He's Not a Baby in a Manger Anymore
Ah, Christmas time. That time of the year when parents lie to their children about Santa Clause and celebrities expressively sing traditional carols with no apparent acknowledgment of their deeply theological and exclusively Christocentric meaning. What could be better?
Well, maybe Baby Jesus is better. Another one of the hallmarks of this season is the celebration of the "Christmas story," of Jesus Christ being born to Mary. The truth of God becoming a human forever is, to be sure, a profound and essential part of the central gospel message. The fact that the Christmas season gives room to shine a light on this is no small thing. I'm grateful, and I think as Christians we should "make the most of every opportunity" (Colossians 4:5) to talk about what God has done.
That said, I've been thinking about the proliferation of "Baby Jesus Culture" during our Christmas weeks. Again, it is so much better than, say, Vampire and Witch Culture during Halloween, or even Santa Culture (which, despite my lighthearted jab above, I have no problem with, in its proper place). I mean, as Christians in America, we basically get two Jesus holidays each year that go mainstream: Easter and Christmas. But Easter's resurrection celebration is confined to the Church, even if the churches do bulge at the seams that day. Christmas really is unique in that its gospel-meaning often seeps out into the culture at large. Even if the hymn singing and nativities are insincere in some secular spaces (my other snarky jab above), the truth-filled message is still being broadcasted! And as Paul said, "whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice." (Philippians 1:18)
So why do we get a "pass" when it comes to Baby Jesus? Here's my conclusion, and really this whole blog in a nutshell: the idea of Jesus as a human baby by itself, and nothing more, is a palatable and unoffensive slice of Christianity that almost any 21st century westerner will accept. But by itself, it is not the gospel. And I'd like to suggest that thinking Christians this season should appreciate with wonder how Jesus came, but to worship Him for who He is now: the risen and glorified Lord.
Here's what I mean. I hear people praying to "Baby Jesus." And when that happens I know that something is seriously wrong. (I know that much of this is in jest; but some is not, and some of it has become a reality because of the jokes!) Misty Edwards said it best in her song with the lyrics, "He's not a baby in a manger anymore. He's not a broken man on a cross. He didn't stay in the grave, and He's not staying in heaven forever."
The Bible is consistent in how it pictures Jesus after His life, death, and resurrection. Society may accept Jesus as an eternally enshrined baby in a nativity scene, but they are probably less likely to acknowledge that that was God in a manger. The whole incarnation thing. Likewise, society may accept that Jesus died on a cross, but are less likely to appreciate that He resurrected (enter the Easter bunny instead). But the message preached in the book of Acts, the message that got the early Christians maligned and martyred, was not "pray to sweet baby Jesus," but was a retelling of that story and then a bold proclamation of who Jesus is and where He is now: "This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing...God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." (Acts 2:32-33,36)
Jesus, at this very moment as you read this, still fully human and most definitely still God, is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven, bursting with splendor and power. He is still pouring out the Spirit (Acts 2:33), making intercession for us (Romans 8:37), and eagerly waiting for the Day when He can split the sky and return. When you pray, this is the one to whom you look.
Look, if we appear to find the real grave of Jesus in modern day Israel, or the shroud of Turin, or the Apostle Peter's lost sandal--even if they are real (which they are probably not), they remain artifacts. The grave is still empty. A peasant in South America praying in faith to the risen Lord is more connected to true Life and Love and Power than a celebrity or king or priest with all the religious relics in the world. While depictions of Jesus in the manger and on the cross can be powerful tools of remembrance and even lead us to worship, we miss the point when we crystallize those images and act as if He is still there. He is alive, and He's not swaddled in baby cloths or smiling at the little drummer boy--He's crying out in prayer, looking right at you with eyes of fire and a heart of burning love.
The human heart is an idol factory, as John Calvin has famously said. Strangely, during this season some of us can make Baby Jesus our new idol. Because he's tame. Controllable. Quite unlike the real Jesus who was, in fact, baby-ified at one point, but then conquered sin and death and will soon come again to forcibly (!) overturn the current governments and anti-God systems of this age. That was the message the apostles preached constantly: "They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus" (Acts 17:7).
Look, I love love love Christmas, and equally love the Christmas story. It happened, and it's powerful. But the next time you see a nativity scene, zoom out a bit. Remember that that baby somehow, mysteriously, was God. Remember that that baby grew up and blew Israel's mind with His miracles, kindness, and fierce truth-telling. Remember that He died a shameful death and rose again. And perhaps most stunningly, remember that He now holds all authority at the Father's right hand...and He's not staying in heaven forever.
Well, maybe Baby Jesus is better. Another one of the hallmarks of this season is the celebration of the "Christmas story," of Jesus Christ being born to Mary. The truth of God becoming a human forever is, to be sure, a profound and essential part of the central gospel message. The fact that the Christmas season gives room to shine a light on this is no small thing. I'm grateful, and I think as Christians we should "make the most of every opportunity" (Colossians 4:5) to talk about what God has done.
That said, I've been thinking about the proliferation of "Baby Jesus Culture" during our Christmas weeks. Again, it is so much better than, say, Vampire and Witch Culture during Halloween, or even Santa Culture (which, despite my lighthearted jab above, I have no problem with, in its proper place). I mean, as Christians in America, we basically get two Jesus holidays each year that go mainstream: Easter and Christmas. But Easter's resurrection celebration is confined to the Church, even if the churches do bulge at the seams that day. Christmas really is unique in that its gospel-meaning often seeps out into the culture at large. Even if the hymn singing and nativities are insincere in some secular spaces (my other snarky jab above), the truth-filled message is still being broadcasted! And as Paul said, "whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice." (Philippians 1:18)
So why do we get a "pass" when it comes to Baby Jesus? Here's my conclusion, and really this whole blog in a nutshell: the idea of Jesus as a human baby by itself, and nothing more, is a palatable and unoffensive slice of Christianity that almost any 21st century westerner will accept. But by itself, it is not the gospel. And I'd like to suggest that thinking Christians this season should appreciate with wonder how Jesus came, but to worship Him for who He is now: the risen and glorified Lord.
Here's what I mean. I hear people praying to "Baby Jesus." And when that happens I know that something is seriously wrong. (I know that much of this is in jest; but some is not, and some of it has become a reality because of the jokes!) Misty Edwards said it best in her song with the lyrics, "He's not a baby in a manger anymore. He's not a broken man on a cross. He didn't stay in the grave, and He's not staying in heaven forever."
The Bible is consistent in how it pictures Jesus after His life, death, and resurrection. Society may accept Jesus as an eternally enshrined baby in a nativity scene, but they are probably less likely to acknowledge that that was God in a manger. The whole incarnation thing. Likewise, society may accept that Jesus died on a cross, but are less likely to appreciate that He resurrected (enter the Easter bunny instead). But the message preached in the book of Acts, the message that got the early Christians maligned and martyred, was not "pray to sweet baby Jesus," but was a retelling of that story and then a bold proclamation of who Jesus is and where He is now: "This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing...God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." (Acts 2:32-33,36)
Jesus, at this very moment as you read this, still fully human and most definitely still God, is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven, bursting with splendor and power. He is still pouring out the Spirit (Acts 2:33), making intercession for us (Romans 8:37), and eagerly waiting for the Day when He can split the sky and return. When you pray, this is the one to whom you look.
Look, if we appear to find the real grave of Jesus in modern day Israel, or the shroud of Turin, or the Apostle Peter's lost sandal--even if they are real (which they are probably not), they remain artifacts. The grave is still empty. A peasant in South America praying in faith to the risen Lord is more connected to true Life and Love and Power than a celebrity or king or priest with all the religious relics in the world. While depictions of Jesus in the manger and on the cross can be powerful tools of remembrance and even lead us to worship, we miss the point when we crystallize those images and act as if He is still there. He is alive, and He's not swaddled in baby cloths or smiling at the little drummer boy--He's crying out in prayer, looking right at you with eyes of fire and a heart of burning love.
The human heart is an idol factory, as John Calvin has famously said. Strangely, during this season some of us can make Baby Jesus our new idol. Because he's tame. Controllable. Quite unlike the real Jesus who was, in fact, baby-ified at one point, but then conquered sin and death and will soon come again to forcibly (!) overturn the current governments and anti-God systems of this age. That was the message the apostles preached constantly: "They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus" (Acts 17:7).
Look, I love love love Christmas, and equally love the Christmas story. It happened, and it's powerful. But the next time you see a nativity scene, zoom out a bit. Remember that that baby somehow, mysteriously, was God. Remember that that baby grew up and blew Israel's mind with His miracles, kindness, and fierce truth-telling. Remember that He died a shameful death and rose again. And perhaps most stunningly, remember that He now holds all authority at the Father's right hand...and He's not staying in heaven forever.
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