By Olatokunbo Odunuga
Behold, the euphoric December season of goodwill is here; crept in stealthily but surely. It’s a unique period that Christians and even non -Christians acknowledge as unique and extraordinary. It ‘traditionally’ marks the time of the year when the Sovereign Lord of the Universe, the Majesty of Heaven and the King of Eternity “purportedly” incarnated into the limitation of time, when Mary’s boy-child Jesus Christ was born on “Christmas” day.
The Incarnate Lord, the Harbinger, and Author of Peace [Isaiah 9:6, John 14:27] left His Father’s throne above and interpenetrated Space and Time. It was the goodwill mode of the awesome event that made the humble shepherds watching over their flocks that glorious night to experience an angelic visitation which they were neither expecting nor even praying for.
controversy over date of birth
However, there had been recurring controversies over His birth being on December 25, the date initiated by Roman Emperor Constantine in 336 A.D. A school of thought posited that the severely harsh harmattan of Palestine in December wouldn’t have allowed the shepherds to expose their flocks in an open field at night, as they would have been frozen to death.
It was also opined that since our Lord lived for thirty-three and a half year and was crucified on the “Easter”- Acts 12:4 KJV (rightly, Passover- NKJV, NIV, NLT, etc), traditionally in late March/April, the half year factor indicates that He was born six months prior to March/April, i.e. September/October.
3 It was also the same goodwill that made the star of Bethlehem to appear to the Magi (their number not biblically stated but historically indicated as three- namely, Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar. Accept or ignore this; as it doesn’t prove or disprove the authenticity of the birth of Christ or you make reference to Encyclopedia Britannica).
They were oriental heathen kings from Persia, India and Arabia whereas the Jewish priests and scribes, who were then designated ‘sons of the kingdom’ and knew the letters of the scriptures concerning where the Messiah would be born [Matthew 2: 4-6] were not even aware of the awesome pivotal event, playing out right under their noses.
The Star heralded the culmination of the promise of the Seed of the woman [Genesis 3: 15], the hope of the whole world; the Daystar from on High who came to give Light to those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death and to guide their feet into the way of peace [Luke 2: 78-79].
The Magi abdicated their thrones
The Magi responded to the grace by abdicating their thrones with all the imperial privileges and embarked on the arduous wilderness journey for about 4 years (2 years to and also 2 years for return) at a point in history when there were no aircrafts or automobiles.
What a price! It was the fact of the two years earlier, when they first saw the star and left their domains that Herod extrapolated to deduce his evil mathematics to destroy babies two years old and below! After the orientals encountered the original Daystar, Jesus the Sun of Righteousness, they no longer needed the lesser star to lead them back to their countries because wherever and whenever the sun rises, stars vanish into oblivion.
Abundant life, not material life
What if Jesus did not come? Life definitely would have been universally gloomier, more tragic, and miserably meaningless. But then He did come! What was the purpose of His coming? He Himself declared that He had come that we may have Life (Zoe) and have it more abundantly. ‘
Zoe’, not ‘bios’, not ‘psuche’; but an intangible, invisible, and untouchable dimension of life eternal! Alas, some do erroneously understand this “abundant life” to mean abundance of material goods, more often so misled by 21st-century commercial prophets and covetous shepherds in wolves’ clothing. But far from it! That’s why Professor Leon Morris said, “Jesus came to bring men to God, not property to man.”
The abundant life has to do primarily with the fullness of Christ. Job, who was born about 1990 years before Jesus and also Isaac, Jacob, and even the crude Nabal, all had abundance of livestock and material goods long before the advent of Jesus. The very richest men presently on this terrestrial ball generally have no relationship with or any desire for Jesus Christ. And I believe we know some of them and their philosophy for living. John, the apostle who was inspired to write John 10: 10, declared Peter’s assets and his own by implication as ‘silver and gold have I none’ [Acts 3: 4,6].
Paul, who asserted in 2 Corinthians 8 :9 that Christ came to enrich us, declared unequivocally that he did not have this world’s goods, as he deliberately counted them as dung [refuse, garbage] in comparison to the excellency of the knowledge of Christ but he did have the fullness of Christ, i.e. spiritual riches – [Philippians 3:8; Ephesians 1:3]. He lived on the principle of 2 Timothy 6:8, content with having food and covering [ shelter, dwelling- place].
Material possession
But sequel to what was stated about Paul’s bountiful acquisition of spiritual riches, may I also mention that there is nothing intrinsically evil with the world’s good in itself if legitimately earned and God is in the equation except that it has nothing to do with God’s priority or ultimate intention.
Even the well-quoted John 3: 16 states that God gave us His only begotten Son …that we may have ETERNAL Life. Hence, once again, Professor Leon Morris is vindicated with his saying, ‘Jesus came to bring men to God, not property to man’. However, our possessions, much or moderate but legitimate, impose on us the responsibility of Kingdom stewardship!
If He came for the sole purpose of turning the table to provide us all with the abundant life in the worldly sense, then He needed not have come at all because the like of Solomon who was born about 1,000 years before Jesus came had already been able to acquire all the bounties and goodies beyond measure [1 Kings 3: 13].
So, it is this wrong belief that Christ came to make acquisitions- inordinate or otherwise- normative to all christians that embolden many to veer off into covetousness, a stock of Gehazi and Demas who are not bothered about how they acquire- the end justifying the means syndrome, ignoring the eternal truth that a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions [Luke 12:15].
Jesus performed other miraculous feats such as healings, deliverance, raising the dead, etc, but all these are electives, not the core mission of the Kingdom. Moses was on ground about 1,760 years before Jesus came, and he performed stupendous feats and miracles; so did Elisha. He also did not come primarily so that we may go to literal heaven. No! Noah came 2,944 years before Jesus and already pre-qualified for “heaven,” so were Job and Daniel [Ezekiel 14: 14]. Even Enoch, who came 3,378 years before Jesus, literally ‘climbed’ up to heaven [Genesis 5 : 24]; so did Elijah in a fiery spacecraft.
All the dead from Adam till this very hour are not yet in heaven but in Hades [ Sheol ], one part Abraham’s bosom or Paradise, an ecstatically blissful state and the other a wretched hellish state, all awaiting the seventh and last Trumpet [Psalm 16: 10 [NKJV], John 3:13, 1 Thess. 4:16]. Or was it so that faith in God may be inaugurated on Earth? Not really! Abraham who was born about 2,000 years before Jesus, already had faith and was even certified as the father of faith, so were Joseph, Jephtah and others listed in Hebrews 11 as heroes of Faith long before the advent of Jesus.
Why did Jesus come?
What is the conclusion of the matter? Now, did Jesus come merely that this would be a season to be engrossed with superfluous dining, wining, and festivities? No! For emphasis, Christ came that we may have Life, to be partakers of His divine nature [2 Peter 1:4].
This He accomplished, in accordance with the economy of God, by redemption and tabernacling in us [John 1: 14, 1 Corinthians 6: 19]. Thus, each of us may become part of His many mansions – His abodes, His dwelling place. So God became Man by incarnation, that man can become as God in resurrected life as we, by grace, conform to Christ’s image [Romans 8 :29], grow into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ [Ephesians 4: 13]. Indeed, that is what was predestined. Anything less is a short-change!
As we, by His grace and out of gratitude to Him, who was the best gift of love from heaven to mankind, purpose deliberately to come after Christ, denying self, and carrying our cross daily [Luke 9:23], I wish everyone an exponentially joyful, flourishing, and fulfilling season. Jesus Christ is indeed the reason for this season and for all the seasons as well as the very reason for our very existence in season and out of season. SHALOM!- ODUNUGA, O.O.
