Following Christmas
Merry Christmas friends!
Technically it’s the day after Christmas, true, but this simply means it is now officially the season of Christmas. We were in the season of Advent, which walks us up to Christmas. And now we journey through what is known as the 12 days of Christmas, with January 6 being the bow on the season, also known as Epiphany.
Christmas raises all sorts of profound and deeply needed questions for us, today. To get at some questions we need to spread out some context that holds the first centuries of BCE and CE together. I’ll try and keep it brief.
We begin with the massive battle of Actium, known as the last war of the Roman Republic, which was fought between Octavian’s naval fleet against Marc Antony and Cleopatra’s fleet. Octavian emerges victorious. He then further organizes and consolidates the power of Rome, and in 27 BCE he is given the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, which means “revered.” Yes, this is Caesar Augustus who will lead and build up the Roman Empire, which becomes a global military superpower in ways beyond most people’s imaginations.
One of the central propaganda slogans for the Roman Empire was, “Peace through military victory.” And how about some titles and power phrases for the newly appointed Caesar, “There is no other name under heaven in which one can be saved than that of caesar.” “Caesar is Lord.” “King of kings.” “Son of god.” “Prince of peace.”
Sound familiar?
These are being spread throughout the known world some three plus decades before Jesus is born.
How about we quickly add in a guy known as Herod the Great. As a military general Herod conquers Jerusalem in 37 BCE and then is appointed by Marc Antony, yes the same fella who will be defeated by Octavian/Augustus, to rule over Israel. Herod will rule until his death around 4 CE, carrying the title, “King of the Jews.” To put the pieces together, yes Herod cozies up to Augustus after his big victory at Actium, which is why Herod is referred to as a Roman client king of Judea. Herod is a puppet ruler for the empire.
Herod gains some favor with the Jewish people through massive renovations of the great temple in Jerusalem, as well as building up the Temple Mount.
But the reality is, between Rome and Herod, the Jewish people are being crushed by empire. In fact, much of the known world will be conquered and ruled through the rampant exercise of Rome’s “peace through military victory” way in the world. A number of historical writings, first century historian Josephus being most prolific, have Augustus riding into towns with his military in tow and demanding to be honored and revered with “Caesar is lord.” If one refuses to bow and acknowledge that Caesar is lord, then they were imprisoned at best, killed at worst. This was Roman peace, bow or be crushed.
Herod is even more ruthless and vicious. But for the sake of time, what we need to know is that between Herod and Augustus empire rules and wins.
Sociologist Michael Mann lays out the four components for empire…
Military power: the monopoly or control of force and violence.
Economic power: the monopoly or control of labor and production.
Political power: the monopoly or control of organization and institution.
Ideological power: the monopoly or control of interpretation and meaning.
Augustus and Herod trace these out perfectly. They rule with an iron fist, intimidation, and fear.
Augustus and the Caesars that followed him were humans that demanded to be exalted as divine. They used money, military force, and religious manipulation to rule and conquer.
Humans that claimed to be divine.
Now let’s move to the Biblical Christmas story, which is of the Divine claiming to be human.
Shocking.
Jesus is born into poverty as a simple, frail baby. And who announces this birth to the world? Poor, lowly shepherds. Who gives birth to this child? An unmarried, poor teenage girl. The gospel of Matthew tells us that Jesus’s seminal teaching begins with, “Blessed are the poor in spirit… blessed are those who mourn… blessed are the meek… blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”
Jesus serves all people, beginning with the least and the looked down on. The writers of the New Testament refer to Jesus as Prince of Peace, Lord of lords, Son of Man and Son of God. One writer says there is no other name under heaven in which one can be saved than that of… Jesus.
Those titles and phrases have already been taken though. This is subversion and subjugating through serving and giving and loving. The Hebrew word for bless is barakah, and it carries the meaning “to bend a knee toward.”
The Divine comes as human to bend a knee toward humanity as a way of loving and lifting up humanity?
The message of Christmas isn’t about force and coercion or fear through threats of violence. It’s about humility and love, generosity and grace.
Christmas juxtaposes empire.
So when things are difficult or don’t seem to be going our way, how do we flip the script? Through Christmas or empire? In our desire for revival, reformation or revolution, do we embody Christmas or empire?
Let’s reflect on a few verses of an ancient song about the One believed to this forever King. For the nations, which is plural. Enthroned on high by stooping low. Promoting the poor by playing in the dirt and shuffling through the trash heap. This King provides for the least of these, rather than pleading for praise by the prestigious. Friends, this is a revolutionary song about the King who inaugurates Christmas…
For he rules on high over the nations
with a glory that outshines even the heavens.
No one can be compared to God, enthroned on high!
He stoops down to look upon the sky and the earth.
He promotes the poor, picking them up from the dirt,
and rescues the needy from the garbage dump.
He turns paupers into princes and seats them
on their royal thrones of honor.
God’s grace provides for the barren ones a joyful home with children
so that even childless couples find a family.
He makes them happy parents surrounded by their pride and joy.
That’s the God we praise, so give it all to him!
Psalm 113:4-9 (The Passion Translation)
This is the Herodium, Herod’s main palace, is about 3 miles from Bethlehem.