Christmas Ep. 1: “Unlikely”
Unlikely.
This morning, as I sat in the light of the Christmas tree, talking to Jesus, and thinking about Christmas and the Christmas story, the word “unlikely” popped into my head. Christmas is unlikely…and, more than that, the Bible is unlikely. They players and pieces in the plan of Redemption are, in so many senses, unlikely.
Yesterday, I read Matthew 1 to Ollie and Ell, and as we went through the genealogies, I was so moved when we came to verses 5-6: “And Salmon begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; and Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias…” If you know anything about the stories of those listed above, it is a cast of unlikely characters. If I was planning the bloodline for Divine Royalty, I would look for the “purest” and most undefiled people I could find. Yet some of these listed above lived lives or had seasons of their lives that were more than little unsavory. They were unlikely and improbable candidates for God’s redemptive plan. Rahab was a “harlot,” to put it nicely. She was from Jericho…the first city of conquest, as the Children of Israel made their way into the promised land. Rahab is unlikely. Ruth was a Moabite widow. She was a stranger, and like her second mother-in-law, not even part of the Abrahamic lineage. She was a young lady, who, in spite of the hardship and suffering of her past, saw loyalty and kindness “script her into” the family tree of the Messiah. Ruth is unlikely. David the king was unlikely from his earliest days. When the prophet Samuel was sent to his home to anoint a king, his own father did not even consider him a candidate and did not even call him to the ceremony. Yet, unlikely as he was, he was the one chosen to ascend Israel’s throne and become the most beloved king the nation would know. His story is not only that of a shepherd turned king. His is a story filled with dark nights and low valleys. His is a story filled with glorious highs and egregious sins. He could’ve been defined by words like “accomplice to murder,” “adulterer,” and “failure,” and yet, ultimately, he is defined as “a man after God’s own heart.” That is unlikely. David is unlikely. Bathsheba is called here “her that had been the wife of Urias.” Bathsheba is scripted into the lineage of the Messiah through a scandalous scenario. Bathsheba is unlikely. Solomon is unlikely. Rehoboam is unlikely…and the list goes on. Each of these lives and their stories are proof that God uses unlikely candidates to unfold his plans. Each of these colorful characters proves that it is more than “human goodness” that God looks for when He chooses lives to use. The bloodline of Jesus and the entire Word of God is full of UNLIKELY PEOPLE.
Not only is the ancestry of Jesus unlikely, but also the incarnation itself. It is incredibly unlikely…highly improbable…that the God of all creation would clothe himself in the very dust He had formed and fashioned humanity from. It is unlikely that this glorious God would not only come as humanity, but as infant humanity. Power and grandeur and might were confined by the helpless form of a baby. He restrained all He was in the most unlikely disguise of all time: the frail, dependent frame of an infant. It is unlikely that He should choose to be “Emmanuel, God with us…” It is unlikely that He would choose to know what it’s like to grow and learn and wrestle temptation and experience deep pain…that He would choose learning to walk and scraped knees, but He wanted to KNOW us. He wanted to feel what we feel and experience life with its beauty, complexities, and intricacies. Hebrews 4:15 in the Message says, “We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin.” He is close. He came near…down to our level. That is unlikely. He became fully God and fully man encapsulated in infancy. WOW. As Miriam Webster defined “incarnation:” “THE UNION OF DIVINITY AND HUMANINTY IN JESUS CHRIST.” Highly unlikely.
The virgin birth is unlikely. It is actually more than unlikely, it is impossible to the mind of a human, but as Jesus told His disciples in the years of His earthly ministry, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” The virgin birth proves that God is not limited by the laws of nature, for He made them. He is not limited by “impossible,” and is most certainly not limited by UNLIKELY! The unlikeliness of the virgin birth is proof of God’s faithfulness to fulfill His Word. As Matthew wrote in Matthew 1:22-23: “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying, ‘Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us.’” His life, birth, and death fulfill over 300 Old Testament prophecies. The chances of one person fulfilling even eight prophecies is 1 in 100, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000. (according to CBN.com 😊) Unlikely. Impossible, yet true. The unlikeliness of the virgin birth turns an improbable story in to a miraculous story. As Pastor has said, “It was divine DNA mingled with human DNA…the virgin birth proves that it was ENTIRELY of God.” Oh, the unlikeliness of Christmas.
The story line of Jesus’ birth is unlikely. The scene and setting are unlikely. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise…” (Matthew 1:18) A young, engaged couple. A carpenter. A small town. A census. Travel to pay a tax. A full inn and a space in the barn. A manger. Swaddling clothes. Angel choirs over ancient hills. Angelic voices singing proclamations to lowly shepherds. All so unlikely. The greatest miracle of all time concealed in the most unlikely of ways. Every single element of the Christmas story is unlikely…unexpected…improbable.
The worship of the Wiseman is unlikely. They traveled “from the East.” I am not sure where, exactly, “the East is,” but after some reading, it is safe to say it was a VERY long journey. (6 months -2 years, possibly.) They made that journey with purpose and intent. When they are given audience with Herod the king, they state their purposes: “Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and are come to worship Him.” Months of travel with the purpose of worship. From the Scripture, we see that Herod and the people of Jerusalem are nearly ignorant of the prophecies concerning the Messiah and are most certainly not looking for their fulfillment. Yet these “wisemen,” whether magicians, astrologers, or Eastern kings were looking for the Messiah and willing to travel to worship. That is unlikely. There was great intent to seek the Savior…long days over desert terrain to worship. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped him…” I am sure that was the LAST THING Mary expected when she woke up that morning. It was unlikely worship from unlikely men from unlikely places.
From every angle, Christmas is UNLIKELY. On every level, the story is unexpected…improbable, for this is what God does. HE uses unlikely characters in unlikely ways against unlikely backdrops to write unlikely stories. And the story of Christmas is ALL so He could redeem unlikely people. We are unlikely. I am unlikely, and, most certainly, undeserving, yet HE LOVES ME. HE LOVES US…each and every individual that comprises the conglomerate of humanity. “But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) SO UNLIKELY…so unexpected! “But now in Christ Jesus, you who sometimes were FAR OFF have been mad to draw near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13—Meg paraphrase) I have been “far off” sometimes! Yet, He’s drawn me near…sometimes in low moments and unlikely places.
Today, I will soak in the unlikeliness of Christmas. Today, I will marvel at the UNLIKLEY LOVE of the One who was once the Newborn King. I will marvel. I will be in awe…it’s all so unexpected.