CYPRESSWOOD
CHURCH
OF
CHRIST
December 20, 2009
25424 Aldine-Westfield, Spring, TX.
77373
www.blakehart.com/cypresswoodbulletin.htm
PRAISE AND REQUESTS:
God’s will for our
congregation
Various friends, relatives and co-workers
Our nation, military and
leaders
Peace
MERRY
CHRISTMAS
MYTHS, MISREADINGS, AND MYSTERIES OF
CHRISTMAS
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom
his favor rests”
(Luke 2:14).
As you know, I really
like this time of year. I like the
decorations but I really like the sacred music.
Many of the familiar sacred songs reflect on the purpose for Jesus
coming into this world. If we
listen carefully, we will see the gospel being presented.
Over the centuries many traditions have arisen about this time of year
and the birth of Christ and they have been carried along in song; so much so
that we have ideas that we think are facts but are either myths, misreadings,
or mysteries. Let’s take a look a
some of these.
When we think of the
birth of Jesus, we do not know the date or even the year of His birth.
What we do know about the birth of Jesus is that it was near the end of
the life of Herod the Great who died c. 4 B.C.
Because of calendar changes and misreadings, there is just no way at
this time to figure it out. Some
argue that since the shepherds were in the fields, it was more like spring than
winter. A number of months have
been suggested. Some have attempted
to connect Christmas, which means Christ’s mass, with pagan holidays; debate
continues around this. Many
speculate why December 25th was chosen, the most sensible was to
contradict or compete against a pagan holiday.
This remains one of the mysteries of Christmas.
One of the myths that
has become popular in recent years is that Joseph and Mary were a homeless
couple when they entered Bethlehem and found themselves in a manger, that is, a
barn of some kind. This myth is
being stated to push a political position.
What the problem with this is a fundamental misunderstanding of Jewish
culture. There are several things
that scripture does teach us. The
ruling power of the day, the Roman Empire, required a census be taken and as
part of that requirement, people were to return to their hometowns (Luke
2:1-4). Now I know that God had His
plan at work in all of this.
Another situation here is that while Mary is pledged or betrothed to Joseph,
and this required a divorce to end, Mary is pregnant.
The situation was most likely stressful for both of them given the
standards of honor and shame of the day.
Open to ridicule, the census offered the couple an opportunity to move
south from Galilee to Judea and begin a new life (1).
The journey would be
difficult and dangerous, some five days walking, yet there were probably many
traveling in different directions to fulfill the requirements of the census.
Some have tried to suggest that Joseph and Mary stopped here or there
and have attempted to mark the area.
There is no way scientifically, archaeologically or theologically to
know. When they reached Bethlehem,
they were coming home to family.
Jewish honor would be a stake in welcoming family home.
Another myth deals with an “inn” and some poor innkeeper has either been
criticized for his callousness toward the couple in sending them to a stable or
his compassion for doing it.
Neither is true. There are two
words translated “inn” in Luke. The
one means an inn like we would be familiar with and is found in the parable of
the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).
The second word is used three times and twice it is translated as an upper
room. The TNIV also follows with
the idea of “guest room.”
Jewish homes in the world of Jesus were from one to four rooms with a area for
animals included. The animals would
be brought in night to protect them and the investment of the community or
village (2). With many travelers at
this time, Joseph and Mary likely slept next to the animal area.
That area was probably a little lower than the rest of the house and the
guest room a little higher. To lay
Jesus in the manger was to put him on top of the hay that was available for the
animals yet still out of reach.
Our manger scenes have
Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, the wise men, and animals surround Jesus with a
star over them. Again, this is more
a misreading of scripture than historical truth.
When the angel appeared to the shepherds announce the birth of the
Messiah, they left their flocks and entered Bethlehem.
While a small village, being night, how would they know which house it
was that Jesus was in? One way was
that the men of the house were probably standing outside while the women worked
together delivering the baby. An
honorable culture would maintain and treat their guests with what they needed,
and in my mind, Joseph and Mary might have been planning to stay in Bethlehem
rather than return to Galilee (3).
Another modern day
political theory relates to the story is that when Joseph and Mary fled to
Egypt, they were illegal aliens.
There are several ideas that should be considered.
One, Egypt and Israel were ruled by Rome.
Passports were not required to travel across the empire.
Two, there was a prominent Jewish community in several places in Egypt
including Alexandria. Finding them
would not be difficult and it is possible that they were told of a place to go
before they left.
This brings us to the
wise men or Magi. There is much
mystery surrounding them such as where they came from, how many there were, how
they knew about the Messiah, and the star that they followed.
Some of the things we hear about the Magi come from tradition and are
myth. Some songbooks with the
popular song, “We Three Kings of Orient Are” have the names that have
come down through history as singing each verse that represents a gift;
Melchior sings about gold, Caspar about frankincense, and Balthasar about myrrh
(4). The assumption is that since
there were three gifts, there were three wise men.
We do not know how many there were because the text doesn’t say.
They were welcomed into
the court of Herod so they must have had some power.
However, they were not kings though they might have had some connection
to royalty. There are some
possibilities that should be considered.
Many scholars consider them connected with the Babylonian wise men of
Daniel’s day (5). They may have
been familiar with the writings of Daniel and Ezekiel, two prophets who lived
in Babylon. They most likely had
contact with Jewish Diaspora communities and became familiar with the
expectations of the coming of the Messiah.
No doubt God played a role in their coming because of the star.
Many have attempted to figure out the star; a conjunction of planets, a
comet, some type of star lineup, even an angel.
God could have created a special star, just like a special fish in
Jonah’s day, to lead them to Israel.
There were certainly some things missing in their understanding such as
Micah 5:2. They entered Jerusalem
rather than Bethlehem and the religious leaders were called to inform Herod and
the Magi as to the birthplace of the Messiah.
When did the Magi
arrive? There are several things
that Luke records that we need to keep in mind.
Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day and Mary was purified
thirty-three days after the birth (Leviticus 12).
Joseph and Mary went to the Temple to offer the appropriate offering.
There they met Simeon. Many
have thought that he was an old man but there is no indication of his age.
They also met Anna who had been a widow and might have been eighty-four
or might have been a widow eighty-four years making her around one hundred.
It is after this that the Magi arrived and then Joseph and Mary fled to
Egypt.
One thing we see in this
story is the influence of politics.
Our modern age isn’t much different.
Our view of Christmas though wants to keep out anything that is
political or evil. We like our snow
and sentimental feelings of both the story and the songs.
One thing preachers do not normally preach on during the holidays is the
death of the children in Bethlehem at the hands of Herod nor are there many
songs about that. In the eastern
churches, they period between the birth of Jesus and the arrival of the Magi is
twelve days, and is called Epiphany.
These are some of the
myths, misreadings, and mysteries that we see in the birth of Jesus.
It should not surprise us because we have been influenced by centuries
of tradition and music. For
instance, sometimes a song mixes the events.
One song, Rise Up Shepherd And Follow has the shepherds following
the star. This is an old Negro
spiritual and like others mixes these events.
Another one is Children, Go Where I Send Thee, often sung at
Christmas but has both Old and New covenant ideas associated with it.
An old tradition carol, The First Noel, also mixes events and has
been criticized for this. However,
if we sang the seven or eight verses of the song, we see the progression and
reasoning of the song. Likewise the
thought I Wonder As I Wander mixes the images of the story (6).
Hopefully this will help
us appreciate the holiday and recognize that while we enjoy the season, there
are unknowns surrounding it. N.T.
Wright has suggested that while it is a day of joy, we should be more focused
on the resurrection. Easter, as it
is known however, tends to be too violent and religious for some.
It began in the mind of God before the creation of the world and was
fulfilled beginning in Bethlehem.
While there are many mysteries surround the birth of Jesus, it is still an
historical event, a fulfillment of prophecy, and a time to celebrate.
May we encourage culture to look more closely at the birth of Jesus,
listen carefully to the sacred songs, and be drawn to the crucified and risen
Savior. Have a good holiday.
George B. Mearns
(1) See the movie The
Nativity Story for some of the cultural details on this and other points
including the difficulties of traveling from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
(2) Mark Hamilton,
Israel in the Ancient Near East, The Transforming Word, ACU Press.
2009, p. 37; Kenneth E. Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, IVP,
2008, p. 25ff; Ben Witherington III, Star-Studded Wise Men: Rethinking the
Christmas Story, http://blog.belieftnet.com/bibleandculture copied
12/8/2009.
(3) Some might argue
that Jesus was homeless in His ministry based on the text that He had no place
to lay is head. Again, the failure
to understand the culture and the fact that many traveled with Him just makes
this view a modern reading into the text rather than what the text says.
This is not to say that we should not be concerned for the homeless but
lets use texts that relate to this such as love of neighbor.
(4) This song, despite
the use of three kings, has one of the most moving messages on the good news of
Jesus found in carols. Read
carefully stanzas two, three, and four and the conclusion in verse five.
(5) Bailey thinks that
the wise men were from Arabia, ibid., p. 48ff.
Patrick Mead thinks they were Zoroastrians in Zoroaster in Big Bend
(hidden history), copied on 9/7/2009 from
http://patrickmead.net
While Mead’s view as
some points to it, them having been in the Babylon area and so having contact
with the Jews, neither view is overwhelming.
However, read Mead’s article which is part of his hidden history and
people series and is just very fascinating.
(6) The movie The
Nativity Story has the traditional gathering at the manger and crams too
much in in the last scene. I don’t
have a problem singing these songs as long as we recognize that they do mix
events. While the manger scenes can
be moving, Biblical history shows that several months were involved in the
birth of Jesus and the fleeing to Egypt.