Have you noticed how similar puppies are when they are young? I recall visiting a pet shop with about 30 puppies for sale and being struck by the fact that these puppies were very similar in appearance despite the fact that a variety of breeds were represented. To me, they all looked like balls of fur that were cute, cuddly and small enough to be cradled in my arms.
I love puppies, because I love cute cuddly animals. But I have to admit, my love for these animals is only skin deep. For I know that, with many dogs, the things I love about them as puppies are only temporary. Of course, big dogs certainly have their endearing qualities as well. But there are few adult German Shepherds that are cute, cuddly and small enough to be cradled in your arms.
Many people feel the same way about the baby Jesus as I do about puppies. At Christmas time, they love to think of this cute, cuddly infant cradled in Mary's arms. This is the kind of Jesus people like. He does not require anything from us. He does not challenge our lifestyles or our values or our priorities. He just lays there in that manger doing what babies do best – looking cute.
It is easy to accept and adore the baby Jesus. It is also easy to adore the Jesus who called the little children to come to him, the Jesus who fed the multitudes, and the Jesus who healed the little girl. But the reality is that this portrait of Jesus is only half of the picture.
Recently I was reading in John 2 and was struck by a Jesus who was zealous, authoritative, even radical. Consider this story:
When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."John 2:13–17
There is nothing cute and cuddly about this Jesus. In fact, throughout the Gospels we find Jesus to be a counter-cultural force that confronted the religious people of His day and challenged their half-hearted commitment to God. So radical was this man that after a short three years of public ministry, He was murdered, even though He had committed no crime.
However, though the ones who killed Jesus were motivated by anger over His willingness to confront false religion, the reality of His crucifixion was part of a greater plan. For just one chapter later we read those life-changing words, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). What is it that makes the birth story so endearing? Is it the animals, or the wise men, or Mary and Joseph, or the newborn babe? I think not. What makes this story so meaningful is what is communicated in John 3:16—that this little baby is the divine Son of God who was given to the world to pay for our sins and provide eternal life to "whoever believes."
In this advent season, it is good for us to ponder the baby in a manger and stand in awe at the fact that more than 2,000 years ago, the God of all creation traded his royal robes and glorious majesty for a cow trough and a dirty stable. Yet it is also important for us to remember that this babe grew into a man who not only called us to true life, but provided that life through the sacrifice of His own life. And let us remember that more than a cute, cuddly infant in Mary's arms, Jesus is the Almighty King come to reign in the hearts of those who have placed their faith in Him. As we sing in the great Christmas hymn, What Child is This?, "The King of Kings salvation brings; let loving hearts enthrone Him." May Christ dwell on the throne of our hearts this Christmas season.
In Christ, Pastor Dan