"Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: 'This child is destined to cause the
falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the
thoughts of many hearts will be revealed...'" Luke 2:34-35
falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the
thoughts of many hearts will be revealed...'" Luke 2:34-35
When we gaze upon the birth of Christ in the light of his life and ministry, themes begin to emerge: poverty, danger, escape, intrigue, confusion, violence and hatred. It did not take long for the reality of what his life would become to settle in around him. The kingdom of God was his mission, and central to this was defeating sin and death. His entire life, from his birth in Bethlehem to his final trip to Jerusalem, was lived in the shadow of the cross. We have the privilege of viewing Jesus' life from start to finish; we get to see how each event and every phase fit together and held eternal meaning. The poverty, trials, rejection, and suffering were not random, but part of the ordained purpose for his life. Seen as a whole, it becomes clear that everything Christ experienced - good and bad- was a vital piece of the beautiful mosaic his life would become. When we see the sovereign hand of God revealed in the birth, life and death of Christ, not only do we glory in his majesty, we discover eternal perspective for our lives as well.
Jesus once said of himself, "Foxes have holes, birds have their nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He was communicating the reality of his life. Just as he was utterly dependent on the love and care of those around him in his infancy, he would be again in his death. He who was born in a borrowed stable would be buried in a borrowed tomb. And just like Mary wrapped his tiny, newborn body in cloths and lovingly laid him in a manger, so years later his bloodied, lifeless body would be taken down from the cross, wrapped in cloths and lovingly laid in a grave. Jesus was born into and lived poverty, but he knew he had everything in his Father's love.
"King of the Jews" functions like bookends to Jesus' life. The title was used only twice in his life, once at the beginning and then at the end, but both occasions brought violence and death at the hands of ruthless men. Jesus and his family escaped the first time; but Herod, in his maniacal pursuit of the one born King of the Jews, slaughtered countless young boys hoping the one he was after would be among them. Years later, there was no escape, but rather an offering. Jesus gave himself up to a violent, terrible death because his time had come. This time it would be Pilate, with the shouts of the Jews ringing in his ears, who would succeed in killing the King of the Jews. Then, in the midst of the horror, it was as if God himself stepped in to proclaim the truth about his Son for anyone willing to see and consider. A sign is nailed to the cross above the dying body of Jesus. Pilate, under fierce protest from the Jewish leaders, nails "King of the Jews" above Jesus' crucified body. It acts as both an accusation and declaration, for truth always stands in the end.
From the time of his birth to the end of his life, Jesus was misunderstood. Very few embraced who he was, what he came to do, his love for them, or their desperate need for him. Because of this confusion and blindness, Jesus faced constant rejection, upheaval, confrontation, and threats. His life was one of suffering, but it was not purposeless. In fact, it was his purpose to suffer. We often get this backwards in our own lives. We somehow view our suffering as an interruption, as a hindrance to our lives, when really the trials that come are our life. They are not an obstacle to what God wants to do, but are designed to bring about and fulfill his purpose in our lives. Oh, this is so hard for us to see and embrace. But Jesus is our model. He is our light. In His light we see light.
Viewing Christ's life from his birth to his death, and from his death to his ascension, we have a vantage point that we sometimes miss when we look at our own. We get to observe how events tie together, how each phase had a design and purpose, how even the most difficult moments were working toward something good, how nothing was wasted or meaningless. We get to see in living color what is so hard for us to accept and believe as we live out our own lives in what sometimes seems like shades of gray: God loves passionately; God is good, but his goodness is sometimes shrouded in mystery; the temporal serves the eternal; evil is used by God to accomplish holy purposes; and everything has eternal import. Christ's birth, viewed through his life and death, offers a lens through which we can view our own lives. When we do, we discover God's fingerprints on every aspect of our lives. We realize there is a beautiful pattern that God is creating, and we are more oriented to see and embrace the eternal work that God is looking to accomplish in us and through us. Christ's life is a mosaic displaying the stunning artistry of God's sovereign hand, and if we have the spiritual eyes to see, we'll find that our lives are as well.