Who Is He, This Jesus?

As the year runs to a close, we are presently just a week away from the 25th of December. This is the day when most Christians the world over celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the originator of their faith. As Reinhard Bonnke said, those who complain that the 25th of December is originally the date of a pagan festival miss the point. The birth of Jesus can be celebrated on any day and if we decide to celebrate his birth on the 25th which is a pagan festival, it doesn't matter as long as we know what and who we are celebrating. So my question to you is, do you know whose birth you are celebrating?

Let me help you a little here. Even though we commemorate the birth of God in the form of a child, he is no longer a child. He is the Lion of the tribe of the tribe of Judah. Referencing the uproar that accompanied Fox anchor Megyn Kelly saying Jesus was white, might I point out to you that he is not some tribal or ethnic warlord. He is the King of Israel and indeed the whole earth. He is the Prince of Peace who told us he has left us peace in this turbulent, ever changing world. He is not some ordinary man who said nice things that sounded good. He is the Word of God. He is the Truth. He is not one of the ways that lead to God. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is not a person who would see another hurt or in pain and not do anything. He is the Healer and the Comforter. He is not some man who gave his opinion about how we were to live our lives. He is the Righteous Judge. He is not some man whose words change with any change in Western culture or whose opinion changes with the changes in other men's opinion. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. In fact, he doesn't change. He is constant, unfailing. His love is forevermore. His love for us does not depend on our love for him. He loved us even before we were men. In this sad and dreary world, he is our Joy. He is not some man whose words we take with a pinch of salt. He cannot lie, will not lie. His promises are Yes and Amen.

I could go on and on about the person whose birth we will celebrate in a week's time. But I could go on and on and still not be able to fully exhaust or describe all His attributes or do Him justice. But as we prepare for Christmas, I would like us to remember that the essence of Christmas is not about eating, drinking, shopping or giving gifts but about a God who loved us so much that he didn't want us to continue to wallow in sin. He looked for messengers to send to us but none was worthy or capable. So he came Himself and took on the form of man and was born as a baby. He gave us the best gift anyone could give. He lived amongst us for thirty three and a half years, telling us about the Kingdom of God and giving us an example to follow. When he was going, he told us he would come back for us one day.  All he asks is that we have faith in Him and trust Him. Will we all do that?

THE POWER OF INFLUENCE

The story is told in Daniel 3 of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who withstood King Nebuchadnezzar by refusing to bow to the idol he had made. The three Hebrew boys were part of the contingent of Israelite slaves taken to Babylon after their country had been attacked, overrun and sacked. Nebuchadnezzar had made a statue and he had made a proclamation that at the sound of the music instruments, everyone was to bow to the statue. However, out of the multitude of people who bowed, including their fellow countrymen, they alone refused to bow. We all know the story and what happened next.

I have recently been thinking about the influence and the things that cause us to do the things we do. This has become quite relevant to me in light of the outraged voices following from Miley Cyrus act at the MTV Video Music Awards. I have earlier said while I do not condone the performance or think it was right, I do believe if had been Lady Gaga or Madonna, there wouldn’t have been that much of a reaction http://herstheword.blogspot.com/2013/08/while-men-slept-culture-came-in-unawares.html. I said that people were probably reacting to fact that they could still remember her as Hannah Montana and the picture she was projecting via her performance was incongruent with that of Hannah Montana, hence the outrage. Personally, I think she’s trying too hard to shed her good little girl image so that people will see her as an adult.

However the most important thing for me is not what she did but why she did what she did. A lot has been made about the power of influence. Miley Cyrus wants to sell plenty of albums and make a lot of money while at it. She obviously wants fame and all the accoutrements that come with being rich and famous. She has also constantly been told that sex sells and she sees it in ice cream and car adverts. But that then raises other questions. Her father, Billy Ray Cyrus is a famous and rich musician; did he have to do all that? She could argue that the requirements for succeeding as a country musician and as a hip-hop artiste are quite different. She could also argue that things are much different for men and women. While I could point her in the direction of Adele as a female musician who has succeeded without having to go in the sex-selling direction, I think the problem is more than that.

Reading Daniel 3, you get the impression that there was a vast number of people gathered before the statue, either in their hundreds of thousands, probably millions. People don’t need to speak to influence others. They can influence by their actions. Hundreds of thousands of people, probably millions, all bowing to a statue is a powerful influence. A lot of people were bowing because there was a law in place but the majority was bowing probably because they were afraid for their lives. Seeing a sea of people bowing to a statue, no matter how stupid it may seem, is a powerful influence.

When a child is born, he comes without any preconceived notions or ideas about anything. However, the words, actions, opinions and thoughts of family, friends and loved ones shape what one believes and the values that guide your life. However, I believe that there comes a point when that child or adult becomes autonomous. By that, I mean that there comes a point at which influences that person comes in contact with are not accepted at face value anymore. The influences are measured against some internal system which decides whether or not to accept the influence. The three Hebrew boys had grown up being taught that there was only one God and his name was Jehovah and he was the only one they were obliged to bow down to and worship. Therefore when Nebuchadnezzar came along asking them to bow to the statue he had made, something in them compared what he was saying to what they believed and rejected it. Something in them refused to accept not only what Nebuchadnezzar was saying but what their eyes saw. I remember once leaving school with some friends. There were ten of us and at some point, eight people stopped to buy cigarettes. Something in me wanted to join them so that I could be one of the boys. However by then I knew cigarettes were addictive and that they could cause cancer and a cigarette wasn’t something I wanted to get enslaved to.

A lot is made of peer pressure and the power of influence. However I believe the greatest influence as to whether to accept or reject influence is the strength of the inner man, our spirit. The world is full of influences, some blatant and other insidious. I however do not believe we are helpless puppets who have no choice in the matter. I believe the power of influence lies in the power we give to it. Daniel served as prime minister to about four different kings of Babylon yet the culture of the age could not change him. The Bible says he had an excellent spirit. The Bible in Romans 12 asks us not to be conformed to the pattern and ways of this world but to renew our mind. Every battle is won or lost in the mind. The Bible constantly asks that we build our minds and strengthen our inner man by the word. That is the only thing, along with the Holy Spirit, that can keep us from caving under the cares and pressures and influences of the world we live in.


Update P. S. Just saw this http://video.foxnews.com/v/2659425980001/

JC Cruz is the author of DECEPTIO, a thriller about politics and the persecution of Christians. The novel is published by WestBow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson Publishers. The book is available here http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU-194087/deceptio.aspx. He is also the author of LOST, BUT FOUND, a story of love, loss and redemption available here http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00dPLLEUQ