Christmas 2020

The Hope of Glory: Reflections on the Last Words of Jesus from the Cross (2020)

By John Meacham 

Christmas would lose its meaning if Jesus had not died on the cross, and risen three days later.  

Historian Meacham initially presented these reflections on Jesus's last words at Trinity Church, Wall Street, where he was a vestryman.  He thinks of the gospels not as biographies, but apologetic arguments ("These are written that you may believe...and that believing you may have life in his name.")  What is important is that the writers felt their audience believe Jesus said these words.  In reflecting on Jesus's words, and scripture in general, Meacham adds the caveat that he believes that "literalism is for the weak; fundamentalism is for the insecure.  Both are sins agains God," implying that we are in exclusive possession of truth about things beyond time and space, putting ourselves in the place of God (p 69-70).

The cross is a reminder that self-giving love - not hate, grace - not rage, mercy - not vengeance - are at the heart of the Christian story.  That is at least one answer to Pilate's question.  "What is truth?"

1. "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." This word is found only in Luke, who wrote for Gentiles.  Luke is possibly seeking to make Jesus more accessible to those who may have felt complicit in his death (eg. Romans, Temple establishment).

2. "Today you will be with me in Paradise."  His mercy is available to all.

3. "Woman, behold thy son! Behold your mother!" A reminder to do good to God's other children (Matt 25)

4. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Shows Jesus's humanity - also God's victory over death.  

5. "I thirst." Jesus is seen here as the Passover lamb (hyssop was used to sprinkle toe blood not eh doorposts).

6. "It is finished" [tetelestai = accomplished, completed].  Meacham points out that Jesus has completed his work but, for the believer, doing God's work continues until the new Jerusalem of Revelation comes down to heave to earth.

7. "Father, into thy hands, I commend my Spirit." Jesus surrendered to pain and mortality.  We are asked to surrender to Jesus - to find the means of grace.

December 25: Jesus is the Best Gift!

The baby Jesus grew up to be the Messiah, the Savior of the World.  John, the fourth gospel-writer, was not addressing a strictly Jewish audience as Matthew was.  His letter refers to Jesus as "the Word".


John 1: 1-18

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2 He was in the beginning with God.  3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  6 There was a man from God, whose name was John.  7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.  8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.  9 The true light, which enlightens everyone was coming into the world.  10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.  11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.  12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.  14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me'")  16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.  17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

* * * * *

My pastor, Scotty Neasbitt, cited this scripture in his message last Sunday, and made some important points:

John thus explains that Jesus is God and through him we have light and life.

This life is a gift - not something we earned.  What we earned through our behavior is death.  ("All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." [Romans 3:23]  The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 6:23])

How do we unwrap this gift?  By believing in him!

December 24: The Birth of the Savior

After Matthew lists Jesus's ancestors, he tells the story of his birth:

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way.  When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.  19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.  20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy spirit.  21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name, Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."  22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" *

(which means, God with us).  24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son.  And he called his name Jesus.

*Isaiah 7:14

December 23: The Genealogy of the Savior

In the first book of the New Testament, the gospel-writer Matthew offers this genealogy of our Savior Jesus Christ

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.  2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father the Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the King.  And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the other of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

Normally, a list of generations is not all that exciting, but there are some pretty remarkable names here (italicized above).  First, the patriarchs:

• Abraham, 
• his son Isaac, 
• and his son Jacob.  
• Then Jacob's son Judah,
• then Judah's son Perez - whose mother was Tamar (the widow of Judah's older son) who persuaded Judah that she was a prostitute in an attempt to conceive a child
• Going down the line, Boaz is the son of Rahab, a prostitute (although a very helpful one, as it was Rahab who protected the Hebrew spies who came to Jericho).
• Boaz married Ruth, the Moabite woman who had married Naomi's son (Moabites were considered to be lower class, and certainly not Hebrews).  After Ruth's husband died, she chose to stay with her mother-in-law rather than return to her family home.  "Your people shall be my people, and your God my God."  And her God rewarded her kindness to Naomi. 
• Ruth thus became the great-grandmother of King David - and an ancestor of Jesus.

July 15

Desire of the Everlasting Hills (1999)

By Thomas Cahill

Part of a 7-book series (including How the Irish Save Civilization and Gift from the Jews), Cahill again examines issues of faith.  This book provides a good look at the world into which Jesus came, interprets the four gospel writers, and generally reviews how the coming of Jesus impacted the world; it made me think through many of the truths I've known via the Bible and church history.  Compared with Ehrman's Triumph of Christianity (reviewed July 1) in which the writer sets the advent of Jesus in a world dominated by the Greek and Roman pantheon of gods, Cahill's emphasis is more on a world dominated by Jewish thought.  It's a really helpful read for the lay person, but so full of meat that it's worth another read.