Christmas is rapidly approaching. Most churches are well into the advent season; Poinsettias and garland adorn their sanctuaries.
There is one dynamic which can be reliably observed in evangelical churches each and every Christmas: there will be sharp focus on the death of Jesus. Yes, you read that correctly. During the holiday which celebrates Jesus’ birth, the main focus is often upon his death. Evangelical Christmas sermons can usually be succinctly summarized like this: “We’re celebrating the arrival of Jesus…so that he could die on the cross for our sins!”
Of course, Christians around the world already commemorate the death of Jesus on Good Friday. But at Christmas it often seems like we’re celebrating the wrong holiday. Why is that? And why is it important?
There is an old saying about evangelicals: we’re eager to proclaim why Jesus died, we’re just not quite sure why he lived.
For many Christians, the whole weight of their theology rests upon the atoning death of Jesus & the forgiveness of sins. Their theological framework goes something like this: our sins have separated us from a holy God. Jesus came to die on the cross so that we can be reconciled to God and go to heaven someday.
Now, don’t get me wrong. The sacrificial death of Jesus is hugely important. And in one sense there’s never a “bad” time to talk about the death of Jesus.
But there are other Christian themes which are equally vital for salvation; namely, the coming of the Messiah and the inauguration of God’s kingdom. When we read the Christmas narratives, these themes simply leap off the pages. Yet in many evangelical pulpits, you’ll hear scarcely a word about them. This is a major deficiency which I hope we shall presently remedy.
The very name Christmas is obviously constructed upon the term Christ. Our English word Christ is a transliteration from the Greek term Christos, which means “anointed one.” The Hebrew equivalent is Mashiach or Messiah.
In ancient Israel, oil was poured upon the head of the man chosen by God as king: “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed [David] in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power.”
As I’ve written many times, many Christians are under the impression that Christ is merely Jesus’ surname. Others recognize Christ as a title, but they assume that it refers to Jesus’ divine nature. That’s incorrect as well.
Christ means that Jesus is the Messiah, the king whom God has chosen to rule over his people Israel and indeed over the whole world. So when you see the word Christ in your Bible, you should immediately think “king.”
Now listen to the words which the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary: “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
Remember also the message which the angel of the Lord announced to the shepherds: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”
Both of these key Christmas passages involve the birth of the Messiah, the one who will establish the Kingdom of God.
But what exactly is the Kingdom of God? This little phrase is absolutely vital for grasping the story of the Bible. Sadly, it’s badly misunderstood. Most Christians think this is a way of referring to a future reality whereby God’s people are taken away from earthly suffering & sadness so that we can enjoy eternal life with God in heaven.
But the true Biblical concept of God’s kingdom is radically different. God’s kingdom involves the establishment of his sovereignty over creation. The kingdom is present when the world functions and flourishes in the way that God intended.
From the very beginning, God delegated his authority over the world to human beings. Crafted in God’s image, we were given the exalted task of exercising dominion over the earth. But humans squandered their noble status by rebelling against God’s commands. As the result, all manner of misery, injustice and violence were unleashed upon the creation.
God responded to this catastrophe by calling Abraham & his descendants – the people of Israel – into covenant relationship with himself. By offering God proper worship and obedience, Israel was meant fulfill the key role marked out for humanity, to govern the creation wisely so that the world might experience God’s blessing.
The Old Testament is the tragic tale of Israel’s failure. She was unfaithful to God’s covenant – often as the direct result of the iniquity of her kings. Even David, her greatest king, missed the mark, falling into adultery with Bathsheba and covering up his sordid affair up by murdering one of his most loyal servants, Uriah the Hittite.
But along the way, the prophets reminded Israel that God had called her according to his unshakeable purposes. God promised that one day a faithful king would arise: “‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will raise up to David a righteous branch, a king who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.'”
This great king, the Messiah, would establish God’s kingdom over all the earth. Then the covenant blessings would flow, not just to Israel, but through Israel to all the nations.
Even in Israel’s darkest moments, exiled far away in Babylon, the prophets clung to this hope.
Nebuchadnezzar was the Babylonian king whose armies destroyed Jerusalem, razed the temple & took many Israelites into captivity. But God gave Nebuchadnezzar a dream which troubled him. Only a young Jewish exile named Daniel was able to interpret the king’s dream.
The king had seen an enormous statue with the head made of gold, the chest of silver, the belly & legs of bronze & the feet of iron & clay. A rock suddenly struck and shattered the statue into countless pieces which were swept away by the wind. The rock then grew into “a huge mountain which filled the whole earth.”
Daniel informed Nebuchadnezzar that his mighty kingdom corresponded with the head of gold. Afterwards, other human empires would arise and hold sway over the earth. But eventually there would come a time when “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.”
God’s kingdom was the rock which destroyed the statue and expanded to fill the whole earth. The Jews who read this passage (and the parallel vision in Daniel 7) interpreted this rock as the Messiah himself, the king who would establish God’s kingdom.
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is just one passage among many OT scriptures which anticipate the coming of the Messiah & the inauguration of God’s kingdom.
Needless to say, this narrative is quite different that your typical evangelical Christmas sermons. Most focus exclusively on Jesus’ divinity and then jump straight to Good Friday to speak about his sacrifice for our sins, giving us entry into heaven (however that might be conceived).
Much is lost by such treatments. Listeners are left with the strong sense that Christianity has little to do with the present world. What’s important (it is suggested) is that we’re offered a post-mortem escape to an ethereal realm of bliss.
This Christmas let’s keep the focus on the story the scriptures present to us. Let’s rejoice in the birth of Jesus the Messiah, God’s anointed king, who demands our complete loyalty and allegiance.
And let’s celebrate the inauguration of God’s kingdom on earth. With the birth of Jesus, the world has turned a corner. His reign confronts all the dark powers of evil & injustice which threaten to ruin our world. They will be shattered and swept away “without leaving a trace.” Jesus’ kingdom is the rock which will keep growing until it fills the whole earth – bringing eternal justice, joy, peace and life. Merry Christmas, indeed.
