How Did People Receive The Birth of Christ?

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All our current Christmas upbeat feelings and festive jollities remind us of the usual joys of one unique event of all ages ?the birth of Christ, which by spiritual reckoning of the fourth century, occurred on December 25, AD 1.

Undoubtedly, the birth of Christ which over 2.5 billion Christians the world over celebrate at this time, was something unexampled, a record-setting act, simply unique in all its essentials.

And it was sublimely beautiful because it was the only birth in which labour pains never registered themselves in the least on the 15 year old mother Virgin Mary; the only birth in which the young lady laboured without the assistance of a human midwife, but only by the will of the Holy Spirit and by the help of two angels.

Observe how the most spiritual nun, Mary of Agreda, describes the birth-giving scenario, after it was divinely revealed to her in a long vision: ?She (Virgin Mary) was kneeling in the manger. Her eyes raised to heaven. Her hands joined and folded at her breast, her soul wrapped in the Divinity, and she herself was entirely deified.?

It all happened in a cave at the outskirts of Bethlehem. Time, -a few seconds past midnight. Day: Sunday. So if it were in Ghana, the baby would be traditionally called ?Kwesi? Jesus Christ! It will be remembered that Virgin Mary and her betrothed Joseph, had travelled on foot almost 65 kilometres from their home town Nazareth to Bethlehem where they wrote their names at the Census Office and paid their dues. The journey took them five days instead of three, and because they had nowhere to sleep (all the inns or hotels had been booked already) they finally lodged themselves in the cave where the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ took place.

The news, as expected, was received with mixed feelings by King Herod and the religious elite in Israel, whilst it convulsed the rest of the world with euphoric joy. St. Matthew, the evangelist, records that ?when Herod the King had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him? (Matthew 2:3). Why? Because he was not the rightful king: he came from the south of Israel, called Idumea, where he was noted for his ungentlemanly behaviour, but by his wealth, he manoeuvred to be appointed king by Roman Emperor Caesar. Thus when he heard that a boy Jesus had been born as the genuine future ?king of the Jews,? he felt his position threatened. Therefore he ordered all the two year old babies and downwards to be killed (Matthew 2:16). But by then, Jesus had been taken to Egypt!?.  Well dodged!

The second stratum of the elite who did not receive the birth of Christ favourably was the religious group of the synagogue. They were so blind to the scriptural realities of the times that they regarded the birth of Christ with abstruse disbelief, or with levity and contempt. Interestingly, Professor James S. Steward classifies these unbelieving or unconcerned citizens into four categories. First were the Pharisees who had so ?externalized? their religion that they saw Godliness in terms of outward observances of the laws: they worshipped so that people would see and congratulate them. Hypocrites!

Then there were the scribes who were in ?professionalized religion,? considering it as a job to be done for living. Next were the Sadducees who were in ?secularized religion,? and disbelieved in spiritual things, except the worldly. And the zealots who had ?rationalised religion? to the extent they insisted that every Jew?s pride was to belong to Judaism.

Such groups of people with hypocritical or negative sceptical tendencies are not wanting in our modern religious and social set-ups, even in our political apparatuses. Religious Pharisees there are who have externalized religion these days ?even in our Christian world ?and thus the true love of God which is to be found in the heart has given way to outward ostentation and deceits, or sheer hypocrisy. Modern-day ?professional? scribes, secular Sadducees, and xenophobic, tribalistic zealots are all over the place ?everywhere in our system.

And there are also spiritual, social and political Herods of our times who are seething with negative conservatism and avowed scepticism, intending to destroy or nip in the bud one?s positive initiatives or one?s very good, up-market ideas and programs. What can overcome such negative forces are tactical retreat (as baby Jesus was taken to Egypt) or downplaying of one?s plans, some forward-ever secret persistence, and divine assistance that will negate or dissolve any stumbling blocks on the way.

But the negative forces aside, the birth of Christ received more positive welcome than could be imagined. As it has been said earlier on, the shepherds and the magi went up to Bethlehem to welcome baby Jesus, at a reasonable interval of time within 40 days.

First the shepherds: they were ?in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night? and they were told by an angel the good news of Christ?s? birth, where upon they went with haste to the cave in Bethlehem ?and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger? (Luke 2:8,16).Thereafter, they went back to spread the good news of the birth of the scripturally most expected messianic king. The point in the story is simple: God always loves and invites the common people to himself. And therefore the potential is there for the common people to see God even by a little snap effort!

Next came the wise men, otherwise known as the magi. Professor Merrill Unger describes these visiting magi as the Gozerim types who were ?casters of nativities, astrologists?. These are the people whom Daniel talks about as ?ten times wiser than all the magicians and astrologers? (Daniel 2:2). But Mary of Agreda holds that they were the Hartummim type who were ?expounders of sacred writings and interpreters of signs? (Daniel 1:20), and she further describes them as people versed in science and scriptures?. At any rate, either of these are said to be Godly, in contrast with the Ashaphim (conjurers), Mekashephim (exorcists and magicians) and Kasdim  (diviners and stargazers) ?magi who dabbled in occultism or black magic.

These visiting magi were kings from the East of Palestine, the oriental kingdoms (Mathew 2:1), and were historically  identified as natives of Persia, Arabia, and Sabba. They were informed by angels of the birth of Christ, and by their knowledge of traditional customs and metaphysics, each took up gold, frankincense, and myrrh. By the direction of  a single strange star streaking through the skies, they met at one point, and continued their journey westwards to Jerusalem where they enquired: ?where is the king of Jews who is born.? This enraged King Herod. Thenceforward, they trudged down to Bethlehem of Judea, where Christ had been born in a manger in cave.

Two things are worth noting about the magi?s visitation-?they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold and frankincense and myrrh? (Mathew 2:11). They worshipped, and they gave gifts.

The magi?s  worship of Christ was symbolic: meaning, the upper crust of the society (the rich, elites, chiefs, and aristocrats) should bow before Christ to express their respect, homage and loyalty to Him, as the greatest king. Christ invites the rich also and their greatest blessings lie in this act of reverencing Him. Secondly, their donations were symbolic: the gold, manifested Christ as the most treasured, spiritually, most refined and pure person, whose bright fame and words would be durable and would span all ages. A ?most? valuable person who had come into the world! Gold is pure, bright, durable and valuable.

The frankincense with its pleasant, long ?lasting odour signalled that He was (and is) a prayerful intercessor for mankind, and a healer, for incense was (and it is still used ) for prayers in several places, even in heaven (see Revelations 8:3), and for anti-spasmodic cure. The myrrh (known in Akan as ?krobo?) is still traditionally used in our society for newly-born babies and new nursing mothers, as a spiritually protective device.

All these mean that in our society, we need to possess pure ??gold?, clean, hearts in serving God, and in our interactions with people. We need to possess the ?frankincense? of intercessions for others, and also love and fellow ?feeling to help each other in need. And we also have to display spiritual ?myrrh? in our character with which to protect people?s integrity and name.

These are the societal norms that this Christmas is teaching us to utilize or practicalise in the upcoming New Year 2014. May God bless you for a Happy New Year!

 By Apostle Kwamena Ahinful

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