The
Christmas that the Christian world
celebrates, the first Christmas in Bethlehem of Judea, among the little family
and the shepherds was just the prelude.
We do not know what Mary and Joseph felt; surely it was relief and gratitude,
as at all births, when the mother and child survived the ordeal and were found
healthy. The heavenly hosts were
demonstrably jubilant for they knew something that hadn’t penetrated the minds
and hearts of those yet mortal. The shepherds were ‘sore afraid’ and then
curious, and then, finally, worshipful. But the people? The people who received the report of the
shepherds, the record tells us, just ‘wondered at those things which were told
them by the shepherds.’
And later as
the years wore on and the land was still occupied by the Romans and the people
were still not delivered and the messiah, as
they perceived he would be, had not made an appearance as they thought, I
suspect they ‘wondered’ even less.
Of course
there were those who had witnessed, for themselves, for a period of about three
years the power of healing and spirituality by this itinerate preacher, this man
named Jesus of Nazareth. Surely some
were changed forever by their experience.
But what of the others—those who had not seen the light, who had not been
touched by this man’s hand or had felt the power of his word sink deep into
their hearts or who had rejected the witnesses? They went on in darkness, largely as before,
perhaps hearing of some strange happenings among a small group of ‘disciples’
of this man Jesus, but in practice discounting the reports and thus sinking
further into ennui and apostasy and even despair.
But then, in
the springtime of about the year 30 an event happened that could not be
ignored. In addition to the Passover
which was being ritualistically celebrated came news, and then the frightening geo-physical
phenomena of earthquake and thunder, that this man Jesus had been apprehended, ‘tried’
for sedition (what else could it be—He had rejected their whole way of life!) and
was crucified.
When the
ground stopped shaking, and the ‘storm’ passed and the ‘passover’ passed over
and people returned to their homes, it was over, so they thought.
But then
came the third day—the ‘Second Christmas,’ as it were, the day we call Easter. It started
with the first resurrection in the history of mankind. Indeed, it started again with Jesus. Instead of coming
to a grotto in Bethlehem, He came from another grotto, a tomb in
Jerusalem. This 'Second Christmas' season continued with the little
band of disciples; it continued for the
next 40 days. It was a time of great rejoicing—among a few.
The evidence
was incontrovertible but there were still those “foolish people . . . without
understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not . .
. [and who] hath a revolting and a rebellious heart” (Jeremiah 5:19-25).
The
groundwork had been completed! But still
the darkened world of the minds and hearts of the generality of men would not comprehend the
message, the invitation, and the reality. They rejected even this.
Graves were
opened and a resurrection had begun on this earth (still among a relative few)
as a second prelude to the greater celebration which was begun in heaven. For
there the captives had been liberated, their Savior had returned home, and
their resurrection, so long looked forward to, could now come to fruition.
But with
this victory over death, this victory of victories, came the great
division. ‘For (as the song says) hate is strong and mocks
the song, of peace on earth—good will toward men.’
That ‘peace
on earth—good will toward men,’ unfortunately, will not commence (neither was it promised) until the ‘third Christmas,’
as it were, comes as the great Millennial Day dawns and Jesus comes, this time, with the hosts of heaven
as the veritable Messiah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
And this
time the world will take notice.
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