Well we are just one week away from the big day! Kids, are you getting a bit excited? Adults, have you finished all your shopping? Many of you are soon to be in the presence of family and friends that you have not seen throughout the year, and you always want to impress them with your knowledge and wisdom. So I thought it would be a good idea for us to brush up on our knowledge about the first Christmas.
Question #1. When Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem, how did they get there?
a. They walked
b. Joseph walked; Mary rode a donkey
c. They took a chariot
d. We don’t really know
The correct answer is “D.” The Bible actually does not record their means of travel.
Question #2. How many angels spoke to the shepherds?
a. A multitude
b. Two Gabriel and Michael
c. One
d. Not sure
The right response is “C.” Luke 2 we read that “an” angel stood before them, and “The angel said to them…” Both singular references to a single angel.
Question #3. What song did the angels sing?
a. “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
b. “Joy to the World”
c. “Glory to God in the Highest”
d. None of the above
This is a trick question. The correct choice is “D.” According to Luke 2:13, they were: “…praising God and saying…” There’s no mention of them singing anything.
Question #4. What animals were present at Jesus’ birth?
a. Cows, sheep and camels
b. Horses, sheep and donkeys
c. Lions and tigers and bears
d. None of the above
There is no mention in the Bible about any animals being present. The answer is “D.”
All right. Last one, Question #5. In what books of the Bible can you find the Christmas story?
a. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
b. Matthew and Luke
c. Mark and Matthew
d. Matthew, Mark and Luke
The right choice is “B” - Matthew and Luke. These two gospels give us insight into the birth of Jesus and provide much of what we know about the first Christmas. The Gospel of Mark picks up the life of Jesus when He is a grown man, and the Gospel of John actually begins much earlier than even the accounts of Matthew and Luke.
That is where we are today. In the Gospel of John, seeing what Jesus did before He ended up in the manger, back at what we know as the beginning.
Now, I say we know it as the beginning, because that helps us try to grasp an incredible truth about Jesus. He had no beginning. John 1:1 says (read). Take whatever you define as the beginning, and Jesus was already there. And that just scratches the surface of some mind boggling truths about Jesus found in the first chapter of John.
Listen as I read from John chapter 1 (read through verse 18). Now I hold a different opinion than many Christians and pastors. Actually, if you know me very well by now, you know I hold a number of different opinions, but in relation to today’s passage it is not unusual for Christians and pastors to advise a new Christian who doesn’t know where they should begin reading the Bible to start in the Gospel of John. I have to say, I have never understood that thought.
For instance, I don’t know about you. . .but I find these first 18 verses alone pretty complex. I’ve been in the church almost all my life. More than 35 years. And there are still phrases and thoughts in those few verses that I’m like, “Wow. I’m not sure I can fully grasp that. That is some amazing truth and revelation.”
It talks about this being that already existed in the beginning. It says this being was with God and was also God. It refers to it as the Word. That is just the first verse, and if you think that is the first verse of the Bible someone should read. . .I’m not sure I’m buying it. It is a very deep, and complex opening to a deep and complex book. Not necessarily a good launching point.
A few other interesting things about the Gospel of John that make me hesitant to recommend it as a starting point. Don’t know if you knew and or realized this, but it is probably the least chronological record of Jesus’ life. In other words, this Gospel was not written with the intent of saying these things happened sequentially as you read them now.
Many Bibles have a harmony of the gospels in them. A table which puts the events of the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, side by side so that you can see how they would relate chronologically. If you look at such a table, you may notice a few things.
First, you may notice that some of the listings of John passages jump around with later verses from the book appearing earlier than earlier verses from the book in the harmony of the gospels. You may also notice large gaps between activities in the book of John. Months that pass between given passages with no account recorded. You may also notice that there are segments of John, chapters and verses that are not listed in the harmonies. Teachings or saying of Jesus that the timing and placement of are not really even known.
The Gospel of John is not a day by day chronological look at the life of Christ. That doesn’t discredit the gospel in any way. It simply wasn’t the purpose of the writer in recording what he did. But to a new Christian, that can be quite confusing.
Another interesting thing about the Gospel of John relates to why it is not so chronologically bound. The gospel is largely centered on seven miracles, and seven “I am” statements. Seven miraculous things that Jesus did while He was on earth and seven statements where Jesus said, “I am. . .” “I am the bread of life.” “I am the light of the world.” “I am the gate.” “I am the good shepherd.” Interwoven with seven miracles such as feeding the 5,000, healing the blind man, healing the nobleman’s son, turning water into wine. In January of 2006, we are going to launch a series exploring these seven miracles, and seven “I am. . .” statements.
So John is a very different sort of book. And yet it is still a great place to pause and reflect in this season of Christmas. Because I believe in this passage we have already read today, you find one of the most important verses in the entire Bible. It is verse 14 (read).
There is an amazing piece of art done by a Korean artist named Elder Rhee which is incredibly unique. I’m sure this image on our screen won’t do it justice, but I can give you the website where you can look it up if you are really interested in it (www.wordpicture.org/products.htm). It took Elder Rhee two years to complete this scroll. He meticulously drew the picture by hand with a very fine tipped pen. It is not a painting, but is actually a picture created by writing thousands of words with shaded letters.
Now, are you ready for this? It is actually the entire New Testament written out by hand. There are about 185,000 words on the scroll with an average of a thousand words per line. The letters are drawn, some thick and some thin so that they bring out the picture of Jesus with about twenty-seven angels surrounding and looking at him. The 27 angels represent, any guesses, the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. The original work is six feet long by four feet wide.
So catch this with me, in this work, the image of Christ is not imposed onto the words, but the words actually reveal the picture of Christ as they are inked light and dark to bring out the portrait of Jesus. In a very real sense, the words have become flesh, a person. Talk about your ready made sermon illustration! The words become flesh. Or as John tells us, the Word became flesh.
If you magnify a portion of the art work, such as Christ’s hand, you can actually read the words. And the artist was simply trying to communicate this message. The New Testament reveals the person of Jesus Christ. Out of the Word arises The Word which became flesh and dwelt among us.
E. Stanley Jones writes: “Out of the Gospels arises the Gospel. Jesus is the Gospel — the Gospel lies in His Person. He did not come to bring the Good News — He was the Good News.” Of if I could modify Jones just a bit. . .He is the good news.
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” Why is this such an important truth? Why would this almost get me to buy into the idea of having a new Christian start in the Gospel of John?
Because this is the great truth that sets Christianity apart from all of the other world religions. Our God did not choose to remain remote and unapproachable. He came to us in person. He did not just write us a letter. He did not just send us a representative. He did not just speak his laws from a mountain. He came to us as one of us.
Look at the intensity of this truth from the book of Philippians (2:6-8), “Who (referring to Jesus), being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!”
Or as The Message puts it, “He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death — and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.”
In this, one of the most commercialized of all seasons, it would be impossible for me to overemphasize how important God’s arrival on earth was.
On March 5, 1994, Deputy Sheriff Lloyd Prescott was teaching a class for police officers in the Salt Lake City Library. During a break he stepped into the hallway, and as he did he saw a gunman forcing 18 hostages into a nearby room. Prescott, who was dressed in street clothes, fell in line with the group and became the nineteenth hostage. The gunman had not noticed him, and Prescott followed them into the room, and shut the door. The gunman announced the order in which hostages would be executed, and it was then that Prescott identified himself as a police officer. A fight ensued, and Prescott shot the gunman. All of the hostages were released unharmed. The officer placed himself at great risk, but he was not thinking of himself, he was thinking about the danger the hostages were in.
Like Lloyd Prescott, God dressed himself as one of us and entered our world. He joined us because we were held hostage to sin and in danger of spiritual death. He rescued us from eternal danger.
What other religion do you know whose God comes in person to die for his people? Buddha did not claim to be God, nor did he claim to have come from God. Neither did Mohammed claim to be God, only a prophet of God and author of the Koran. In all of the other world religions we have the word becomes word — a verbal revelation: writings, injunctions and moral codes. Only in Christianity does the Word become flesh. The man becomes a man.
This is so important. Think about it, if the Word only became word then our contact with God would only be intellectual. Our relationship would be based on your ability to understand words. And imagine the limitations that puts on the less intelligent. Or the mentally disabled.
But the Word has become flesh, and now He is personal. So as we read the Bible we are not just acquiring knowledge, but are entering into a personal relationship. Jesus begins to emerge from the Scripture. And suddenly, we are reading more than words, we are experiencing a person. Something real is happening. We are being touched and changed at the deepest place of our beings. The Scriptures come alive, because the Word has become flesh. Jesus steps out of the pages of a book, and into the reality of our lives.
There is a story of a prince who was running an errand for his father one day in the local village. As he did so, he passed through a very poor section of the town, and looking through the window of his carriage he saw a beautiful young peasant girl walking along the street. He could not get her off his heart.
He continued to come to the town, day after day, just to see her and to feel as though he was near her. His heart yearned for her, but there was a problem. How could he develop a relationship with her? As a prince, he had a number of options.
He could order her to marry him. It was in his power to do so, but he wanted this girl to love him from the heart, willingly. He could put on his royal garments and impress her with his regal entourage, and drive up to her front door with soldiers and a carriage drawn by six horses, but if he did this he would never be certain that the girl loved him or was simply overwhelmed with his power, position and wealth. So the prince came up with another solution.
As you may have guessed, he gave up his kingly robe and symbols of power and privilege. He moved into the village dressed only as a peasant. He lived among the people, shared their interests and concerns, and talked their language. And in time, the young peasant girl grew to know him, and then to love him.
This is what Jesus has done for us. The Word became flesh. The King of heaven put aside his heavenly robes and divine prerogatives. He came to us as one of us. He lived among us; ate with us; drank with us; felt with us. And He did it all, to win our love.
He could have forced us. He could have overwhelmed us, but he chose to romance us, and He stands here today with the smile of love and arms extended.
You see, Jesus does not simply want to be a truth to believe in. 90% of Americans believe in God. Even 77% believe in the virgin birth, and 80% in the resurrection of Jesus. But Jesus isn’t simply looking for some truth acknowledgement. He isn’t simply looking for some intellectual acceptance of evidence. He desires to be a person that you love, relate to, and experience each day of your life. He doesn’t simply want to be the Word. He wants to be the Word become flesh.
Unfortunately, there is the truth of verse 5 to deal with (read). The story goes about a tribe of people who lived in a dark, cold cave. The cave dwellers would huddle together and cry against the chill. Loud and long they wailed. It was all they did. It was all they knew to do.
But then, one day, they heard a different voice. “I have heard your cries,” it announced. “I have felt your chill and seen your darkness. I have come to help.”
The cave people grew quiet. They had never heard this voice. “How can we know you have come to help?”
“Trust me,” he answered. “I have what you need.”
The cave people peered through the darkness at the figure of the stranger. He was stacking something, then stooping and stacking more. “What are you doing?” one cried, nervous.
The stranger didn’t answer. “What are you making?” one shouted even louder.
Still no response. “Tell us!” demanded a third.
The visitor stood and spoke in the direction of the voices. “I have what you need.” With that he turned to the pile at his feet and lit it. Wood ignited, flames erupted, and light filled the cavern.
The cave people turned away in fear. “Put it out!” they cried. “It hurts to see it.”
“Light always hurts before it helps,” he answered. “Step closer. The pain will soon pass.”
“Not I,” declared a voice.
“Nor I,” agreed a second.
“Only a fool would risk exposing his eyes to such light.”
The stranger stood next to the fire. “Would you prefer the darkness? Would you prefer the cold? Don’t consult your fears. Take a step of faith.”
For a long time no one spoke. The people hovered in groups covering their eyes. The fire builder stood next to the fire. “It’s warm here,” he invited.
“He’s right,” one from behind him announced. “It’s warmer.” The stranger turned and saw a figure slowly stepping toward the fire. “I can open my eyes now,” she proclaimed. “I can see.”
“Come closer,” invited the fire builder.
She did. She stepped into the ring of light. “It’s so warm!” She extended her hands and sighed as her chill began to pass.
“Come, everyone! Feel the warmth,” she invited.
“Silence, woman!” cried one of the cave dwellers. “Dare you lead us into your folly? Leave us. Leave us and take your light with you.”
She turned to the stranger. “Why won’t they come?”
“They choose the chill, for though it’s cold, it’s what they know. They’d rather be cold than change.”
“And live in the dark?”
“And live in the dark.”
“And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” This story of the cave people takes us from the confusion of verse 5, simply not understanding the light, to the decision of verse 11 (read). A transition from simply not understanding Christ, to not being willing receiving Christ.
Doesn’t it seem simply amazing that every book in the Old Testament testifies to this one great truth: the Messiah is coming. To the truth that one day God would send His Messiah to deliver His people Israel. But when Jesus finally arrived, they didn’t receive Him. Which translated literally means “to reject.” Instead of welcoming Him home they drove Him away.
It’s a profound theological statement. Humans in general reject God. The Bible says that most of us are looking to be rid of Him. But look at verse 12, one of the greatest verses in the entire Bible (read).
So here is the real Christmas quiz. The Word became flesh. Jesus became a baby. The man became a man. There was lack of understanding. There was rejection. There still is today, but there is also the opportunity to become a child of God. So here is the real Christmas quiz.
It is not focused on what you know, but on whom you know. The key is not information, but life transformation. Most of us have enough data; we just need to make a decision. We have heard, and maybe even know the Word. . .now we need to allow it to become flesh. To allow the image of Christ to come off the pages in human form, and to enter into a personal relationship with the one who was in the beginning, is in the present, and is to come in the future.
(Invitation for Salvation)
