The October 7th horror witnessed around the world—women and children brutalized by sadistic Hamas butchers—is the closest picture I can think of to portray a part of the Christmas story we hear little about—what happened to Bethlehem as Herod’s soldiers sliced to pieces every male child two years-old and under. How do we fathom such raw evil? What worldview can possibly explain such horrific, inhuman cruelty?
The worldview sweeping our colleges and universities certainly can’t. This morally bankrupt ideology, called critical theory, was on display ten days ago in the halls of Congress. New York Congresswoman, Elise Stefanik, asked the three university presidents of Harvard, Penn, and MIT, “Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate your school’s code of conduct? Yes, or no?” All three presidents refused to say, “yes.” Such a lack of moral clarity is appalling. How could any moral human being refuse to say that calling for a holocaust against the Jews is immoral?
However, there is a very plausible explanation for their behavior. The radical ideology that replaced these college president’s conscience is the same worldview that has guided their “inclusion” policies. It is critical theory, which divides society into the oppressors and the oppressed, justifying lawlessness by the “oppressed” group against the oppressors. Harvard president, Claudia Gay, for example, told incoming freshmen that the refusal to call a transgender person (the oppressed) by his/her chosen pronouns was hate-speech (by the freshmen cisgender oppressors) and would be severely punished. This same ideology views Israel as the oppressor and Hamas as the oppressed, blinding its college president adherents to the moral evil of Hamas. This episode examines the biblical worldview through which to view society. We do that by examining the Christmas story of the Magi.
The oppressor-oppressed lens for viewing culture is attractive to some Christians who are concerned that today’s Christians stand against injustice. Hower, Christian compassion for the disenfranchised cannot be a bedfellow with critical theory. Not only does critical theory justify lawlessness, but its solution for helping the poor is also thoroughly flawed. It spreads a victim mentality and proposes solutions that undermine the very creation ordinance of marriage between one man and one woman, which God has designed as the foundation for a flourishing society. The correct biblical lens for viewing society is given by the Apostle John.
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God. (Jn 3:19-21).
The Biblical paradigm is not oppressor/oppressed; it is those who hate the light/those who love the light. The story of the magi is a great contrast between those who came to the light and Herod, who loved the darkness. Matt 2:1-12.
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the days of Herod the king, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose, and have come to worship him.” When Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea.” Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word. After listening to him, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense & myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to. Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.
THE MAGI—LOVERS OF THE LIGHT
Who were the magi? The word magi is the word from which “magic” comes. But these were not necessarily sorcerers, worshippers of Satan. The word refers to the priests and experts in mysteries in Persia and Babylon, who were students of wisdom and sacred writings. They were an elite political and spiritual force with king-making power since before the time of Daniel, who was appointed as one of their number (Dan 2:48; 5:11). Owing to the presence of the exiled Jewish community in the Babylonian-Parthian area during the 70-year captivity, the Jewish Scriptures had become part of the magi’s vast accumulation of knowledge.
It appears that a subset of this group became believers in the Hebrew Scriptures and their God. Called God-fearers, Paul discovered many as he traveled the Roman world. Historians say that at this time in history, there was widespread expectation of the coming of some kind of deliverer. The magi were probably aware of Numbers 24:17. “A star will come from Jacob and a scepter will arise from Israel.” The Greek word for star, ASTER, also means radiance or brilliance. There is a strong case for the “star” being the glory of God, visibly shown to these believers in the God of the Bible, just as God’s Shekina glory cloud went before God’s people in Exodus and appeared in the radiance of Jesus in his transfiguration.
Lessons to Learn from the Magi
A. The Messiah’s kingdom is the WORLD not just ISRAEL: More than any other Gospel Matthew portrays the kingship of Jesus and the radical uniqueness of his kingdom. Only Matthew includes in his Christmas story the arrival of the Gentile, “king making,” magi. Perhaps it is noteworthy that the magi were from the same part of the world, where it is thought that the Garden of Eden once existed. In any event, Matthew’s inclusion of the Gentile, God-fearers in his second chapter points to the reality that the throne from which Jesus, the second Adam, would one day rule, was Adam’s, i.e. mankind’s, not the throne of a political entity called, Israel.
Despite the widespread notion that the kingship of the Messiah would be in the form of a political/military state, the messianic prophecies had always contained clues that the oppressors of God’s people to be overthrown were more deadly than earthly rulers. For example, Isaiah 9 reads His name shall be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with JUSTICE and with RIGHTEOUSNESS FOREVERMORE. A kingdom of righteousness and justice requires evil to be vanquished. A kingdom that will be forever requires the vanquishing of death. Jesus came to overthrow Satan, sin, and death, not Rome.
B. The Messiah’s Kingdom would not be POLITICAL but SPIRITUAL. On the surface, this story may suggest that since the magi had inside information about the future of the child-king, they were seeking to find the future ruler of Israel to curry favor with the royal family. After all, they identified Jesus as “the king of the Jews.” But a closer look reveals that they understood the Messiah to be much more than a political ruler. In Jerusalem, they explained their intent to worship this king. This group of Gentiles, who believed the teachings of the Torah, would have known that to bow down to worship a human would have been to worship a false God, a violation of the very first commandment. They had to know, somehow, that this child was Immanuel, “God with us” as Isaiah had said (7:14). No mere human could break the slavery of Adam’s kingdom members to sin. Only God, Himself, could do so. That was Jesus’ mission and why Christ-followers are commanded, “Seek first the spread of Christ’s kingdom of rightness over earth.”
C. Children of the light FALL DOWN in WORSHIP to Jesus. The magi seem almost obsessed with the desire to bow in adoration before this king, who is probably too young to even talk. God created human hearts with an enormous capacity to worship, i.e. with a craving to be obsessed with SOMETHING. It may be winning, succeeding, status and respect, romantic passion, or having the amount of money I need to be satisfied, which is defined as just a little more. Since God’s commandments are always given to lead to our fulfillment, it should not surprise us that the greatest commandment is “BE CONSUMED WITH THE RIGHT THING.” “You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength." I wonder if sometimes in this hectic world, dominated by our screens, we are settling for second best when it comes to feeding our hearts. C.S. Lewis’ words often come to my mind, It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased (Sermon, “The Weight of Glory”). To spark our praise, here are a few observations about the awesomeness of God’s nature revealed in the Christmas story:
- Loving US so much that he became a bloody, mucus covered, newborn baby.
- The humility of his entrance into the world: Born to a peasant girl, from a small town, in a district so despised that Galileans were prevented from reading the Torah in the synagogues of nearby Judea because of their “hick” accent, in a powerless, militarily occupied country, arriving in a feeding trough, in a stable that stank of manure, whose parents were too poor to offer a lamb for his mother’s purification ritual after birth, who were outcasts by mainstream culture, the announcement of whose birth was not send to the aristocracy but to the lowest on the status rung—shepherds. Transcendence that is humble?
- God’s tender provision for a teen named Mary—1) causing another miraculous pregnancy to take place in her cousin, Elizabeth, to strengthen Mary’s faith, 2) causing Elizabeth to supernaturally cry out that she was looking at her savior’s mother, Mary, before Elizabeth had heard a single word of Mary’s story, again strengthening her faith, 3) providing the precious sisterhood Mary shared with Elizabeth in their months of pregnancy. Transcendence that cares tenderly?
- The Father’s love for the Son. It would seem that the Father would not let his son go through the humiliation of the incarnation without sending multitudes of the heavenly host proclaiming, “Glory to God in the highest,” and that the Father wanted so much to honor his son that he sent his Shakina glory cloud to guide the magi to the feet of his son, where they bowed in reverence before Jesus and honored him with extravagant gifts, though Jesus was only a toddler.
Perhaps we should resolve to enter 2024 feasting our souls more by delighting in our Lord who is more wonderful than our finite minds can even fathom.
HEROD—LOVER OF DARKNESS
Who was Herod? He was not Jewish but was appointed the ruler over Israel and Judah by Rome. He was at times benevolent, selling some of the gold objects in his palace to feed his people during a famine, rebuilding the temple, and erecting stadiums for sporting events. But he ruthlessly dealt with any perceived threats to his throne, murdering his own wife, and two of his own sons.
Kingdom of Darkness Revealed: Lessons from the Slaughter of Bethlehem’s Boys
A. Sin viciously destroys. The atrocities we witnessed Oct 7 and we relive in reading of the slaughter of Bethlehem’s sons ought to convince us there is no compromise with evil. It viciously destroys us, our loved ones, our community, and our nation. Romans 12:9 commands Abhor, (i.e. intensely hate) what is evil.
B. Never underestimate evil. It often lies hidden in the heart, as it did in Herod, who did many good things for his people. But given the right circumstances, the hidden evil of our hearts can seize control. For Herod, it was perceiving a threat to his throne. For David, it was walking on a palace rooftop and noticing Bathsheba bathing. One author compares sinful sexual desire to a volcano. It can remain dormant for long periods of time. “But when it erupts it can lay waste to everything in its path including honor, chastity, reputation, families, fidelity, good intentions, life-long promises, and spiritual commitments” (Hart, The Sexual Man). Paul warns us not to underestimate the power of sin. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall (1 Cor 10:12). Chuck Swindoll writes, “I have formed the habit of asking about accountability when stories of someone’s spiritual defection or moral fall come to my attention. Without fail, I ask something like, ‘Did he or she meet with one, two, or three folks for the purpose of giving and receiving counsel, prayer, and support?’ Without exception—hear me, now—without a single exception, the answer has been the same. No!” (Living Above the Level of Mediocrity). In today’s world of screens and attractive women working beside us, the stakes are too high, the battle too fierce, the enemy too wily, the attacks too frequent, the cost of defeat too severe for any Christian man to fight his spiritual battles alone.
C. Behind the October 7th and Bethlehem atrocities is a MONSTER of EVIL named, SATAN. Satan knew of God’s promise to Adam and Eve that the “seed of the woman,” would one day crush his head. It is likely that Herod’s slaughter of Bethlehem’s male children was Satan’s attempt to kill this “the seed of the woman.” In fact, had God not warned Joseph to flee, Satan would have succeeded. The atrocities of October 7th and Herod’s soldiers are reminders that behind evil is Satan, the Prince of Darkness. Those horrific pictures should motivate us to look behind our visible world to see what the lost are not privileged to see—the real explanation for what happens in the world is the conflict between the kingdoms of darkness and light. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Eph 6:12). Paul’s subsequent commands are 1) Put on your armor. 2) Pray. As destructive ideologies overpower the rising generation and the world is engulfed in war, may that reality fill us with greater motivation to pray. The real battle is spiritual!
D. The DESTRUCTIVE VALUES of Satan’s kingdom of darkness will shape culture UNLESS Christians put our light—biblical worldviews—ON A LAMPSTAND for others to see. The biblical recognition of evil in the world shapes or view of:
- PARENTING: Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him (Prov 22:15).
- PARENTAL LOVE: It is not always affirming a child’s wishes (e.g. to change gender). The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. (Prov 29:15).
- GOVERNMENT PUNISHMENT of CRIME. Peter says rulers are sent by God to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good (1 Pet 2:14).
- USE OF FORCE TO DETER AGRESSION. Evil is deterred by repentance and force, not naïve trust in adversaries who are untrustworthy. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for (governments) do not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.
E. The October 7th and Bethlehem brutality remind us that ENORMOUS SUFFERING is still a part of life in today’s world, which is not yet redeemed from sin. The full Christmas story is not just “joy to the world, the Lord is come.” For the residents of Bethlehem, it was, "horror has come," the crushing, gut-wrenching trauma of the loss of loved ones. I have so easily sailed through the joys of Christmas—a special time for my intact family. I am asking God this year to smack me in the face, to realize that:
- Though Christmas is a time of joy with my family, for many it is a time of grief over broken family relationships and the crushing loss of loved ones.
- Though I sit by the warmth of my fireplace, there are homeless across America, many Veterans, many with bipolar and other mental issues living on the streets. Though many are there by choice, they still need Jesus!
- While so many in my family have come to the Light of the World and know Jesus, so many in the neighborhood around me still walk in darkness, which may one day become for them eternal. Sin has consequences; hell is real.
- The Christian worldview must not be the Pollyanna, tinsel covered idea that everyone at Christmas time is merry!
The right lens through which to see the world, is not a Marxist-driven dichotomy between the categories oppressor and oppressed, but the divine categories of those who walk in darkness and those who walk in the light. The light still shines in the darkness, John reminds us, and the darkness has not overcome it (1:5). It never will. Though today, heavy darkness covers our world, especially those who have lost oved ones, there is another day coming. It was described by John (Rev 21ff).
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away….
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk.
For Further Prayerful Thought:
- How does John’s worldview lens of 2 categories of people, those who hate the light and those who come to the light correspond to reality as you have experienced it?
- What truths stood out to you about Matthew’s inclusion of the story of the Magi in his gospel? Why do you think it is so rare today to find a group so “driven” to want to worship Jesus?
- What do you most want to remember about the dark side of Christmas?
