Light, Not Lightning
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In 1899 a Scottish Presbyterian pastor named Alexander B. Grosart published a poem entitled “The Divine Child”:
O Prodigious Wonder!
To be sounded by the thunder –
To be sounded by the thunder –
Our God on Earth a Child;
But as the Light, not lightning;
Attracting, not a’frightening
Earth and Heaven reconciled.
O infinitude of grace!
That our dreadest fears chase –
Our God on Earth a Child;
Mystery of mystery,
Coming not to live but to die –
God’s own pure Undefiled.
Light, not lightning. What a perfect description of the birth of Jesus Christ.
In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
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700 years before the birth of Jesus Yahweh spoke through the prophet Isaiah about Israel’s unfaithfulness,
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. ()
They will pass through the land hard-pressed and famished, and it will turn out that when they are hungry, they will be enraged and curse their king and their God as they face upward. Then they will look to the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be driven away into darkness.
But the story would not end there.
But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.
Light, not lightning. Truth, not shouting. The freedom of Grace, not the burden of Law.
And the apostle John wrote in his Gospel,
In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
How did God accomplish this? How did the Light come? Through incarnation.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Last week we looked at Christmas in Eternity, the fact that Christmas did not begin 2000 years ago in the Near East, but in eternity “past,” with meaning stretching into eternity “future.”
This morning let’s look at the moment itself. Would you turn to with me?
Preparation & Birth
Preparation & Birth
Preparation
We read this as opens:
Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.
Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
God had promised that His Son would be born in Bethlehem, but Joseph and Mary were from Nazareth. How do they get to Bethlehem? Through a work of God known as coherence.
A miracle is where God reverses natural laws and processes. Parting the Red Sea was a miracle; so was raising the dead.
Providence is when God works through natural laws and processes. The conception of Isaac was an act of providence, where God enabled the normal act of conception to take place.
And coherence is where God works through human beings as they make decisions and carry out actions. It was God’s intention to work through Daniel in Assyria. How did Daniel get there? Nebuchadnezzar made the decision to invade Judah and capture its young people to serve in his kingdom.
In our passage, the Father wants His Son born in Bethlehem. He could have told Joseph in a dream to go to Bethlehem for the birth, but instead decreed that Caesar Augustus would call for a census of the Roman empire, and furthermore that Quirinius would require Judeans, at least, to travel to their ancestral homes.
I’m fascinated by the way that Luke constructs his narrative. He writes with his typical care and precision, and at the same builds a compelling story.
Good old doctor Luke writes with his typical care and precision, and at the same builds a compelling story.
He moves from the most powerful man in the western world – Augustus Caesar – to the governor of the Imperial province of Syria, Quirinius, to Joseph and Mary, and finally to the most seemingly insignificant person in the world, a nameless newborn baby boy (He was named Jesus at His circumcision, ).
powerful man in the region, the Roman governor, Quirinius, to a man with no significance at all, Joseph, and eventually to the child Himself, who remains unnamed in this passage.
Luke also moves from the heart of the empire, the city of Rome, to the Imperial province, Syria, to the insignificant province of Judea. Judea was probably the smallest imperial province in the Roman empire; in fact, at the time it was overseen by Quirinius in Syria. No governor was appointed directly over Judea until Coponius in 6 A.D. And then the focus is turned to the little village of Bethlehem, which had a population of about 300, and ultimately to one manger in that village.
God had promised that His Son would be born in Bethlehem, but Joseph and Mary were from Nazareth. How do they get to Bethlehem?
and then down to the little village of Bethlehem, just south of Jerusalem, which had a population of about 300.
perhaps the most insignificant – Joseph, and his wife, Mary.
He moves from the heart of the empire – Roman
The story zeroes in like a laser on a trivial village where a nameless newborn lies, almost hidden, in a manger.
The most important statement in this entire passage is one of the briefest: And she gave birth to her firstborn Son. What happened then? Angels singing? Flashes of lightning, peals of thunder, a heavenly fireworks show to herald the birth of Jesus Christ?
No. She wrapped Him in clothes and laid Him in a manger. I think we can presume that she wiped Him off and nursed Him first, but the information is very basic. We don’t know whether Jesus was born during the daytime or at night – the angels visited the shepherds at night, but Jesus had already been born. But either way, after the baby was born, everything settled down. As Alexander Grosart wrote in his poem, “Our God on Earth a Child,” but you would never know to look at the scene.
Joseph is there, trying to take it all in. Mary is there, exhausted and sore. And the baby is there, bundled up, sleeping.
But not too far away, there was a remarkable, Old Testament-style angelic visitation taking place …
Announcement & Praise
Announcement & Praise
In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
The scene shifts from stable to pasture. The shepherds have settled in for the night. The flock is quiet now. The shepherds are resting, watching against predators and thieves.
And then an angel is standing there before them, right in front of them, and the glory of God is shining with brilliant, pure, intense Light. They were terribly frightened, frightened with great fear, as the Greek text says.
Their fear was absolutely rational. First of all, they’re minding their own business, and suddenly they are surrounded by a light brighter than the sun. Beyond this, it isn’t just light, but the glory of God, and that means that they are also suddenly aware of their own sinfulness.
But that just reinforces the angel’s words: Do not be afraid, because I bring you GOOD news of GREAT joy which will be for ALL the people.
And what is that good news? A Savior has been born for you. That Savior is Christ, or Messiah – the Anointed One of God, the One God has been promising all along, ever since Adam sinned and all mankind died in him.
That Savior is also Lord. Lord, or kurios, is how the Jews translated Yahweh when they translated the Old Testament into Greek. This Savior, the Anointed One of God, is God in human flesh.
There is no better Savior.
There is no one more Anointed.
There is no one more powerful and able to save.
He is the Savior God has promised, the Savior God gave us, the Savior we need.
for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
This is, indeed, GOOD news of GREAT joy because it is for ALL the people. Not the special ones. Not the holy ones. Not the powerful ones. Not the influential ones. ALL the people, everyone who would believe in Him, from kings to shepherds and everyone in between.
This tremendous announcement needed to be emphasized, and so the Lord also sent a multitude of angels, who appeared and praised God: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” That’s the proper order of things. God must be glorified above all, and He is glorified by granting peace to those with whom He is pleased. And the means by which God has given peace to His people is through the Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And then the dark returns. The night is quiet. The shepherds had a quick conversation and decided to head for Bethlehem …
Believing is Seeing
Believing is Seeing
When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
Back in the angel told the shepherds that the sign his words were true was that the newborn baby would be in a manger in Bethlehem. That’s exactly what the shepherds found - a baby lying in a manger. No angels, no shouts of praise, just a tired little family and a few well wishers.
The shepherds shared what the angel had told them, that this newborn little boy was the Savior, the Christ, the Lord.
The other visitors were stunned; they wondered at the things the shepherds said. Who shows up when a baby is born and claims to have seen an angel with GOOD news of GREAT joy for everyone, followed up by a massive crowd of angels worshiping God? If it was one shepherd they might have dismissed it as a dream or a sign of instability. But there were shepherds, plural, and they all told the same story, just like it had really happened. So the visitors really didn’t know what to make of it. Some might have been thrilled, others confused, and others suspicious, but they were all amazed. This doesn’t mean that they were happy, by the way. Most in Jesus’ time were amazed at how insulting His claims were.
We aren’t told what Joseph thought, but Mary treasured their words, and pondered them in her heart. These words go far beyond that night in the stable. Treasured here doesn’t simply mean valued, but protected and preserved. Mary went to the trouble of carefully memorizing what had been said by the shepherds, so that she was able to ponder them in her heart. The word ponder could also be translated meditate. She rolled these words around and around in her mind and heart. She thought about them for a long, long time. We know that Luke traveled with Paul, and wrote his Gospel based on the testimony of the apostolic eyewitnesses.
If Mary was a mid-teen when Jesus was born, then she was in her mid-forties when He died and rose again, and perhaps 60 when Luke began traveling with Paul. Luke might have heard this from Mary herself as she shared what happened that night. If not, he certainly heard it from the other apostles in Jerusalem, where she was part of the church. She spent the next thirty years after Jesus’ birth trying to understand what they meant, although she couldn’t comprehend the enormity of what her Son would face on the cross. I can’t imagine the fear that must have stricken her heart at time. But after His resurrection, the meaning of them changes: her Son, Jesus, was the Savior, the Christ, the Lord! The love she had for her Son was replaced by a deep and abiding faith in her Savior.
The story doesn’t end with Mary, though. Luke is careful to tell us that the shepherds went back to their flocks and fields, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them. Their Savior had been born, Christ the Lord. This was GOOD news of GREAT joy, they were told. It was for ALL the people, including them. Their fears of judgment had been replaced with the gladness and that there was a Savior, and that He came to save them! How would He save them? The Scriptures promised a Savior who would die for the sins of His people – that’s in – but since no one else in Israel seemed to make that connection, it’s not likely that they did, either. They probably had no idea how the Savior would save them, but God had promised, and that was enough.
Bringing it Home
Bringing it Home
We don’t get to be Mary or Joseph in the story. They were unique in the narrative.
Most of the people in our time, just as in theirs, are just like the bystanders. They are amazed and astonished at the suggestion that Jesus is the Savior and God’s only Anointed One and the Lord, God in human flesh. As I pointed out, that didn’t mean that they were happy or glad; many were insulted that Jesus made the claims He made, and that the apostles continued to teach those very same truths. The same is true today. How dare anyone say that we need salvation in the first place, or that Jesus is the only Savior, or that we are helpful to save ourselves? We only dare because it’s what the Bible says. It isn’t our idea, but God’s, just as the angels revealed.
The same is true today. How dare anyone say that we need salvation in the first place, or that Jesus is the only Savior, or that we are helpful to save ourselves? We only dare because it’s what the Bible says. It isn’t our idea, but God’s, just as the angels revealed.
Our message is this: there is GOOD news of GREAT joy for ALL people, but the reality is that most people reject that message. It was true in biblical history, and it is true today. Their rejection doesn’t change our message, but it does bring it into sharper focus. The more sinful the soul, the harder the heart, the more insulting and dismissive the sinner, the greater judgment that is faced, the better the good news is. Remember, the Lord Jesus saved Saul of Tarsus, not before Saul had terribly persecuted the church, but after. No wonder Paul (his Greek name) was so eager to proclaim the Gospel before the emperor - if Jesus Christ could save him, the chief of sinners, He could certainly save Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, better known as Nero.
But for my part, I want to be like the shepherds. I have heard GOOD news of GREAT joy that is for ALL people, including me. I have been promised a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And while I know far more than the shepherds knew about Jesus and His life and His sacrifice and His resurrection, I still know so little.
I know that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, and I know that the Spirit of God gave me life and faith to believe, and that I have been brought into the family of God. I know that these things happened, but I don’t know how they happened.
I know the Lord has promised to keep me today, and every day, until He calls me to Him in death, or Jesus returns for His church. But I don’t know how God will do that. Like Paul wrote in Second Corinthians, words full of wisdom: we live by faith, not by sight. I don’t know how the Lord will fulfill His promises to me or to us, but I know that He will.
And so I want to come away today glorifying God and rejoicing for all that I have heard of the GOOD news of GREAT joy which is for me, too. And I want each and every one of you to glorify God and praise His name as well!