The Neighbours From Heaven Mark 2

Christmas Day.

JN 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.

JN 1:3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

The neighbours from heaven.

I guess 2001 years ago there was the type of person around like the star of Dumb and Dumber or Englands Mr Bean just as there is today.

One of the things that most of us are sure of is, that although we like to laugh at these kind of comedians - none of us would like to think we look even remotely like them - to anyone.

Yet as we consider how God sees our lives it may well be that is just how we look to him given our response to Jesus - to the Cross and of course to Christmas.

Step with me will you down through the ages and dare for a moment to consider a Bean or Dumb and Dumber type character right there on the edge of the Bethlehem story.

As you consider this man’s response - consider also your response to Christmas.

Remember that all of us without Christ look to God like one of these men..

Just ask the question who do I look like this Christmas - A wiseman? A shepherd? or a Zacharias?

Just imagine for a moment the star of a first century sitcom -

Mr Zacharias - He’s back in Jerusalem for the census - it’s sad that his Mother said she didn’t have room for him in the family home.

When he visited her there was a donkey living in his room - his Mother had said she couldn’t possibly move the donkey out.

Then he didn’t mean to break her vase. The one that had been in the family since the families return from exile - His, more greats than you’d care to remember, Grandfather Silas had bought it back with him - it had been treasured for generations and Mr Zacharias had backed over it and broken it.

He could still feel the pain in his backside from his Mother’s broom and his Father’s boot both striking at the same time.

Talk about co-ordination!!!

Mr Zacharias had had a lot of bad luck in his life.

Like the time he’d accidently wandered into the temple and had walked into an area that - seemingly - only Priests were allowed to go - Holy of holies they called it - anyway they were going to do terrible things to him but he’d run away - it was about then that he’d grown a beard and shaved his head.

However today was a new day. More than that it was census day!! Mr Zacharias had rushed off to the census booth and wouldn’t you know it there was a queue about a mile long!!

Then he had a cunning plan.

He was good at cunning plans.

He threw a stone at some chickens at the nearby bazaar and when the chickens squawked and flew distracting everyone he’d sneaked in in front of a young man and his wife. The young man saw what had happenned but Mr Zacharias had given him his mean and nasty look and rippled his muscles under his tunic and well the young man didn’t want to start anything - He knew better!!

Well, he got to the census booth and it seemed there was some misunderstanding.

It was to do with his family who had tried to have his name taken off the list - something to do with a scandel over stampeding camels and a smothering or something.

He did seem to remember something. His family had disowned him!! In the end they agreed to count him even though his family had got, well, confused.

That finished, Mr Zacharias set off to arrange his accomodation - He’d heard the young man behind him in the Queue saying that accomodation wasn’t that easy to get in Bethlehem but had mentioned a certain hotel in a certain street where there might be perhaps one room left.

The young man had got a head start on him because of the misunderstanding about his family but if there is one thing that Mr Zacharias could do it was run!!!!!!!!!!

So run he did!!!

Run Mr Zacharias run!!!!

Down crowded alleys and streets - Past cluttered stalls selling everything from pottery to hens and livestock and slaves - he ran like the wind - he’d crashed into a Roman sentry who had drawn his sword. But Mr Zacharias had run on and finally had come to his destination . -As he looked around the corner to the street he could see the young man and the woman on