Christmas 1
Beloved. For most of the world around us, Christmas 2019 is a fading memory. For many, the last hurrah was Christmas Day itself after a long holiday season with all sorts of festivities. If things haven’t petered out already—just walk through any neighborhood and see how many Christmas trees are at the curbs—they soon will with New Year’s. But for us in the Church, we are right in the midst of Christmas. For us Christmas is a 12 day season beginning with Christmas itself. We are at the fifth day of Christmas, of five golden rings fame of the Christmas song.
As we think back to Christmas 2019 itself—and hopefully also now for the full 12 days—we see a time of great joy and happiness. We think of special foods and get-togethers; we think of the favorite Christmas songs; we think of the Christmas Cheer that we experienced in ourselves and from others. So, yes, Christmas is a most wonderful time of year. But we dare never look on Christmas in purely sentimental terms. If we do, we miss what makes Christmas so important.
And that’s why our Gospel today is so vital. It brings us another side of Christmas. We tend to look at and focus on all the good and pleasant things about Christmas. And that’s fine! It is good to reflect on that Silent and Holy Night and think about God’s love for us in becoming also true man to be our Savior. It is good to reflect on the angels in the shepherd’s field singing praise to Jesus in the manger. But that scene of glory is not all there is at Christmas. What we have in our Gospel today is the result of Christmas; what happened when Jesus came and entered this world. As we examine our text today, we will see that already in Christ’s cradle there is a cross. And what applies to Jesus applies to His Christians.
Now when [they wise men] had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him. The cross—suffering—is there already in the Christ Child’s cradle. This would mark His whole life and ultimately He would be killed on the cross. But that raises the question: why would Herod want to kill Jesus? Why would, ultimately, the religious leaders of Jews want to kill Jesus? We read a few verses before our text that when the wise men came to Jerusalem looking for the newborn king of the Jews: When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the religious leaders of the Jews gathered in council and said [Jn 12.11.47,48]: “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” When Jesus was born and His birth announced—where is He who has been born king of the Jews?—Herod feared for his position; and on top of that all Jerusalem [was troubled] with him –they, too, feared what this meant. When Jesus’ miracles were showing Him indeed to be that long awaited Savior—the religious leaders worried about their position.
So when that Baby—Jesus—was born that first Christmas, no one would have noticed or cared if all that first Christmas was, was good feelings, sentimentality; if it would become a non-descript winter holiday. But as we see: if King Herod feared the change of the way things were, if the religious leaders feared the change of the current situation, what does that show us? It shows us that they knew/ sensed that Jesus’ coming meant a change, a drastic change.
And they were right! Jesus came for a reason. He came to turn things on end; He came to undo/ destroy the work of the devil. Christmas marks the beginning of Jesus’ battle against the devil. It marks the point of time that He came into “devil occupied territory” and entered the battle against the prince of this world. Jesus came to bring something new—actually to restore what had been lost and destroyed when the devil brought sin and death into the world. This would turn the world on end. The devil and his allies would want to keep the old ways—the ways of sin, of rebellion against God, of death and damnation. But Jesus came to reconcile us sinners to the holy God; He came to bring us the forgiveness of sins and eternal life; He came to open the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Christmas is the beginning of this.
Is it any wonder that immediately with Jesus’ coming, the devil musters all his forces to try to destroy Jesus? The devil wants to keep things as they are: in his grip of sin, death and damnation. And so he raises up allies like King Herod to try to destroy Jesus and His work. For Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him. The devil knew why Jesus had come and he would fight against Jesus and try to smother His kingdom. The cross was right away in the cradle for Jesus and that cross is also with His dear Christians, as the devil tries to destroy our faith in Jesus and His work and so drag us back into the kingdom of sin, death, and damnation.
How we see Jesus’ full humanity in today’s Gospel! Remember that Jesus is true God, the Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He is the almighty God Himself—but what do we see here? –His humanity: how utterly dependent He is on His mother and Joseph for life and protection. In no way was Jesus using His divine power and majesty but looked and was like any other Baby less than two years old. So throughout His earthly ministry, how Jesus deeply humbled Himself, even humbling Himself to death on the cross for us and our salvation! But the fact that Jesus is also true man, which is what we especially remember and celebrate at Christmas, we see here also in His early sufferings. And it gives us great comfort because Jesus is true man, He could truly be our Substitute under the Law of God, obeying it for us, and on the cross suffering on it for our sins.
The fact that the cross of suffering was already in the cradle of Christ shows us the way that He would set up/ establish His kingdom, the Church would be through suffering; it shows us His way of life would be one of suffering but one that leads to glory. We should not be surprised when we see Jesus suffer on the cross. That note/ theme has already been struck here soon after His birth.
And at the same time, what do we see here? Yes, the cross is already in the cradle but the Lord protects Him. Jesus would not suffer and die for the sins of the world until it was the right time; the time He had determined. Jesus would willingly lay down His life; it wouldn’t be taken from Him by Herod or any other agent of Satan. Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you. It is clear: although the cross of suffering is in Christ’s cradle, His enemies will not succeed. But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. Not only does this apply to Jesus, it applies also to His word: the truth of God may be and is opposed and persecuted but it will never be wiped out. Look at all those who opposed Jesus and His Word, His Church. Where are they now/ where will they be? –In the dustbins of history. Jesus reigns! Through His word He goes out and continues to bring people the fruit of His saving work, creating faith and gathering them into His kingdom, the Church. Just as the devil and his allies, didn’t and couldn’t stop Jesus from His work here, so also they didn’t and couldn’t stop Jesus from His work, ever! And for us that is our greatest comfort. Far from the cross in the cradle—or any suffering or lowliness of our Lord—being a hindrance or stumbling block to our faith, let it serve to strengthen us in the faith. Jesus suffered—even already as a Baby—because He came to destroy the work of the devil and He would do it precisely through suffering—on His terms and in His time for us and our salvation—and His enemies would never succeed against Him.
We also always need to keep in mind that as Christians we are united with Jesus in our Baptism. If we are united with Jesus, that also means that because He suffered, we, too, will suffer; we too will have the cross of suffering. Jesus does not bring us earthly fortune but the cross and misery. Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Think of these boy babies. They are the Holy Innocents. They were killed because Jesus had come—and the devil and his allies did not like it. Jesus’ coming certainly did not gain these infants any earthly blessing. They merely lived in the area where Jesus was born. What about us in whose hearts Jesus was born anew this past Christmas; us, who are united with Jesus in Baptism; us, who receive and unite with Jesus as He gives us His very body and blood in the Holy Sacrament? We who are so intimately connected with Jesus, should we expect the favors and blessings of the world around us, from the devil and his allies? Should we expect earthly gain and blessing? Certainly not! –Just the same thing Jesus and these first martyrs/ witnesses of Jesus received—the cross of suffering. In other words, just because you are a Christian do not expect to be healthy, wealthy and wise in this world nor expect favors from the world. But, although Jesus had the cross already in the cradle and brought the cross of suffering, remember what else He brought—the promise of heaven to His faithful. Being faithful to Him until we die, He gives us the crown of life, the glorious eternity in heaven with all the angels and saints in His presence.
But until that time, during our earthly lives when we are surrounded and hounded by the devil and his allies all trying to destroy our faith, our good and gracious Lord leads us like He did St. Joseph. Not only did the Lord warn Joseph to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt—certainly for him that was a cross of suffering—but He also told Him by the angel when to return: Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead. And Joseph obeyed. And then when they get to Israel, Joseph found out that Herod’s son, who was just as bad as Herod, was ruling in Judea. Again, more cross and suffering for the Holy Family. Joseph was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. Do you see what is happening? Yes, because of Jesus there is cross and suffering but the Lord is leading Joseph step by step. He didn’t abandon him in his suffering but, instead, was with him every step of the way.
It is the same with us. In our sufferings the Lord is with us, guiding and leading us. Like with Joseph, we don’t get the whole picture, but at the right time the Lord gives us help and rescue. Yes, the cross of suffering will be with us too—being Christians doesn’t prevent that—the Lord may allow us to fall into anguish and distress, but He is there in mercy to save us. When it seems like He isn’t there and our prayers are in vain, He is merely exercising our faith: the more and longer we feel our need and pray for something, the more we recognize and rejoice when the Lord does grant us help, relief and guidance. He is faithful to His promises.
Jesus’ cross of suffering was already in His cradle; He carried it from early infancy. Joseph and Mary and even the Holy Innocents suffered because of Jesus—and we will suffer--but the Lord is with us, faithful to His promises to us. INJ Amen.