Scripture
Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent. This is the fourth and final in a series of Advent messages on “The Marvel of Christmas.” Today’s sermon is titled “People Who Missed Christmas.” Most of the material for this message comes from John MacArthur’s book titled God with Us: the Miracle of Christmas.
Let us read Luke 2:1-20:
"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register.
"4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
"8 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.”
"16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." (Luke 2:1-20)
Introduction
Did you know that most people miss Christmas every year?
That may sound like a strange statement, since it seems impossible to miss Christmas. A person would have to be blind and deaf to miss the sights and sounds of Christmas between Thanksgiving (or is it Halloween nowadays?) and December 25.
And yet, I am convinced that most people miss Christmas. They observe the season because culture says it is the thing to do, but the vast majority of people are utterly oblivious to the reality of what they are celebrating.
Christmas has been so fantasized and secularized that people are numb to the marvel of Jesus’ birth.
John MacArthur mentions in his book, God With Us: the Miracle of Christmas, a two-page spread in a newspaper featuring some man-on-the-street interviews where people offered their opinions of the real meaning of Christmas. The views expressed ranged from mawkish to irreverent.
Some were sentimental, saying Christmas is a family time, a time for children, and so on.
Others were humanistic, seeing Christmas as a time to celebrate love for one’s fellow man, the spirit of giving, and so on.
Others were crassly hedonistic, viewing Christmas as just another excuse to party.
Not one person mentioned the marvel of Christmas, namely, that God was born in human flesh. With answers like these, is it any wonder that so many people miss Christmas?
Lesson
One thing hasn’t changed since the time of Joseph and Mary: most people missed that first Christmas too!
Like people today, they were busy, consumed with all kinds of things—some important, some not—but most of them missed Christmas. The similarities between their world and ours are striking. Every one of those people has a counterpart in our modern society.
Today I would like to note some of the people who missed that first Christmas. As I go through this list, see if you recognize yourself in the list.
I. The Innkeeper
The first person I want to mention who missed Christmas was the Innkeeper.
The Bible doesn’t specifically mention him by name. But that night in Bethlehem, an Innkeeper was confronted by a man and his very pregnant wife. He turned away from them saying he had no room for them. Not only did he turn Mary and Joseph away, but he apparently did not even call for anyone to help a young mother about to give birth.
The Jewish people of the first century were not a barbaric people. They were not like some aboriginal tribes that send their young women off into the jungles to have their babies alone on a banana leaf!
The Jewish people were civilized, intelligent, educated and, above all, hospitable people who cared deeply about human life. It would have been highly unusual for a young woman about to give birth to be turned away from an inn and left to give birth alone in a stable. And yet, that is what happened.
Luke says, “And she [i.e., Mary] gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (2:7).
The Bible does not specify what kind of inn the Innkeeper had. The Greek word translated inn can mean “guest room, hostel, or (simply) shelter.” So the inn could have been anything from a full-fledged precursor of the modern bed-and-breakfast lodge to a lean-to on someone’s property that was built to house both people and animals. Whatever it was, the hospitality that Joseph and Mary sought from the Innkeeper was unavailable to them. They were therefore turned away.
The result was that the Innkeeper in Bethlehem missed that first Christmas.
The Innkeeper missed the birth of Jesus because he was preoccupied. His inn, or his guest room, or his lean-to shelter was full. It was census time in Bethlehem, and the city was bulging with people from all over the country—not unlike some of our communities expanding with snowbirds who come to Florida for the winter.
Bethlehem was crowded. The Innkeeper was busy. There is no indication that he was hostile or even unsympathetic. He was just busy, that’s all.
The Innkeeper was exactly like so many people today. They are consumed with activity—not necessarily sinful activity. They are just active with things that keep them busy. Working, shopping, parties, concerts, studying, school activities, and other things all compete for attention. And in the clutter of activity, many preoccupied people miss the Son of God.
II. The Jerusalem Citizens
Second, the entire city of Jerusalem also missed Christmas.
Out of the whole society of Jerusalem God picked a band of shepherds to hear the news of Jesus’ birth.
That is intriguing because shepherds were among the lowest and most despised of all social groups. The very nature of their work kept them from entering the mainstream of society. They couldn’t observe all the religious feasts and festivals. Most likely, since they were so close to Jerusalem, the shepherds were taking care of sheep that would be used as sacrifices in the Temple.
God, in his grace, allowed the shepherds to be the first to know about his Son’s birth. Immediately, the shepherds went to Bethlehem and found Jesus. Overwhelmed at what they had experienced, we are told that the shepherds “spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child” (2:17).
But what is so amazing is that even though “all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them,” not a single person went to see what had happened for themselves!
Only some lowly shepherds did not miss that first Christmas; everyone else in Jerusalem, however, did miss that first Christmas.
It is absolutely amazing that no one in Jerusalem took any notice that Jesus was born just a few miles away in Bethlehem. Bethlehem was literally within walking distance of Jerusalem, and Jesus’ birth was the fulfillment of all that the Jewish nation had hoped for. But the entire city of Jerusalem missed the birth of Jesus.
Why did Jerusalem miss Christmas? The answer in one word may surprise you: religion. The people of Jerusalem were very religious. Jerusalem was the hub of religious activity in Israel. The Temple was there, and everyone who wanted to make a sacrifice had to come to Jerusalem. The people were so busy with religious ritual that they missed the reality. Consumed with the activity of their feasts and festivals and ceremonies, they missed the whole message.
In short, they were busy worshiping the right God in the wrong way. They were caught up in the externals of true religion, but had abandoned the heart of their faith. Jesus didn’t quite fit their system. They looked for a Messiah who would be a conquering hero, not a baby in a manger. They hoped for a leader who would support their religious system. Jesus opposed everything it stood for.
Jesus offered truth that would free them from the tyrannical, demanding, oppressive, legalistic religion the scribes and Pharisees had hung on the nation. But the people were so established in their religion that they wouldn’t listen.
People like that are the hardest to reach with the good news of salvation. They are so determined to earn their own salvation, to prove that they can be righteous on their own, that they cannot see the depth of their own spiritual poverty.
Religion can be a deadly trap. Ritual and rules enable people to feel spiritual when in fact they are not right with God. Religious activity is not the same as genuine righteousness. Religion will damn people to hell as surely as immorality. The people of Jerusalem had religion, and they missed that first Christmas.
III. Herod
And third, another person who missed that first Christmas was Herod.
Matthew tells his story. Herod was different than the Innkeeper. He wasn’t preoccupied; he was very well informed.
Herod pretended that he wanted to worship Jesus, but in truth he was afraid of this One who was called King of the Jews. Herod did not want any competition to his throne. And so Matthew records that “when King Herod heard this [i.e., that there had been One born King of the Jews] he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him” (2:3).
The phrase he was disturbed in Greek means “agitated, stirred up, and shaken up — like the heavy duty cycle of a washing machine.” The word conveys the idea of panic. And Herod panicked because his supremacy was in jeopardy. He had no use for any other King of the Jews.
If the Innkeeper’s problem was preoccupation, and the citizens of Jerusalem was religion, Herod’s was fear. Herod immediately felt threatened—even though Jesus was a baby and Herod was an old man.
Herod’s panic and paranoia were legendary. He had two wives and twelve children. One of his wives, Miriamne, had a brother named Aristabulus, who was the High Priest. Herod was afraid of Aristabulus, and so he murdered him. Then he killed Miriamne too.
Herod was afraid that one of his two oldest sons might take his throne, and so he murdered both of them. His entire life was one of plotting and execution. Five days before his death he executed his surviving oldest son for plotting against his throne.
In one of the final acts of his evil life, he had the most distinguished citizens of Jerusalem put in prison, and commanded that they be slaughtered the moment he died.
“The people will not weep when I die,” he said, “and I want them weeping, even if they weep over someone else.” So even at his death there was a great slaughter.
Herod was such a brutal, merciless man that it is not difficult to imagine how he would choose to vent his rage when he learned that a child had been born who, according to prophecy, was the true King of the Jews.
When Herod realized that the Wise Men had outwitted him and that they were not going to reveal the identity of Jesus, he ordered that all male children under the age of two be killed in Bethlehem.
In his mad effort to wipe out one child, Herod had scores of children killed. Meanwhile God had already warned Joseph and Mary, and they had fled to Egypt with Jesus.
So, Herod failed. Not only did he miss that first Christmas, but his rebellion propagated a great tragedy. All this was because of fear—jealous fear.
There are Herod types even today. Herod’s fear was that someone else would take his throne. Lots of people are like him. They won’t allow anything to interfere with their career, their position, their power, their ambition, their plans, or their lifestyle. They are not about to let someone else be the king of their lives. They see Jesus as a threat, and so they miss Christmas too.
Conclusion
Friend, no one has to miss Christmas.
Ignorant preoccupation, ritualistic religion, and jealous fear are all merely different expressions of the one main reason people miss Christmas: unbelief.
Perhaps you have been missing Christmas. Oh, you may get presents, eat a big dinner, and decorate a tree, but you know in your heart that you are no different that the Innkeeper or the citizens of Jerusalem or Herod. You are missing the reality of Christmas, and that need not be so.
For many years now, whenever Christmas pageants are talked about in a certain little town in the Midwest, someone is sure to mention the name of Wallace Purling. Wally’s performance in one annual production of the nativity play has slipped into the realm of legend. But the old-timers who were in the audience that night never tire of recalling exactly what happened.
Wally was nine that year and in the second grade, though he should have been in the fourth. Most people in town knew that he had difficulty in keeping up. He was big and clumsy, slow in movement and mind. Still, his class, all of whom were smaller than he, had trouble hiding their irritation when Wally would ask to play ball with them or any game, for that matter, in which winning was important.
Most often they’d find a way to keep him out, but Wally would hang around anyway, not sulking, just hoping.
He was always a helpful boy, a willing and smiling one, and the natural protector of the underdog. Sometimes if the older boys chased the younger ones away, it would always be Wally who would say, “Can’t they stay? They’re no bother.”
Wally fancied the idea of being a shepherd with a flute in the Christmas pageant that year, but the play’s director, Miss Lumbar, assigned him to a more important role. After all, she reasoned, the Innkeeper did not have too many lines and Wally’s size would make his refusal of lodging to Joseph more forceful.
And so it happened that the usual large, partisan audience gathered for the town’s yearly extravaganza of beard, crown, halos and a whole stage full of squeaky voices. No one on stage or off was more caught up in the magic of the night than Wallace Purling. They said later that he stood in the wings and watched the performance with such fascination that from time to time Miss Lumbar had to make sure he didn’t wander on stage before his cue.
Then the time came when Joseph appeared, slowly, tenderly guiding Mary to the door of the Inn. Joseph knocked hard on the wooden door set into the painted backdrop. Wally the Innkeeper was there, waiting.
“What do you want?” Wally said, swinging the door open with a brusque gesture.
“We seek lodging.”
“Seek it elsewhere.” Wally looked straight ahead but spoke vigorously. “The Inn is filled.”
“Sir, we have asked everywhere in vain. We have traveled far and are very weary.”
“There is no room in this Inn for you.” Wally looked properly stern.
“Please, good Innkeeper, this is my wife, Mary. She is heavy with child and needs a place to rest. Surely you must have some small corner for her. She is so tired.”
Now, for the first time, the Innkeeper relaxed his still stance and looked down at Mary. With that, there was a long pause, long enough to make the audience a bit tense with embarrassment.
“No! Be gone!” the prompter whispered from the wings.
“No!” Wally repeated automatically, “Be gone!”
Joseph sadly placed his arm around Mary and Mary laid her head upon her husband’s shoulder, and the two of them started to move away.
The Innkeeper did not return inside his Inn, however. Wally stood there in the doorway, watching the forlorn couple. His mouth was open, his brow creased with concern, his eyes filling unmistakably with tears.
And suddenly this Christmas pageant became different from all the others.
“Don’t go, Joseph!” Wally called out. “Bring Mary back.” And Wallace Purling’s face grew into a bright smile. “You can have my room!”
Friend, you don’t have to miss another Christmas. Rather than rejecting Jesus, simply invite him into your life. You do that by turning from your sin and unbelief and receiving Jesus as Lord and God. He will forgive your sin, change your life, and give you the greatest gift anyone can ever receive—himself!
And when you receive Jesus you become a child of God. The apostle John puts it this way: “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:11-12).
Friend, don’t miss another Christmas. Amen.
