Jesus’ birth was very much planned. Just not by us.
I write that comment on this meme almost every time I see it.
I nearly always get push-back from my Christian friends who post this meme.
Why?
Because they are using this meme to make a political statement.
Mary didn’t plan to get pregnant. As a young single woman (she was engaged but not married), having a child out of wedlock was very much frowned upon in her culture.
Her fiancé, Joseph, planned to divorce her quietly – a thoughtful, caring response. He could have had her killed.
An angel told Joseph not to do that, but instead to marry her and raise the child as his own. He would not be an ordinary child, but would be the savior of the world.
A higher purpose
Today’s American pro-life movement uses this scene to say the living God is against all abortions. Life is life, whether it’s planned (by us) or not. Otherwise, our Savior never would have been born.
Well, yes. And no.
The living God controlled the circumstances involving Jesus’ birth, and it was going to happen the way God wanted it to happen.
Was abortion even a thing in Jesus’ day? I have no idea. It’s not mentioned in the Bible. If it’s noted in writings from that time period (or earlier), I’m not aware of it. Of course, that doesn’t mean anything. Abortion could have been practiced then.
As I’ve written previously, there are many reasons for a woman to get an abortion. Not all of them involve birth control. Rape. Forced abortion by an abusive boyfriend/husband. Life-threatening medical issues with the mother. Lack of support from family and/or friends.
I’m sure there are other reasons.
Jesus’ birth is so much more than a political statement. As my Christian friends know, Jesus is the savior of the world.
The serpent ruined it
We like to see Jesus in a warm, fuzzy manger scene surrounded by his parents, the wise men (who came later, by the way), some farm animals and a shepherd or two. We like to see Jesus as a baby – helpless, depending on his parents, especially his mother, for his very life.
Jesus came to Earth as a baby to prove his humanity.
We love to give gifts to each other and to the needy at Christmas, because God gave us the gift of his son.
But God’s gift to us grew up. He didn’t stay in the manger.
Humanity started in the garden of Eden. It was perfect, beautiful, life-giving, colorful, romantic, enjoyable in every way.
Until that serpent came along and ruined it.
That’s why God sent his son, Jesus, to Earth. The serpent destroyed the good that God created. Human beings couldn’t overcome it, and eventually God had enough.
By sending Jesus to Earth, God declared war on that serpent, also known as Satan or the devil. Jesus was going to fight Satan on Satan’s turf: Earth.
Jesus becomes human
To do that, Jesus had to be human, so he could fully understand the human condition. That’s why he was born a baby.
He also was fully God. In a human body.
I don’t know how else to explain that.
Jesus was born a baby, but he didn’t stay in the manger very long. He spent some time as a young child in Egypt, then grew up in Nazareth.
When the time was right, Jesus began a very public ministry that caught the attention of everyone he came in contact with. He was about 30 years old.
The religious leaders of the day didn’t like what he said or did, because he threatened their egos and power structure. They were using the church to keep themselves in control at the expense of the people under them.
Most ordinary people who saw and heard him were intrigued. When Jesus challenged them to “follow me,” few did. Instead, most walked away.
Jesus didn’t pursue them. He just went to the next village and delivered his message there.
Eventually, the religious leaders couldn’t take his words and actions anymore. They crucified him.
That was exactly what the living God wanted them to do. That’s how Jesus was going to defeat Satan on Satan’s battleground.
And it worked.
That’s what Easter is about. The empty tomb.
The toughest sin of all
We like the baby in the manger because we can control him. He’s helpless. He’s God, but we rule over him. That’s the way we like God.
But that’s not why Jesus came.
On the cross, the religious leaders thought they could control him by killing him, removing him from the scene.
Imagine their shock when the stone was rolled away and the tomb was empty on Sunday morning. They tried to explain that away, refusing to accept the fact that they lost the war with Jesus.
It didn’t matter. Jesus won.
He defeated death. He defeated Satan and all Satan stood for.
And the story began with a baby in a manger. With a declaration of war.
Abortion is one sin that Jesus died for. It’s not the unforgivable sin (which is willingly and knowingly rejecting Jesus’ lordship, after carefully considering it). Abortion can be forgiven, as can every sin. (Sin, by the way, is doing something that the living God would not approve of.)
We should try to avoid sin, all sin, if possible. When we fail, we seek forgiveness – which Jesus gives us because he died on the cross.
All we have to do is accept it.
But that means giving up control of our lives. It means seeing Jesus as the risen savior – not as a baby in a manger.
Control. That might be the toughest sin.
We have to give it up.
I’m still working on it.
This is the message of Christmas. Satan controlled Earth until that first Christmas. He doesn’t anymore. Because of the cross.
Because that baby grew up, and fulfilled his purpose in life.
Jesus came as a baby so he could understand us. Let’s give thanks for that. And for what came after.
Merry Christmas.
the liberal conservative 