In Advent we are preparing for the
celebration of the Nativity, the birth of our Savior. One of the themes of Advent, for me, the
theme is hope.
The Advent readings remind us of
Israel’s long waiting for a Savior, the Messiah. Israel was unique in that it wIorshipped the
one true God. Granted, there were
detours along the way. Images of false
gods made their way into Israel’s sacred temple, and there were some practices
that were inconsistent with who the Israelites were called to be. And, they ignored their prophets and made
some very bad alliances with former enemies, refusing to put their trust in
God. However, I believe that in first
century Palestine, in spite of these errors in their history, the Israelites,
who at that time were called “the Jews”, held fast to their belief in the One
True God and held a much higher moral standard than any of their
“neighbors”.
Throughout their history they were
dominated by many, to name a few: the
Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, and the Greeks. At the time of Jesus’ birth they were ruled
by the Romans.
Herod the Great was the master, the ruler of Palestine called
king of the Jews. He was not, however, a
Jewish king. He was influenced by the
cultural advances of the Augustan age and surrounded himself with Greek
philosophers and orators as advisers. He had little interest in Judaism. He never succeeded in gaining the support of
the Jews, who really hated him. He was
Idumean, and was to them a half Jew. He removed and appointed at will their
high priests. He appointed men steeped
in Hellenistic culture and philosophy, most unacceptable to the Pharisees who
were steeped in the Law. Twice the Pharisees refused to swear allegiance to the
emperor and Herod. Hence Herod resorted
to violence to hold the Jews in check, and fortresses were constructed
throughout the land.
Herod was a man with no
scruples. H e married ten wives and
murdered several of them and their children.
Anyone who was perceived to be a threat was assassinated. We especially know this from his massacre of
the infant boys just because one of them might be the Newborn King.
Rome ruled. Even though Herod was king, many decisions
had to be approved by the Roman emperor.
We know that just before Jesus’ birth the emperor ordered a census and
Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem.
There were no waivers for late pregnancies. All had to obey.
A number of years ago a Scripture
professor taught me that context in Scripture is as important as location is in
real estate! And we know in real estate
it’s location, location, location! This is the context into which our Savior
was born. It’s at least the political
context or climate of the time.
The Jewish people were waiting,
longing for a Messiah, preferably a king who would lead them to defeat their
enemies. As we consider their history this is so understandable. Life under Roman rule was not the brightest
or happiest for the Jews living in Palestine in the first century. A king who
would defeat the enemy, restore the land they had lost and make them look good
in front of the rest of the world would be such a blessing! God’s idea of a king was very different from
theirs.
More than two thousand years later
we are preparing for the birth of Jesus.
Yes, he has already come, but we need to prepare to receive Him anew in
our hearts.
What is the context into which He
will arrive in our hearts this December 25?
Just as the Jews and many others
feared the Roman government, we fear for the violence that has entered our
world, the violence of organized and unorganized terrorism. While the world does have some good leaders,
many are sadly lacking, and some wanna be leaders even more so!
We all have our own personal context
as well: family, economic, health, work
situations, etc.
Just as God burst through history
through the birth of his Son, God breaks through our history today.
In the beginning was
the Word: the Word was with God. He was
with God in the Beginning. Through him
all things came to be, not one thing had its being but through him. All that came to be had life in him and that
life was the light of men, a light that shines in the dark, a light that
darkness could not overpower. ( John 1, 1-4)
In spite of all the darkness in our world, we
know there is the Light that will not be overcome. We pray that whatever our “personal context”,
the light of Christ will burst through.
And it will, just as it did more than 2,000 years ago, in the most
unexpected way!
