Articles for Advent

In his book, The Case for Miracles, Lee Strobeldefines miracles this way: “miracles are outside the normal course of events. They’re a supernatural exception to the way the world usually works.”[1]

            Richard Purtill, who was professor emeritus of philosophy at Western Washington University, taught that a “miracle is an event (1) brought about by the power of God that is (2) a temporary (3) exception (4) to the ordinary course of nature (5) for the purpose of showing that God has acted in history.”[2]

            I think we can apply both of those definitions to the birth of Jesus. He was born by God’s power, the Holy Spirit. Mary was the only one who had a baby without having relations with a man. It showed God had acted in history.

            While we all agree it was a miracle that Mary became pregnant while a virgin and that the baby was the son of God, I think we often forget that it was a miracle that there was even a nation of Israel for Jesus to be born into. Let’s trace Israel’s history.

            About 2100 years before Christ was born, God spoke to a man named Abram who was seventy-five years old. God told Abram to move his family 1000 miles from Ur to the land we know as Israel (Gen 12:1–3). He was told by God to establish his family there, even though Abram did not know anyone there and had no idea of what to expect. He traveled those 1000 miles by foot, and twenty-five years later God finally gave Abram and Sara a son whom God said would grow into the nation of Israel (Gen 21:1–7).

            About 2000 years before Christ was born, a severe famine (Gen 47:13) came across all of the land in the ancient Near East (the region around the Mediterranean Sea). People were dying (Gen 47:15) and families were selling their kids into slavery to get money for food. But God, through his providence, had placed Abraham’s great grandson Joseph in a prominent job in Egypt with resources, and Abraham’s family continued to live because of God’s placement of Joseph in Egypt (Gen 47:11–12).

            About 1400 years before Christ was born, the Jews were in slavery in Egypt (Exod 1:8–14). Life was hard and difficult for them, but God still wanted them to be a unique people in the land of Israel (Exod 19:5–6). So God dramatically led them out of Egypt and to the land God had originally promised to Abraham (Ezek 12:37—15:21).

            About 600 years before Christ was born, the Jews were taken into exile by Babylon (2 Kings 24:1—25:30). Even though the Babylonians worked hard to indoctrinate their captives and make their subjugated people “Babylonian”, God preserved the Jews while in exile and helped them remain unique and distinct (Dan 1:8–16).

            About 500 years before Christ was born when the Jews were in Babylon, the Babylonians were conquered by the Persians. The Persian king allowed the Jews to return to their land (under king Cyrus, Ezra 1:1–11), rebuild their temple (under king Darius, Ezra 6:1–22), and eventually rebuild the walls around their city (under king Artaxerxes, Neh 1:1—7:3).

            About 475 years before Christ was born, a group of Jews still lived in Persia. But a man named Haman in Persia hated the Jews and convinced the king of Persia to write a decree that would kill all of the Jews living in Persia (Esth 3:8–15). However, God provided an alternative decree to allow the Jews to defend themselves (Esth 8:5–14). In a dramatic way, the Jews continued to exist in Persia even after a decree was made allowing the Persian people to kill the Jews (Esth 9:1–9).[3]

            About 300 years before Christ was born, a man named Alexander the Great conquered the known world. Alexander the Great conquered territory from northern Africa into southern Russia, as far as what we know is India today. Along with Alexander the Great came the most enlightened and most sophisticated culture there was in the world, Greeks. The Jews faced a decision. Do they maintain their separateness and remain Jews, or do they become Greeks like Alexander the Great wanted them to? With God’s help, the Jews continued to be unique and distinct in spite of the pressure to assimilate into Greek culture.

            Alexander the Great died in 331 BC, and his kingdom was divided up into four parts (called the Diadochi). Two of those parts became important for Israel: Syria, ruled by the Seleucids (“the kingdom of the north”) and Egypt, ruled by the Ptolemies (“the kingdom of the south”). From 274–168 BC there were six wars between Syria and Egypt. Israel was literally caught in the middle between them and became a pawn in their wars because Israel was a strategic piece of land that had direct access to the Mediterranean Sea. Eventually, the Seleucids of the north of Syria took control of Israel.[4] And later the Romans grew in power and influence and gained control of Israel.

            That’s the history of the Jewish people whom God miraculously preserved because God promised to Abraham and to King David (2 Sam 7:11–16) that there would be a people to whom the Messiah would be born.

            It’s a miracle that the Holy Spirit conceived Jesus inside Mary, that she became pregnant without ever being with a man, and that God became human among us. But it is also a miracle that there was even a nation for Jesus to be born into.

            As if that’s not enough, we see those past miracles still existing today. There is a people of Israel in the land of Israel. While some people debate whether or not Israel should be there or has a right to be there, most of us cannot debate the unlikeliness that Israel would be there. Most of us have to admit that it’s a modern miracle that Israel is back in the land.[5] The Jews were conquered by Babylon in 605 BC and ceased to be a people without a land for more than 2,500 years until their return to the land in 1948.[6]

            The miracle of Christmas is this: The Son of God left his throne in heaven, and he came to earth. Paul describes this in his letter to the believers in the city of Philippi, “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:6–7, NASB).[7]

            The miracle of Christmas is that God came to us. He did not tell us a list of rules or sacrifices by which we are supposed to approach him. Instead, he took initiative. He came to us as one of us, and we celebrate that on Christmas when Christ the Savior was born as a baby.

            What a miracle it was that God became a human, but it is also a miracle that the nation of Israel still existed for him to be born into.

            When we praise God this Christmas, we praise him for the whole picture—not just the baby—but all the miracles that led up to that baby, the miracles we see today, and the miracles yet to come. That’s the miracle of Christmas.

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[1] Lee Strobel, The Case for Miracles (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 252.

[2] Richard L. Purtill, “Defining Miracles,” in In Defense of Miracles: A Comprehensive Case for God’s Action in History, ed. R. Douglas Geivett and Gary R. Habermas (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1997), 71. Quoted in Lee Strobel, The Case for Miracles (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 27.

[3] Next we find the silent years, that period of time between Malachi and Matthew. We have 400 years where no Scripture is spoken to the nation of Israel. But God was still active in preserving Israel.

[4] In 175 Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) came to power.

[5] Their temple was destroyed in AD 70 and for the next 1900 years Jews live in scattered locations all around the world.

[6] There was a short period of time when Israel reclaimed their temple in 164 BC. This we call the Maccabean revolt. The conflict between the Seleucids rose drastically when Antiochus (IV) Epiphanies erected an altar in the Jewish temple and sacrificed pigs to the pagan god, Zeus. This act was predicted by Daniel (Dan 11:31) and became a model for what the New Testament mentions as the Abomination of Desolation (Dan 9:27; Matt 24:15). With that act, Antiochus commanded Jews to offer similar sacrifices at other locations. The pious Jews had reached their limit of the Pagan attacks on their faith. The Maccabean revolt was the result. The Maccabean revolt began when a priest, Mattathiah, and his five sons killed an Israelite about to offer one of those pagan sacrifices. What followed was a three-year guerrilla war campaign. Mattathiah died, but his son Judas Maccabeus became a fierce leader, and they claimed victory in 164 BC. This victory began a period of rule by the Jews known as the Hasmoneans, the family name of Matthias’s ancestry. This was the only time since the Babylonian exile that Israel had political control of her temple and her land. The Hasmonean dynasty, while producing extreme hope in the Jews, only lasted until 37 BC. (Bock, Studying the Historical Jesus, p. 90).

[7] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

The original Apple Mac engineering team used to wear t-shirts that said, “Working 90 Hours a Week and Loving It.” Facebook programmers are known to pull all-nighters in the office in which they order dinner as the sun sets then order breakfast as the sun rises. According to a report from an international labor organization, American employees work more hours than anyone in the industrialized world, we work longer days, and use less vacation time.[1] One study in 2013 showed US employees forfeited more than 52 billion dollars worth of paid vacation time.[2]

            Why work so much and so hard? Americans are busy. We’ve got jobs, production quotas, projects, deadlines, reviews, and sales quotas. We are busy, busy, busy. And the time when Jesus was about to be born was a busy time too because of a census ordered by Augustus.

            “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” (Luke 2:1–2).[3] This census was decreed by the Roman Emperor, “Caesar Augustus”[4] and was a registration for citizens to assess taxes. This meant “everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city” (Luke 2:3). At that time approximately 8 million Jews lived in the Roman Empire.[5] Joseph and Mary were among millions of Jews traveling for the census. “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” (Luke 2:4–5).[6]

The people of Bethlehem probably did not have space to accommodate all the people going there to register for the census. Most middle-class housing in Bethlehem had one large common area, rooms for the family, and often a guest room for travelers. Homes often had a lower level section built into the side of a hill and animals would be kept there (or in a cave).[7]

            Luke is showing us how a Roman Emperor makes a decree, lots of commotion happens, and then when it’s time for Jesus to be born, there’s no room for them in the common places guests would stay. Luke writes, “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” (Luke 2:6–7). Because there were no guest rooms available, the child was placed in a room where animals normally stayed. He was born there and placed in a manger (a watering trough for animals) and wrapped in strips of clothing to keep his body straight and warm.

            Like those people in Bethlehem, you and I have our own stuff going on. We’ve got cookies to bake, a house to clean, trips to Wal-Mart for shopping, a ham to prepare, a career to keep moving on track, and gifts to wrap.

            There was no room for Jesus in Bethlehem, but is there room for Him in our hearts and our lives? Does He get a portion of our time everyday when we read His Word? Does He receive uninterrupted communication with us in prayer? Does He have a say in the decisions we are considering making? Does He get our attention only when we desperately need Him for something? Does He hear from us only when we have a prayer that we need answered?

            More than 2,000 years ago there was no room for Jesus Christ, but I pray that we have room for Him in our lives. Whether we make room for Him the first time by placing our faith in Him, or instead making more room for Him in how we use our time and energy and money. This Christmas let’s make room for the Redeemer.

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[1] Ruth Whippman, America the Anxious: How Our Pursuit of Happiness Is Creating a Nation of Nervous Wrecks (New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 2016), p. 96, fn 4.

[2] Ruth Whippman, America the Anxious: How Our Pursuit of Happiness Is Creating a Nation of Nervous Wrecks (New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 2016), p. 96, fn 5.

[3] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

[4] Emperor of Rome, Octavian, later became known as “Caesar Augustus” is the person Luke names here. He reigned 27 BC to AD 14. He was known for having a peaceful reign over the Roman Empire. He’s the man that said it was better to be Herod’s pig than to be Herod’s son (Macrobius, Saturnalia 2.4.11, AD 400).

[5] Darrell Bock, Studying the Historical Jesus (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 109.

[6] Bethlehem was the birthplace of David and location where David was anointed king of Israel by Samuel (1 Sam 16:1). This trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem would have been 70 miles in a straight line, but as long as 90 miles if the avoided the Samaritans in the area of Samaria. People at that time could travel about 20mi a day, so this was a 4-5day trip depending on the route they took (Darrell Bock, Studying the Historical Jesus, 113).

[7] The Grk word, “κατάλυμα” suggests that a formal inn is not in view here. Lk uses the term in 22:11 for a guestroom of a house. Then in Luke 10:34 Luke uses another term to describe a formal inn. See, κατάλυμα refers to some type of a reception room in a private home or some type of a public shelter.

Many of us have fear in our lives.We fear for our family when they travel on the roads. We fear we might receive an unexpected bill or house repair that we can’t pay for. We fear we might lose our job or get laid off. We fear for our children as they grow up that they don’t drift away from God. We fear that our health might turn for the worst.

            We even see fear in the bible. When Zacharias was in the temple burning incense as an offering to God “an angel appeared to Him” (Luke 1:11, NASB)[1] and the text says that, “Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him” (Luke 1:12, emphasis added). When Elizabeth was going to name her baby John and her neighbors said she shouldn’t name him that, God allowed Zacharias to speak again after nine months of being mute. When he spoke, “Fear came upon all those living around them” (Luke 1:65, emphasis added). When Jesus was born an angel of the Lord appeared before some shepherds that were staying out in the fields. The Bible tells us that these shepherds out in the country were “terribly frightened” (Luke 2:9)

            But these people are told not to be afraid. When that angel appeared to Zacharias in the temple and he was afraid the first four words that the angel said to him was “Do not be afraid” (Luke 1:13a). When the angel Gabriel went to Mary to tell her she would be pregnant and have a child, Gabriel said four words to her, “Do not be afraid” (Luke 1:30). When the angel of the Lord appeared to those shepherds the first four words he said was, “Do not be afraid” (Luke 2:10).

            Those are reminders for us not to have fear in our lives. Last year in April I read some of Max Lucado’s book, Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World. (A good title but a tough thing to do.) I brought that book with me to Moses Lake in April of 2021 when I was a pastoral candidate for Lakeview Missionary Church. My fear went to a new level that week. I was traveling to a place I had never been, to be at a church I had never seen, to preach to people I did not know. All while flying on an airplane for the first time with my three-year old son. And while here I had to face questions and fears in my own life: Are these people going to like me? What will they think about my preaching? Are they willing to have me come and lead the church? Will they think my jokes are funny?

            And I know you too, have your own fears you are dealing with right now. “All these people are coming to my home for Christmas, am I going to get sick?” “I worked really hard to pick out a meaningful gift, will he or she like it.” “My cooking is never as good as hers is, will someone make another comment about my cooking?” “I’m not married or don’t have kids, are people going to ask me again this year why and what am I supposed to say?”  “I miss my spouse, parents, or children, and I don’t know how I can get through the holiday season without them?”

            Those are all legitimate things to be afraid about. But in that book, Anxious for Nothing, Max Lucado writes, “God has never promised a life with no storms. But he has promised to be there when we face them.”[2] At Christmas we celebrate that Christ came to earth to be with us. So at Christmas this year let’s have joy, not fear. If for only one day, or one evening, or even one hour at church on Saturday for the Christmas Eve service. Let’s have joy, not fear. In Warren Wiersbe’s book, The Bumps Are What You Climb On, he writes, “Joy is the birthright of every believer. Knowing that you are saved, one of God’s children, forgiven, going to heaven, is a source of endless joy.”[3] So let’s have joy, not fear, because the Savior is here.

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[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

[2] Max Lucado, Anxious for Nothing (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2017), 112.

[3] Warren Wiersbe, The Bumps Are What You Climb On (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2002), 137.

“What do you think, Christopher?” a notoriously divisive family member asked me. I would not take the bait this time. I had been down this path with her in previous family gatherings. She’s nice and cordial in conversation, but when you share your contrary opinion with her, the boxing bell dings and she’s ready to fight.

            Thus far, I had kept my mouth shut as she shared her thoughts on this subject. No topic was off-limits for her: politics, gender, world religion, race, family roles, etc. I had shared nothing with her, yet. But this time, she seemed sincerely interested in my opinion. She genuinely wanted to know what I thought about what she had shared.

            So I shared my opinion, which was contrary to hers, in the nicest and most polite way possible. But I should have known better. Here came the hammer to crush my feelings and tell me I was wrong, super wrong.

            My mom and dad were in the room when the conversation took the harsh turn. They knew what she said and how she said it was inappropriate and harsh. Later both tried to console me and encourage me it was okay.

            To their surprise, I wasn’t shaken by the interaction. Why? Receiving Jesus’s forgiveness means I forgive others. Jesus came to earth and forgave my wrongs. What a gift!

            In fact, Christmas time is the best time to give forgiveness. Christmas is the celebration of when Jesus came to earth—when God gave his son to the world—to forgive all people of their sins.

            Paul told us, “In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35, NASB).

            Paul’s short letter—Philemon—gives me a reminder about forgiveness. In this letter, I see Paul living out what Jesus had said in Acts 20:34. Onesimus had wronged Philemon, but Paul asked Philemon to take Onesimus back and welcome him as if Philemon was welcoming Paul (Philemon 1:17).

            Why such a plead for reconciliation? Why would Paul ask Philemon to welcome Onesimus back?

            Because God did this first, “and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven” (Col 1:20, NASB). Christ did it. He paid the ultimate price.

            Last year I gave forgiveness to that family member for the harsh words spoken to me near Christmas. And this Christmas I will do the same for another family member. I do so from an abundance, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:34, NASB). I have been forgiven by Christ, but I know it’s more blessed to give than receive. So this Christmas, I plan to give forgiveness to family members, again.