What’s the Problem with Christmas?
By Eric Scholten
What would you think if I told you that there was a huge problem with Christmas? Maybe your mind travels to long lines in the mall, traffic on the roads, increasing credit card bills, and equally increasing waistlines. What I would like to do in this article, though, is show you not one, but three massive problems with Christmas. To do so, I would like to turn your attention to the first chapter in the gospel of Matthew.
Before Jesus was born, Israel Israel
As this nation was established and “grew up” so to speak, a young man was chosen by God to be their king. We read in 2 Samuel 7 that God made another promise of perpetual blessing to his people; this time through King David. God promised David that he would raise up one of his offspring to sit on his throne after him. This offspring would rule in righteousness and be as a son to God and God would be as a Father to him. God’s steadfast love would not depart from him, but rather he would be established forever.
The essence of this promise is found in 2 Samuel 7:16. “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” This is the language of a forever king sitting on a forever throne. Again, this was a critical promise in the history of Israel
The problem of Christmas is seen as we come to the end of 2 Chronicles, though. These would have been the last words in the Hebrew Bible as it was arranged with the historical books at the end (unlike our English versions which conclude with prophecies). In 2 Chronicles 36 we read of the conquest, deportation, and destruction of Judah , Jerusalem Israel
We know from our Bibles and from history that God brought Israel back to her home in Jerusalem Zion
Place yourself in the shoes of a Jewish man or woman a few centuries later faithfully reading your Hebrew Bible. Hear the promises. Cling to the covenants. Hope in your God. Every time you read, though, you come to the end; to 2 Chronicles 36. You lift up your eyes from the page and wonder where the glory has gone. You see your foreign occupiers and wonder from where your deliverance will come. How will God keep his covenants to Abraham and David? Where is the promise? Where is the blessing? Where is the throne?
Now cast your eyes upon the first words of the New Testament; “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1).”
Here is God’s solution. Here is his promise. Here is the fulfillment of his covenant. This baby born in a manger would be God’s blessing to the nations as the descendant of Abraham. He would be the forever king on the forever throne as the descendant of David. He would return God’s glory to God’s people. The problem of Christmas for Israel
That was not the only problem surrounding Christmas, though. There was another; this time for a young family. Mary and Joseph found themselves in a precarious situation as Christ was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit. Matthew’s gospel fixes our attention on Joseph and his response to the problem at hand.
He knew that he had not been with Mary, for they were only betrothed at this point. Based on his desire to divorce her, we conclude that at first he must have thought Mary had been unfaithful to him. While he had every right, per the law, to publically shame and punish Mary, his character caused him to protect this young girl from the awful humiliation that could have been brought upon her. He decided to end the relationship quietly.
The beauty behind this problem is that the person of Christ saved his mother and the marriage of his earthly parents. While Joseph slept, an angel of the Lord came to him and revealed the identity and the origin of this little one growing in the womb. “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. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins (1:20, 21).”
We read that when Joseph awoke, he did as the angel said; he took Mary as his wife and Jesus became his son. A girl was saved. A marriage was preserved. A family was begun. The problem of Christmas for this young couple found its solution in Jesus Christ.
There is one more problem that we see here in Matthew 1. It is the problem that stares back at us every time we look in the mirror. It is the problem of us. Notice that in Matthew 1:21 the angel tells Joseph that he is to give this child the name, “Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
This little sentence is hugely significant for our lives. If the purpose of Jesus’ life was to save, then that means there are those who are in need of salvation. You and I would think it bizarre if a fireman broke down our front door, came storming up the stairs, and dragged us out of our house in the middle of the night if our lives were not in grave danger. Jesus came because there was a need. People needed to be saved. You may ask at this point, “Saved from what?”
The answer is on the page before us. Jesus came to save us from our sins. The entire biblical witness testifies to the fact that sin is anything in us that causes us to fail to honor and treasure God above all things. We see his beauty and power all around us, yet when we fail to honor him as God and instead worship his creation we become idolaters. He has all authority over this world and over our lives as our King, yet when we claim our own sovereignty in life we are guilty of treason. He is perfect in his nature and in the commands that flow from that nature, yet when we rebel against him we stand justly condemned.
No problem in life can compare to this problem. All of the difficulties we may face, the trials through which we walk, the hurt that so often accompanies life, all pale in comparison to the eternal realities of our sin. There is no way we can muster up enough merit to stand justified before God. He must do a work for us and in us. He must take the initiative on our behalf…and he has, in Christ.
Jesus came to solve the problem of our sin. He lived a perfectly righteous life before God and then died a death that we deserved. As he died for our sin he took the entirety of God’s wrath directed toward sin upon himself. Then God raised him from the dead in order to validate all that Christ ever said and did and in order to claim victory over sin and death. We are now called to repent of our sin and trust Christ alone for the salvation from our sins that we so desperately need. The problem of Christmas for us finds its solution in Jesus Christ.
You may have coasted into Christmas this year or, quite frankly, Christmas may have crashed into you. I would encourage you to take a moment right now to stop and think rightly about the great gift of Jesus Christ and, specifically, about the problems that both precipitated his coming and have been solved in his person. Jesus has come to solve all the problems of Christmas…even yours.
“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” 1 Timothy 1:15
Eric Scholten Bio:
Eric Scholten describes himself as, “a fairly normal guy who loves his Lord, loves his family, and loves his church.” Eric has served God’s people at Living Proof Baptist Church Middle East . Eric has the great responsibility and joy of standing each week before the body of Christ in order to preach and teach God’s word.
Eric has been married to the love of his life, Dawn, for almost 11 years. Together, they have been blessed with four beautiful children: Leah, Hannah , Judah
Eric earned his Master of Divinity degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest , NC and his Bachelor of Arts degree from The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester , MA
Christmas Eve Candlelight Lord’s Supper Service: Dec 24, 6:00 pm
Sunday Morning Bible Study: 9:45 am
Sunday Morning Corporate Worship: 11:00 am
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