AnderspeaK
Greatest Story Ever Told
There are three ways to tell a story:
1. From the beginning toward the mysterious, unknown future;
2. From the present looking back and forward;
3. From the ends, looking backward.
In Heaven, there are no stories because, being eternal and outside of time, all of time is seen as present. What we know as a story requires a sequence of events unfolding in past, present, and future. Every story we know has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
The narrative walks us from the beginning “Once Upon a Time,” through the middle with its conflicts and action, toward its end, usually a satisfying conclusion. If the end has no resolution, we’re left hanging in the air disappointed, even anxious.
When our favorite, binge-worthy cable series reaches the end of the season with a cliff-hanger, we can be peeved that we will have to wait eight months before we find that resolution. There are those strange stories that start at the end and walk you through how things developed, or stories where you enter in the middle of the narrative and must have the past unfolded for you bit by bit, but we all long for a good ending, which means a resolution of the tension, the end of a war, or the couple getting married with the promise of living happily ever after.
All four of the gospels are written in the past tense, from the end looking back. They are victory stories, like Americans talking about World War II or Vikings at their celebration banquet toasting their latest conquest. You may have gone out for pizza after your Dodgers won the World Series. What did you talk about? A play-by-play review of all the best moments and a celebration of the greatest players. The gospels are all this kind of story.
The original audience—the first and second-century readers—already knew how the story ends. They already know and believe in Jesus’ passion, resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost. The gospels were written to keep the story straight and true. They were written to shape right thinking about God in Christ.
As Christianity spread to pagan countries and cultures, many elements of the story were unavoidably spun by pagan ideas. The gospels mean to set the record straight and to guide the story’s trajectory. They were written as proclamations for all humankind as the faith spread throughout the ancient world. In this sense, they were (and are) statements of faith instead of objective journalism or plain history.
The central theme of all four gospels is the same: Jesus is Christ, Lord, and God. Miss that point, and the rest is irrelevant because the entire narrative exists to reveal and support that central theme in every detail and sequence. To know Jesus is to know God Almighty. To not know Jesus is to still be wondering and guessing about God.
The gospels’ purpose is to proclaim that Jesus is Lord. The story is told from the victor’s perspective, looking back, which means the story is resolved; it is no cliff-hanger; it is not waiting for another season to explain the previous seasons’ tensions.
Yet they do look forward, for as long as there is an Earth and Heaven, the story continues to play out. But unlike American movies, it is not building up toward its climax but winding down like the 3rd and 4th acts of a Shakespearean play. We already know how the story ends. We know Who stands there to greet us when Heaven and Earth finish God’s purposes for them.
So we gather at the great table, like Vikings in their great hall, or Dodgers fans at the pizza parlor post-win, or a gathering of old WWII vets—in great joy we lift our cups in gratitude, celebrating our win, retelling the story and offering a hallowed toast to our Champion and Hero who made all the difference, winning the game/war/story for us all.
Truth & Sentimentality
SENTIMENTAL
Definition of sentimental:
1a : marked or governed by feeling, sensibility, or emotional idealism
b : resulting from feeling rather than reason or thought
It’s hard to dispute: Christmas is the most sentimental time of the year. Jewel colors, sparkling tinsel, evergreen bows with faux snow, twinkling lights, and sweets galore at both home and work—the sights and sounds of the season are meant to sweeten our hearts and gentle our disposition, making us kinder, more generous people, at least until New Year’s.
For the most part, there’s nothing wrong with sentimentality, but when we allow good feelings to rule entirely, the truth can be pushed into the back seat. When we feel good about something, sometimes the truth doesn’t even matter. That’s politics and the current media—tell people what they want to hear, whether it’s true or not.
When it comes to Christmas, truth and sentimentality can be challenging to keep apart. As a pastor, I delight in the Christmas season. People come close to being their best selves at this time of year. However, all that good, sentimental glee can detract from a correct reading of Scripture. I tread very lightly here because even as a diligent, committed teacher and preacher, I fear and tremble at the thought of messing with Christmas. But I shudder even more at the misrepresentation of Scripture, as I should. Can I address the errors of our sentimentalist Christmas traditions and do Scripture justice without walking all over everyone’s positive Christmas feelings? Hmmm, we’ll see.
1. There was no inn and no innkeeper. Luke 2:7 says, “no place for them in the inn,” but “inn” is a wrong translation. The Greek word katalumati refers to the guest room of an ordinary house. Rightly read, there was no place for them in the “guest room.” The only place the word “inn” appears is later in Luke (10:35) in the parable of the Good Samaritan, where the victim is taken to the inn (Greek pandoxeion, literally “all welcome”). That place—the ancient equivalent of a hostel—had a pandoxei, or “innkeeper,” but nothing in Bethlehem.
2. No wise men visited baby Jesus in the stable. How many Christmas creches have you seen with wisemen (at least 3) standing around the manger? Even one is too many, for Matthew clarifies that the Magi came much later, at which time the holy family was in a house [Matthew 2:11]. There—in the house—they delivered royal gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The shepherd boys and animals were long gone.
3. December 25 is not Jesus’ birthday. Sorry, but it’s more likely Jesus was born in the spring, when a Roman census would have taken place (think April 15 as a modern parallel). Why then December 25th? In the Roman world, paganism ruled. Two of the biggest and most unruly festivals occurred at harvest time and at the beginning of winter around December 21st. The harvest festivals celebrated the fruitful profits of an agricultural year, and Saturnalia, named for the god Saturn, marked the return of the light after the shortest day of the year. Saturnalia likely culminated around the 25th with much wild partying. Masters would serve dinner to their slaves (Boxing Day in England has preserved this custom).
When Christianity became the official Roman religion, leaders still had to manage the Roman people’s very popular (and very sentimental!) holidays, so they turned them into Christian feasts. November 1 became “All Saints Day,” wherein all people reverently honor the saints with their celebrations. Saturnalia became the most important mass of the year—the Mass of Christ—or, you guessed, Christmass. The pagan booze-ups were transformed into religious holidays. With time and sentimentalism, we came to call December 25 the birthday of Jesus. True, we celebrate his birth on the 25th—God’s gift of the Christ/Messiah—but it was not and is not his birthday.
So, you’re wondering, are we expected to change everything now? Get rid of the misconstrued creches and change all the children’s plays and programming?
In short, no. While it’s important to know what’s correct, accurate, and Scriptural, it’s not essential to split too many hairs over it. The good feelings of the Christmas season do translate into acts of kindness and generosity, and it is better to have those qualities uplifted than to undermine them by being a fussy and cranky Bible teacher. Which is to say, I’m working on it, but Merry Christmas to you and yours. Let us all make it the best celebration we can.