14 - The Meaning Christmas

Every December in New York City, Bombay, Seoul, and Colombo too, you’re likely
to see bright lights and hear happy music. It’s Christmas time. People of many
ethnic backgrounds and beliefs like to celebrate this holiday. Shiny ornaments on
trees and the fun of giving and receiving gifts adds to the festivity.

Where did this celebration come from? What does it mean? Some people use this
holiday as a time to party and get drunk. Is that the true way to celebrate
Christmas or is there a more special way? As we explore the events behind
Christmas, we will find a fascinating story about the birth of a very intriguing
individual called Jesus.

Stars and Prophecies

Let’s begin with the beautiful lights strung all around houses and the star we
often see on the top of a Christmas tree. Stars have long been studied both by
astronomers and those who try to predict the future. Approximately two
thousand years ago, a group of philosophers in Asia, called Wisemen, had been
studying the stars and some ancient scriptures. They believed that a great Savior
would one day be born to help the world turn away from evil and suffering.

They also had studied ancient scriptures from the land of Israel. These predicted
the unique birth of a ruler whose compassionate character would shine like a star.
As they read they became excited, realizing the dates the prophecies pointed to
were the very days in which they were living.

One night they were startled to see a new star in the skies. It was not a planet. It
was not stationary like normal stars. The star seemed to move from where they
were towards Israel. Could this be a sign that the predicted Savior had been
born? They could not sit still waiting and wondering. They prepared some costly
gifts, mounted camels, and followed the star.

When they arrived in Jerusalem, the Wisemen asked, “Where is He who has been
born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to
worship Him” (Matthew 2:2). The people were very startled by this sudden
appearance of wealthy philosophers and their unusual question. Nobody seemed

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 to know. In fact the present ruler, King Herod, was really troubled at the thought
of a rival to his throne.

The religious leaders should have known that it was time for their own scriptures
to be fulfilled. They had become careless in studying God’s word. However, they
did know that the scriptures predicted where the Savior would be born. They told
the Wisemen this special birth would take place in the small village of Bethlehem.
King Herod told them, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when
you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him
also” (Matthew 2:8b). His words disguised his evil intent to protect his kingdom
by murdering the child.

The Wisemen waited until nightfall, when delighted to see the star again, they
traveled to Bethlehem and found the new born baby. They presented their special
gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Gifts at Christmas
Perhaps you’ve wondered why so many people around the world give gifts right
before the international New Year. It is connected to the three special gifts that
the Wisemen gave Jesus. Giving gifts is a wonderful way to express love and
appreciation. Parents feel honored when their children show gratitude with a
gift. A wife feels very pleased when her husband takes time to choose something
special for her. Many coworkers and their bosses enjoy the exchange of little gifts
at Christmas to break up the monotony of work.

At the time of Jesus’ birth, gifts such as gold, frankincense, and myrrh were only
given to a king. These Wisemen were truly convinced that this little baby was
someone very special. They showed their respect and honor in the best way they
could.

In the meantime, King Herod was preparing a sword instead of a gift. We will
come back to him and his evil designs, but first let’s look at the actual birth of this
unique child Jesus.

Surprise in a Manger
The mother of Jesus was named Mary. Awhile before the Wisemen had come, she
and her husband had made the difficult trip of 140 kilometers to the town of
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 Bethlehem. The trip on the back of a donkey had been painful because Mary was
pregnant and about to deliver. The King had demanded that everyone return to
the place of his ancestor’s birth for a census. This is why Joseph, Mary’s husband,
had been forced to travel to Bethlehem during the late stage of his wife’s
pregnancy.

When they arrived, they searched everywhere for a guest house to stay in since
they had no relatives living in the town. There were so many people visiting for
the census that there was no room to rent anywhere. Mary began to have labor
pains and Joseph desperately pleaded for a room. No one took pity on them.
Perhaps they didn’t have enough money to convince the innkeepers, who like
many people, were more concerned about profit than people in need.

Finally, one man allowed them to use his animal stable. Mary lay down on the
straw exhausted. There was no midwife, no doctor, or family member to help her.
Instead she was surrounded by animals. Finally she gave birth to a son, wrapped
him tenderly in strips of cloth, and soothed him to sleep beside her on the straw.

Hardly anyone noticed the birth, yet today, in many nations around the world, this
story is acted out in plays and the story is told over and over. In many places you
can see sculptures of the manger scene with cattle and sheep peering in at the
tired mother with her precious baby bundled on the straw.

Why would someone born in poverty attract such attention? When the Wisemen
brought their expensive gifts and worshipped baby Jesus, the villagers stared in
surprise. All they could see was a very poor family. They didn’t know that this
was the fulfillment of age-old prophecies which said the God who is called Savior
would choose to be born as a human. No wonder the Wisemen treated Jesus like
royalty! “The birth of Jesus brings hope!”

An Angel with a Startling Message

Months before, Mary had become engaged to Joseph a carpenter. Shortly after,
something very unusual happened. An angel appeared to Mary. She was very
frightened. The angel reassured her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found
favor with God. 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.” (Luke 1:30b-31).
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Mary wondered what the angel could possibly mean. The religion of her country
was very strict. Sexual immorality was uncommon. “How can this be,” Mary
asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “Nothing is impossible with God. The Holy Spirit will come
upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that
Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:37, 35).

It sounded so strange, so unbelievable. Mary, however, remembered the

prophecies in the ancient scriptures that promised the Savior would be born
miraculously to a virgin. Could God have chosen her? Was God finally fulfilling
His promise to bring wisdom, peace, and salvation to a world full of suffering?

Mary knew she was not dreaming. An angel truly was speaking to her. Her fear
and questions fell away. “‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to
me as you have said.’ Then the angel left her” (Luke 1:38).

Can you imagine how Mary must have felt? Surely she was excited to know she
had been chosen to receive the Savior for whom so many were eagerly waiting.
At the same time, she must have been concerned about what people would say.
Would anyone believe her when she told them she was pregnant through God’s
power? Would her fiancé think she had been unfaithful?

When Joseph heard, he was very upset. He had trusted Mary to be a pure and
loyal girl. He was disappointed and shamed to hear she was pregnant. However,
Joseph’s heart was kind. He didn’t want to disgrace her publicly. He planned to
break the engagement privately.

That night, an angel appeared to him in a dream saying, “Joseph, don’t be afraid
to take Mary as your wife. This baby is truly conceived by the Holy Spirit. She
will have a son. Name Him Jesus, because this name means the One who saves
people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20b).

Amazed at God’s special plan, Joseph’s disappointment and shame left him. He
chose to take Mary as his wife. They eagerly waited to see what would become of
this miraculous child. They were confident that, “The birth of Jesus brings
hope!”
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A Time for Singing
Have you heard people singing at Christmas time? There are hundreds of special
Christmas carols that people sing to celebrate this amazing story. The singing
goes back in history clear to the night of Jesus’ birth.

Some of the poorest people in the country of Israel were shepherds. They often
slept outside to protect their sheep. On the night of Jesus’ birth a group of
shepherds suddenly came running through the streets from outside the town
where they’d been watching the sheep. They shouted to everyone they met along
the road, “An important baby has been born tonight! We were startled by a bright
light and suddenly saw an angel appear. He said to us, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring
you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of
David (Bethlehem) a Savior has been born to you, He is Christ the Lord. This will
be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger’”
(Luke 2:10-12).

The shepherds said that after this amazing announcement, many angels appeared
in the sky singing incredibly beautiful songs. Today, no one knows the tune, but
some of the words have been recorded. They were, “Glory to God in the highest
and on earth, peace, good-will to men” (Luke 2:14). There is something in the
birth of this child that makes people want to write new songs and sing. That is
why we hear so many special songs at Christmas time.

The shepherds found baby Jesus wrapped in pieces of cloth, laying in a manger,
just as the angel had said. They bowed to worship Him, in awe that this special
child would be born to a poor family and that the news had been told to poor
people such as themselves.

Why was Jesus born in such a humble way? The Bible says Jesus gave up the
peacefulness and beauty of heaven to experience the hardship and poverty of
humans. He had come to share their suffering and provide a way of escape. If He
had been born in a palace, the poor might have feared to approach Him. He
wanted everyone to come near and learn of God’s compassion. He was like a
king, going among his peasants, to understand their difficulties and to help them
improve their lives.

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 So it was that the wealthy Wisemen and the poor shepherds both recognized that
someone very special had come to earth. They felt deeply that, “The birth of
Jesus brings hope!”

An Angry King and a Close Escape

King Herod was anxiously waiting to hear back from the Wisemen. However, as
the Wisemen slept, an angel appeared to them and told them to go back to their
country using a different route. They were not to tell King Herod.

The angel woke Joseph and urged him to flee with Mary and Jesus to the country
of Egypt since Herod would try to kill the baby.

When King Herod realized the Wisemen had not told him, his fear grew to intense
anger and he ordered soldiers to search for and kill all the baby boys, two-years
old and younger. King Herod was determined to kill Jesus. Death, heartache, and
deep sorrow ripped across the countryside. Herod’s selfishness and greed caused
intense suffering just as such things often causes misery and distress today.

The baby Jesus escaped Herod’s wicked plotting. Nothing could destroy God’s
plan. Jesus was safely hidden in the country of Egypt. Time passed and Herod
died. An angel once again appeared to Joseph telling him to return to Israel
where Jesus would grow up to live out the special purposes for which He’d come
to earth. In a few years Jesus’ wise preaching and miracles of healing would
attract thousands.

A Step Forward
It is true that in many places the real meaning of Christmas has been forgotten.
Businesses use this holiday to make money, entice people to buy all kinds of
useless things, while poor people go hungry or without adequate housing. This is
not what God intended. It would be better to spend the money to help those in
need

Made-up stories about Santa Clause and flying reindeer are more frequently
heard on television than the true story of Jesus’ birth. We can see how easily
greed and foolishness crowd out the qualities of true beauty, wisdom, and nobility.
But it does not need to be that way for us.

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 The celebration of Christmas invites us to make a choice. Will we choose the
qualities of Jesus or of Herod? When King Herod died there was no one who
mourned his death except his immediate family. In fact his subjects were happy
the king had died because he was very unkind and selfish. Today, very few people
know his name or his accomplishments.

On the other hand, millions know the name Jesus Christ from which we get the
word Christmas. They honor Jesus. The parables, stories, and sayings of Jesus
have been translated into hundreds of languages. His acts of compassion for the
poor and the sick have inspired millions. He lived to help others and not for His
own interests.

Which lifestyle will be yours? Will you be selfish or compassionate? Will you seek
your own pleasures or to make someone else happy? Will you seek power like
Herod, or a chance to serve like Jesus? Take a step forward in your life by
choosing to spend time and money to make your family, your village, and your
country a place of peace. Great blessings come through those who choose self-
sacrifice and kindness instead of greed and selfishness. Choose at least one kind
thing to do each day.

Prophecies Fulfilled
Isn’t it intriguing that Wisemen in the East would know that the Savior Jesus was
about to be born. They were so sure that Jesus was the predicted one, that they
gave Him expensive gifts and worshipped Him. One prophecy predicted where
the Savior would be born. Others predicted His ability to heal the sick, cast out
evil spirits, and teach powerfully. Some even predicted how He would die. Let’s
look carefully at one of the prophecies about Jesus that was written down around
2500 years ago. This will help us to know if we can be confident that the story of
Jesus’ birth is true.

Two-thousand five hundred years ago there was a powerful king in the Middle
East named King Nebuchadnezzar. He destroyed Jerusalem and captured many
Israelites. One of them was a man named Daniel was pressured to follow the false
gods of Babylon but he remained faithful to the Father of Life. God blessed
Daniel’s faithfulness by giving outstanding ability in understanding dreams and
visions.

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One of Daniel’s biggest concerns was his home country. He prayed for God to
rebuild the city of Jerusalem and God’s temple. He wanted to see his fellow
Israelites gathered back together to re-make their country. It seemed impossible,
but Daniel knew God could do anything. In answer to Daniel’s prayer, God gave
him a vision and an amazing prophecy. Here is part of it:

“Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command to
restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks
and sixty-two weeks” (Daniel 9:25). God told Daniel that the city of Jerusalem
would be restored and that a certain amount of time after that, the Messiah, or
Savior would come. Amazingly, as Daniel grew older, three kings gave decrees
that made it possible for the Israelites to return to their country and rebuild their
capital city. If we figure the time forward according to the prophecy, we come
exactly to the year in which Jesus was baptized and anointed by the Spirit of God
for the ministry He did.

The vision given to Daniel said that the Messiah, the Savior, would “make
reconciliation for iniquity, and bring in everlasting righteousness” (Daniel 9:24b).
He would be God’s means of cleaning sin out of people’s hearts and bringing
goodness there instead.

Daniel’s prophecy said, “The Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself….He
shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering” (Daniel 9:26b, 27a). Many people
around the world offer pigs, chickens, and goats trying to get healing, some kind
of blessing, or forgiveness of their sins. Does it make sense that killing an animal
could help people? No, only the Father of Life can adequately help us with such
struggles.

Daniel predicted that the Savior would do something so powerful that people
would see that sacrifices to animals were not needed. The Savior himself would
die (“be cut off”) in order to save others. Jesus’ death is an extremely important
story that can be studied at another time with great benefit. Here we must simply
see that the prophecy’s words, “in the middle of the week” pointed exactly to the
date of Jesus’ death, 3 ½ years after Jesus’ baptism. No other person matches the
prophecy. We can have confidence that Jesus was the Savior God sent into the
world to help us. For us too, “The birth of Jesus brings hope!”

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The Great Three in One
In this story of Christmas we have heard about the Father of Life, the Holy Spirit,
and Jesus. The Bible describes all these as the Great Three in One. The Bible
says that they have existed from eternity and have been in complete unity of
purpose. The character of all three is holiness, justice, compassion, and mercy.
There is no disagreement among them.

Many people think that Jesus was just a kind man and a very good teacher. The
Bible teaches that He was much more than that. It says, “For by Him all things
were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created
through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things
consist” (Colossians 1:16-17). The story says that Jesus was God, one of the Great
Three in One, having the same powers as the Father of Life. It even says He was
involved in the creation of the world.

The Bible calls Jesus “The Word”. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that
was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. … And the Word
became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-4, 14). Jesus was
above and beyond human existence, but chose to come near to us in order to help
us, just as a parent rushes to help one of their little ones who is in distress.

Listen to this beautiful poem from the Bible about Jesus:

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
but made Himself of no reputation,
taking the form of a bond-servant, and coming in the likeness of men”
(Philippians 2:5-7).

The Boy called “Cow”

In the month of December, in the country of Cambodia, a teenager named Ko
walked into a house where they were celebrating Christmas. He enjoyed the

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 singing, the juice, and the cookies, but mostly he listened carefully to the story of
Jesus’ birth. Afterwards, Ko stayed to talk with the storyteller.

“During the war,” said Ko, “my mother was pregnant with me. The soldiers made
her work hard taking care of many cows. There was almost nothing to eat and no
hospitals anywhere. When she gave birth to me, it was right in the stall among
the cows. In her discouragement, she called me ‘Cow.’ Later she died and my
sister kept me alive.”

“Life has been very hard since then,” continued Ko. “But we have survived. My
name isn’t a nice name. Sometimes I’ve been embarrassed of it. Now I will not
be embarrassed anymore.”

Ko was quiet. The storyteller could tell He was thinking about how God chose to
be born in such a humble way. Finally he said, “Now I know there is a God who
understands my pain and difficulties. Surely He will help me.”

It is amazing to think that the Creator God chose to become like us so we might
know that He understands our difficulties and can help us. King David, wrote a
song that is in the Bible which says: “The Lord is high above all nations, His glory
above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, who dwells on high, who
humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth?
He raises the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the ash heap, that He
may seat him with princes.” (Psalm 113:4-8a).

Meditation Moment

Take some time now to think back over the story and what it means for your life.

Quietly reflect on these quotes and questions:

 “The birth of Jesus brings hope!”

 “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in
the town of David (Bethlehem) a Savior has been born to you, he is Christ
the Lord.” (Luke 2:10b-11).

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  “The Lord is high above all nations, His glory above the heavens. Who is
like the Lord our God, who dwells on high, who humbles Himself to behold
the things that are in the heavens and in the earth? He raises the poor out
of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the ash heap, that He may seat him
with princes.” (Psalm 113:4-8a).

 “I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you….If
you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (John 13:15, 17).

 Miraculous things happened to Mary because she was willing to believe God
and follow His commands. What is God asking you to believe and do?

 The shepherds eagerly told the good news to whoever they met. To whom
would you like to tell this story?

 King Herod destroyed, while Jesus served. What could you do to help
someone tomorrow?

Now you’re ready to make some good choices.

The Choice Regarding the Birth of Jesus is Yours

Many people like the celebration of Christmas. However, Jesus never told His
disciples that they must celebrate His birthday. Instead, He said, “I have given
you an example, that you should do as I have done to you….If you know these
things, blessed are you if you do them” (John 13:15, 17). God wants us to look at
the meaning of Christmas and follow Jesus’ example of humility and service. We
can encourage the poor to find help in God. We can encourage the wealthy to find
deeper purpose and meaning for their lives in serving as Jesus did. It is not a day
for drinking and partying. It is a day for sharing and giving.

Take Action: Check the things below that you will put into practice this week.

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 _____ I will be like the Wisemen and search the ancient scriptures to know its
prophecies and follow its words of truth.
_____ I will reject the selfishness of Herod and choose to be humble and helpful
like Jesus. I will do something kind for someone every day.
_____ I will share the good news about the meaning of Christmas with my family
and friends.

You can give honor and appreciation to God by praying the following prayer:

Prayer Power

“Father of Life, Thank You for Your great plan to help us. The story of Jesus’ birth
shows Your great mercy and mighty power. Thank You for the sacrifice and
humility we see in Jesus. Fill my heart with compassion for the poor and those in
need. Help me to understand more fully who Jesus is and what He came to do.
Thank You for hope as I face my difficulties and opportunities this week. In Jesus’
name, amen.”

Enjoy the good news you’ve learned. Have courage as you face your challenges.
Remember always, “The birth of Jesus brings hope!”

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