DIVINE... MAJESTIC... rang within the meaning of his glorious name! Everyone around the world knew that, "Caesar is Lord!" His rule had vastly extended from Rome to the Holy Land of Israel. The most honored ruler and "king" over the entire world in the 1st century was called "divi filius" (son of the deified Julius Caesar)... son of god. The Imperator of Rome, Caesar Octavian Augustus was the benefactor of Rome, using his gifts and charisma for the peace and healing of the known world ... "Pax Romana," the peace of Rome was the heartbeat of his reign. Augustus' rule (31 BC – AD 14) brought changes to every aspect of Roman life and lasting peace and prosperity to the Greco-Roman world according to scholars. He secured and maintained outlying imperial provinces, built magnificent roads and public works, encouraged the participation of the arts and rebuilt many temples to glorify numerous Greek gods. Rome's Octavian Augustus' power was based on his control of the army, his financial resources, and his enormous popularity. He was "called the author of the best possible government," and boasted that he had "found Rome built of brick and left it in marble." Unfortunately, for every great kingdom, there are always subjects who suffer as a result of its "greatness."
The Jewish people living in Judea, Samaria, Perea, Galilee and Idumea, working under heavy taxation, were subject to Rome under the governance of Herod the Great, known for his brutality, paranoia, killings, vast and extraordinary temple and palace rebuilding and his improper behavior toward the Law/Torah of YHWH.
The ancient words of the prophet Micah regarding a "shepherd" who will secure the land a new in His greatness and become the peace/shalom of Israel along with Isaiah's prophesy about the "Prince of Peace" who will have the "government upon his shoulders" seemed far off, lofty and irrelevant to so many poor Jews living in fear under this harsh system of oppression and brute force.
Still, the cry of desperation and misery must have been heard from the small town of Bethlehem, the city of David, the "House of Bread" (Hebrew wording), the city that overlooked the Herodian palace which reeked of injustice and greed.
And G-d was, is and always will be the Lord of the Hebrew slaves who intimately hears the cries of His beloved children!!!
"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world... (Luke 2:1)"
Census = more heavy taxes = more angry Jews = When will this reign end and when will the new kingdom begin?
I wonder if Mary, one who was known in Scripture for pondering things in her heart, pondered how on earth (literally) her baby boy could stand a chance against Caesar and Herod in light of what she knew about the ruling titans of Rome and Judea?
The birth narrative of Jesus, son of Mary and Joseph, residents of Nazareth, must be read in this context! Otherwise, all we have is some nice, fluffy pageant play filled with floating angels, strange shepherds and cows mooing near a gentle baby boy with a halo of some sort upon his little white brow. We might as well be watching a Disney movie!!!
The good news of Christmas day is absolutely bizarre and startling, somewhat laughable and out right crazy when read in its proper context... unless... there's something else going on in the story.
Mary ponders for a reason!
The unique night in Bethlehem is mysteriously purposeful in revealing the dawn of a new age that would be hopeful for all nations, but also, one hope very much foreign to the rule of Rome.
The Son of David, the firstborn over all creation, the real King of the Jews, the son of the Most High G-d, the Messiah/Liberator/Anointed One over Israel and the true Passover Lamb was not born in a royal palace. He was not ushered in with Roman messengers or what might be compared with CNN late breaking news reporters. Jesus, born upon the earth's soil through the help of Jewish peasants, was born in a smelly room with barn animals and placed in a feeding trough for a bed. No crown was placed upon his head. The Jewish Messiah entered this dark and hurting world in poverty and rags.
One would think the first visitors might be the Rabbi's, possibly the high priest, and other esteemed religious elite within Israel.
But shepherds???
Kids? (1st century shepherds were known to be small children)
Little 9 year old girls watching their flocks at night?
These young shepherds were absolutely terrified when an angel came down in their midst, but were put at ease with the following words, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news..." Wait a second... Good news? Haven't we heart that before? Wasn't the Roman world filled with all kinds of "good news?" The angel continued, "... good news of great joy for all people."
Again, the Roman gospel was known to be "for all people" as well. This is the same exact language messengers of Rome would have used back in the day. How is this gospel any different?
"Today, in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."
Might this be the ONE the prophets spoke of from days of old? Is this the true Liberator who will bring REAL peace to the land? Has the time actually arrived? The angel finished with the words, "This will be a sign to you: You will find the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
MANGER?
Is this some joke?
A King in a trough???
And if these words were not enough in that moment to convince the intrigued children, the next bold proclamation would surely stick and pierce its way into the core of their soul as a heavenly host of celestial beings began singing the finest tune in the history of all the earth, "GLORY TO G-D IN THE HIGHEST HEAVEN, AND ON EARTH PEACE TO THOSE ON WHOM HIS FAVOR RESTS."
I'd like to stop and do what Mary does best... PONDER!
...
G-d's glory! Yes, I get it! It's all there and then some with some sugar and spice on top...
The highest heaven? INDEED! WORD!
What about this following line?
"And on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."
I've been doing a lot of pondering upon this particular phrase this week.
First, this message, according to the historical context in which it was written, pertaining to the Messiah figure is clearly not about an after life/pie in the sky or some lofty feel good inner peace that many Christians have somehow made it over the years.
I believe the correct words are visibly seen as "ON EARTH," and it was upon this earth that angels came down and delivered this message to little children on a peculiar night unlike any other these kids have ever witnessed on earth...
According to the message, SHALOM is here, the hope of Israel seen all throughout the Hebrew scriptures, an extraordinary popular word filled with real abundant life, inner peace, outward balance, wholeness and welfare.
Where Caesar offers his Pax Romana, G-d ushers in the shalom through Jesus.
But there's more?
This peace comes to those "on whom his favor rests," which makes me ponder again upon the correlation between favor and this surreal event in history in the lives of young common children watching sheep at night.
And, I suppose this is probably what Mary pondered that night as well when preteen girls came knocking on her "door" in the middle of the night.
No, it wasn't a Torah teacher!
Poor, small, insignificant children were the 1st to the get the birth announcement of the Savior of the world!
Favor was bestowed upon these frightened shepherds whose fear was turned to joy!
Their dark night was filled with the brightest light in the history of the Roman world in which they've known.
This odd, favorable invite to poverty stricken and inexperienced peasants truly makes me wonder (as I'm sure Mary wondered too), what kind of kingdom this King truly ushered in...?
With Pax Romana in plain sight, how does one interpret this SHALOM from YHWH?
Well, it's a good thing we have the rest of the story. Otherwise, we'd be sitting in a dumbfound state of "uhhhhhhh" for years! You see, unlike the actual shepherds during that glorious night in Bethlehem, I'm a bit slow to "hurry" and run to the King. I guess, like the rest of the N. American suburban "church" I often get angry and cynical with at times, along with the religious elite of Jesus' day, the message of the kingdom, the good news for ALL creation falls on deaf ears.
Wait... did I hear myself say that?
ALL CREATION?
Yes, the good news of great joy IS for ALL CREATION! Unlike Rome, who only looked at its own self interests, bottom line, and worked from the top down with force and might, the kingdom of G-d ushered in through Jesus worked and still works from the bottom up!
Why?
After pondering, I've come to a place where I really do think that whether we are talking about shepherds in 1st century Bethlehem, modern day slaves across the globe, single moms, poor migrant workers, alcoholics, orphans, homeless men, starving children, depressed dudes and beaten wives, these folk living at the bottom of the totem pole will nearly always run to a Liberator!
Their healthy fear of the Lord will be real, and their healing will be fully accepted with naked vulnerability and open arms.
Jesus was all about freedom! G-d, his Father is in the business of freedom!
Jesus was a real man who entered our world as a real baby boy born to real poor parents who were able to live a really rich life!
Again, after pondering... What our world needs today more than anything else, is for the children of G-d, to be reawakened to the angels singing and ushering in their anthem to the nations. We need to open our ears again so we can hear and hear well! Christians need to understand that in our identity, the name in which we call ourselves, we are now carriers of the same SHALOM in the context of a world which might offer another message and means of peace/pax! We must be a light to everyone, and not just the people who have bigger toys, more credibility, financial resources and prestige. Christ must be the Messiah for the healing of the broken, diseased, poor, hungry, lame, shunned and for all the misfits of society who have been forgotten. Christians must learn to not rely on trickling down economics, but yearn to embrace and practice with much creativity and passion, bottom-up kingdom ethics.
Give to someone who can't pay you back!
Love with absolutely no strings attached!
Fight for injustice using creative, nonviolent measures of hope, even for the oppressors.
Plant hope in the lives of young children and watch them grow!
And, last but not least... treasure these things in your heart as you watch the kingdom slowly and beautifully sprout before your very eyes!
Now, this my friends IS the snapshot of "DIVINE" on earth. This is the picture of "MAJESTIC!"
shalom
Ryan
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