A Christmas Paradox
I’m fascinated by paradoxes in life. For those who don’t know, a paradox is a person, situation, or conclusion that seems illogical because of some inherent contradiction. For example, an actor, who loves fame and recognition, but who is also very protective of his privacy. Seems contradictory. The Bible is full of paradoxes. – He who would be a ruler, must be a servant. – To live, you must die. – Faith is the evidence of things unseen. etc. Some of my favorite paradoxes are found around the birth of Christ. Take some time this Christmas season to meditate on these things and praise God that “the foolishness of God is wiser than men.”
God became a man. The Creator became a creature (begotten not created). The One who created Mary was then birthed by her. 🤯 (Review - O Come All Ye Faithful)
Jesus, King of Kings, was born in the lowliest of places. The stable likely wasn’t a nice wooden structure with swept floors and air fresheners or even a breeze way. It was probably a shallow cave with no ventilation. It was dirty, smelly, and uncomfortable. By contrast, Caesar Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome, was in the prime of his rulership. The eternal King was sleeping in an animal feeding trough, while this temporal ruler (Augustus died 14 years later) slept in a palace on a clean feather bed with a wool blanket. Not only was Augustus temporal, so was The Roman Empire. You’ll notice it isn’t around anymore. In fact, most people can’t even remember the last time they even thought about the Roman Empire. (Review - Away In a Manger.)
The first creatures (besides Joseph and Mary) to see the newborn Savior were the animals. We sing about them in some of our carols, but have you ever thought of the significance of that? If a king or emperor was about to have a child, the entire kingdom would be waiting with bated breath to find out if the king had a new heir. Only the highest in power and privilege would be witnesses to such an event. I guarantee you there would be no oxen or asses in that place. Yet God, to demonstrate his love for the lowly and humble, made the animals the witnesses of His Son’s birth. (Review - O Magnum Mysterium - it’s Latin for ‘O marvelous mystery’)
Finally, at least for this post, the gifts of the Magi: while perhaps not a paradox, it’s certainly a puzzling scene, unless you understand biblical prophecy. The three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh are not great gifts for a baby/toddler. But what those gifts represent is amazing. The gift of gold recognizes young Jesus as King. Frankincense was used in several of the Old Testament sacrifices. Offering it to Jesus represents His deity as the Son Of God. And myrrh was used as a burial spice, foreshadowing His death as the sacrifice for our sins. (I wonder what Mary and Joseph did with those gifts over the years.) (Review - We Three Kings)
May these whet your appetite to start looking for the paradoxes in God’s plan. Celebrate them. Marvel at them. And worship the God that “hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”
Happy marveling, and Merry Christmas!