Jesus’ Birth was More Political (Advent 9, 2023)

Jesus’ birth was more political than His death.  The whole world was more than content to crucify Jesus after He’d been around for a while.  Sure the angels proclaimed His birth to the Jews, but that was long ago, and it didn’t turn out like they’d thought it should.  In the end, it didn’t matter when it came time to crucify Him. The Jewish elites were on board every bit as much as the Romans whose law had to be invoked to do it. 

A strange case of unity to fulfill prophecy. 

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It wasn’t just Jews or just the Romans.  It was everyone, and ironically everyone since it was proclaimed good news for great joy for all the people (Luke 2:10-14).  Yet 30 years later, that was forgotten. Taking sides together against God became the fashion (just as it is today). 

Jesus’ birth upended everything. First, for the Jews, his birth was good news for causing great joy to all the people, not just the select few or the select Jew. Some would believe that He was the Messiah, others that He was their Messiah alone, and others would not believe at all.  It divided Jew from Jew, even members of one’s own household, just as Jesus predicted.

Jesus said, “Proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near’…Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword… a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ (Matthew 10:10, 34-36) It certainly proved true among the Jewish brethren.

But, for the world political system, Jesus’ birth (seen from the spiritual plane) meant that governments among men are only that: among men.  They will be forever subordinate to the only true government of God as His Kingdom of righteousness in this world.  It’s a Kingdom of Heaven and peace with God. The world still hates that.

Questions for further thought:

“The Canadian Human Rights Commission claims that Christianity in practice in Canada is essentially a form of discrimination in a recent paper. “Only through better understanding of how religious intolerance takes place in Canada can our legislation, policies and programs be crafted to address the causes and consequences of this intolerance,” the paper reads.

How does keeping politics out of Christmas serve only to secularize it?

Is true salvation “from the Jews, for the world” easier or harder when Christmas has been secularized and Christian religious beliefs have been downgraded to unimportant nuances? Can a Muslim or a Jew or a Hindu celebrate with Santa and reindeer and presents? Is salvation communicated in a Santa scenario?

Tertullian (one of the prominent Church fathers of the Western church) famously stated, “‘What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem?’ What concord is there between the Academy and the Church?”  How did Jesus’ birth enter into that debate before it was written and upend the religion of Jerusalem and the politics of the world with its philosophers?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to see that Your goal was far bigger than an earthly peace.  May we not dismiss the political realities of Your birth and death as if they are removed from politics entirely.  Help us to speak boldly into the world and not be ashamed of the Kingdom of Heaven and the peace with God that You came to bring.  Amen.

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Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:  

• “Awaken Remnant” was the devotional topic for 2022. It began November 27, 2022, and highlighted the remnant found throughout Scripture as evident in Jesus’ lineage.
• The multi-faceted Interlude between the promise of a Deliverer and the birth of our Messiah and King was the theme of 2021’s devotional series. It is archived beginning November 28, 2021.
• 2020’s Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
• God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
• Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.