spirit’s enabling, you have recognized Him and received Him. You ARE lights in this world. Until Christ returns, may we continue to live by faith in the world, though not of it. May we continue to boldly shine the true Light of Christ in all we say and do. “Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son…” that others may recognize Jesus, and receive Him who is coming again.
Come soon, Lord Jesus. Amen.
