5 Reactions to the First Christmas
Ephesians Series
CCCAG December 4th, 2022
Scripture- Matthew 2, Luke 1-2
It’s great to see you all again, and I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving weekend, and a prosperous season if you were able to go.
I twisted my already gimpy knee the Thursday before season opener, so I couldn’t go hunting the first few days, and then I worked 4, 12 hour shifts in the ER over Thanksgiving weekend so this hunting season was pretty much a bust for me. Maybe I’ll get some time during the antlerless or holiday hunt to get out and go hunting.
On Thanksgiving, during the few times we were not running around controlling the chaos of flu/RSV/COVID patient’s, most people were talking about the Black Friday sales going on and getting some Christmas shopping done. They were talking about plans for family gatherings, meal planning, traveling, looking for trades to make the most of the time we have off since we don’t work Christmas Eve or Day.
As I was catching up on charts, and listening to the conversations, it occurred to me that there was one thing missing in many of the plans being discussed.
Jesus- the reason for the season.
How many of us fall into that same trap of what we call the Christmas season today?
It then occurred to me that this isn’t just a 21st century American problem. The people of 1st Century Israel reacted in various ways to the announcement of Christmas, and their reactions mirror many of the reactions we still see today.
We are going to look at 5 different reactions the birth of Jesus this morning, and see if we can find ourselves and our response to this holiday in any of these historic people
Prayer
So, let’s launch into our 5 reactions this morning, and we will start with the Magi
1st Reaction- The Magi (Curiosity)
Matt 2:1-2
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."
Matt 2:9-12
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
NIV
In all of the accounts of the 1st Christmas, there are few people less mysterious than the Magi.
What we know about them-
They were men of science, which in that time included some mysticism.
They came from the area that is today known as Iraq, but in their day was part of Persia, or Iran. They were most likely descendants of men who were trained by the Prophet Daniel, so they would have been well versed in Hebrew writings and prophecy as well as knowing the approximate time that the Hebrew messiah would appear given the hints in Daniel and other prophetic writings in the Torah. They would have been looking for some sign that the King of Kings would be born, so the appearance of this huge star in the night must have been intriguing enough for them to set off on a very dangerous, hard, and long 600-to-1000-mile journey from Iraq to Jerusalem.
It would have been at least 4-6 months to get there with a notable detour into Herod’s courts to ask directions.
Ladies- that’s how we know they were wise men- they actually stopped to ask directions.
I bring up the curiosity of the Magi because many people refuse to believe the bible or Christianity because they claim to be people of science, and that science and faith are mutually exclusive. I heard a person say recently that science has enabled us to toss aside the myths that our parents grew up with, like Christianity.
These same people forget that many of the early scientists were Christians who were curious about how God designed the universe, so they did experiments to figure it out.
Here are just five out of the over 50 I found-
Robert Boyle- defined much of modern Chemistry. Said that the understanding of science was the glorification of God.
Gregor Mendel- discovered the rules of heredity
Sir Isaac Newton- wrote the laws of gravity, motion,, invented the reflecting telescope, invented calculus
Florence Nightingale- felt God calling her unselfish service- transformed the field of nursing into what it is today and was among the first to insist on proper hand hygiene and overall hygiene in health care settings. Because of her tireless work to improve sanitation in the poorest neighborhoods, she single handedly is credited for increasing life expectancy by 20 years by preventing many common illness of her time.
Samuel Morse- inventor of the telegraph, the progenitor of the mobile computer/cell phone many of you are holding right now or listening to the sermon on.
Science and faith are not exclusive to us, and it definitely was not to the Magi.
Like the Magi, most people are more open and curious about the Christmas story this time of year.
Remember that when you are around friends and family who don’t yet believe. We should be ready to explain the story and it’s meaning for them and all of humanity.
The second reaction we see is that of Herod and the religious leaders-
2nd Reaction- Herod/religious leaders (Fear)
Matt 2:3-8
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:
6 "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.' "
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
Both Herod’s reaction as well as the religious leaders of his time are pretty close to what we experience in today’s culture- fear mixed with apathy.
Herod was afraid of a King that would rise up and take his position away. Keep in mind that Herod is a vassal king- meaning that he is king as long as Caesar in Rome stays happy with him. His family was placed in that position when the Greeks conquered Palestine, and they managed to maintain their hold on power by bending the knee to Rome when they conquered Greece.
Interestingly, the religious leaders had the same problem as Herod but for different reasons- they loved their positions. They were powerful, wealthy, respected by the people, and led relatively comfortable lives.
A new king coming would probably upset that so they were apathetic to say the least and most were probably hostile to that question by the Magi.
After all, they told Herod and the Magi exactly where to look for this new king. The religious leaders knew what kind of man that Herod was and that he would probably order the slaughter of anyone who threatened his place in this world. Herod would rather slaughter dozens of children than risk losing his comfortable place in his world.
Herod’s reaction demonstrates this question for us today-
How many people do you know that are afraid to come to Christ because of what they think they would have to give up?
How many of us who now follow Christ held out for a long time because we were afraid of the same thing?
You have to understand that when people find their comfort, their peace, their strength in something of this world, it’s very very hard for them to let that go. Pray for those people, and pray for ourselves because we all have areas in our lives that we still cling onto to provide what Jesus wants to be the source of.
3rd Reaction-Zechariah (Doubt)
(background) Zechariah is a priest, serving the temple, replacing bread, burning incense)
Luke 1:11-13
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.
Luke 1:18-20
18 Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years."
19 The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."
Zechariah became the father of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus who prepared the hearts of the people to accept their messiah.
Isn’t it interesting that a priest, the person who is supposed to be close relationship and trust in God is the one who doubts.
Doubting God’s word is what lead to the fall of humanity in the first place, and we see it demonstrated yet again by Zechariah, which is why he draws such a sharp rebuke from Gabriel.
One of the principles in the bible is that those who have greater revelation get judged at a higher level.
That’s why James says not too many of you should desire to be teachers of the Word, because we will be judged in a greater way. God always judges based on available revelation.
So when Zechariah doubts what God is speaking to him through the angel, he is made mute for a time. God is essentially saying, “If you don’t believe my Word I’m taking away your ability to speak any words”
Doubt is the direct enemy of faith. Faith believes no matter what the evidence is in front of you.
Think of Daniel in the lions den. Lions that haven’t been fed for a few days, he is locked in there with them, and the lions slowly get up and start stalking him.
Or Shadrach, Mesach, and Abendigo locked thrown into a fire…
Logic and common sense would show that either of these situations results in the death of these men.
But God decided to be God.
What situation are you dealing with right now that seems to be an unsolvable problem- you feel like you are in a dark place with no light in sight.
But God. Let Him be God over that situation, and cast your cares upon HIM.
4th Reaction- Joseph (Obedience)
Matt 1:18-25
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" -which means, "God with us."
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
A lot of people over the years have been critical of Joseph’s initial response. However, I’d argue it was the most merciful thing he could have done in that situation.
As a man of Israel, he is obligated to obey the law of Moses, and that law said that since Mary is pregnant before they came together as husband and wife, she has committed adultery and should be brought before the city elders, tried, and executed by stoning.
Joseph choses to be obedient to the law and divorce Mary for her supposed adultery, but doesn’t want to see her harmed so he decides to quietly divorce her and send her away from Nazareth so she will not come under the full punishment for her supposed sin.
The he finds out through Gabriel in a dream that God wants him to be the earthly father to his Son.
What was Joseph’s response?
Obedience.
He obeyed God in everything. He even taught Jesus his trade- how to be a carpenter.
Thing about this from Joseph’s perspective. He fully knows the words of Genesis chapter 1, so imagine teaching the creator of the universe how to hold a hammer. Teaching Jesus how to woodwork realizing He is the same deity that said let there be light, yet Jesus still had to be taught how to Miter wood, build a table, or level a chair.
Yet Joseph was obedient to God’s command over him and did as God asked of him.
For that, he had the incredible honor of being the surrogate father of the Son of God.
What Joseph shows us is that obedience to God’s Word brings blessing.
I really think that we all have blessings that are locked away from us because of disobedience, and God can’t give them to us because it would cause us more harm than good. It’s like the father that wants to give his son a new sports car for his 16th birthday, but the son has to be continually reminded to do his chores, whines and complains about doing them, and then only does them half way and tries to skate on the rest. If that father gave him a sports car when his son has not been faithful in the little things, then that sports car will become to that boy a curse and not a blessing as he will most likely misuse it and potentially cause harm to himself and/or others.
The question for us is this- What blessing is God holding back from you because of disobedience?
5th Reaction- Mary (Joy and acceptance)
Luke 1:28-38
28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.
34 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
VERSE 38 "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
NIV
Mary’s reaction to the announcement of Jesus’ birth was the correct one- humble obedience and worship.
Keep in mind, Mary knew fully what this could mean for her- at the very least, divorce and banishment from her town, or death by stoning.
Yet her reaction was still humble praise to God.
In fact, after this, Mary writes a song of praise to God. Where her relative Zechariah questioned God’s ability to make HIS Word come true, Mary accepted it and God’s plan for her life.
In all of the reactions we saw-
Curiosity in the Magi
Fear and hostility of Herod and the religious leaders
The doubting of Zechariah
The obedience of Joseph
The acceptance of Mary
I want to leave you with a bonus reaction- (Landing strip-)
6th Reaction- Shepherds (Wonder and worship)
Luke 2:8-15
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
It’s very significant that the first announcement of the birth of the Messiah Jesus was made to the lowest social group in existence at that time. Shepherds were considered to be only slightly above a Gentile slave in that society. They were largely illiterate, probably very smelly, infested with any mites that might be plaguing the sheep. They were the lowest of the low.
But God chose them first to hear of the birth of Jesus.
Their reaction- wonder and awe, followed by worship. All Rise
This Christmas season, I encourage you to let your spirit slip back to that of a child. Allow yourself to feel the wonder of this season, and it’s meaning for all of us- that God became flesh and walked among us.
Conclusion
