Naughty or Nice?

“He’s making a list/he’s checking it twice/gonna find out who’s naughty or nice/Santa Claus is coming to town.” 

“So,” Santa asked, “what do you want for Christmas?”  I listed all the toys I’d been circling in the Sears catalog.  “Well, have you been a good boy this year?”

How do you answer that when you’re 6 years old?  I knew the answer wasn't always yes.  I’d disobeyed my folks, I’d made my little sister’s life miserable as much as I could…a whole year is an awfully long time to be good.  But if I told the truth, I knew I wouldn't get any presents.  So I lied to Santa about how good I’d been.

To my 6-year-old mind, that’s what Santa was about – be good if you want good things.  How easy is it to think that God works the same way?  If you live right, you get God’s blessings.  If you don’t, then watch out.

But the two names given in the Christmas narrative tell another story.  In Matthew 1:23, we find His name is Emmanuel, God With Us.  It’s not Us With God, but God With Us.  He takes the initiative – He comes to us.  In verse 21 we find His name is Jesus, “because He will save His people from their sins.”

These names tell me that the work is His, not mine.  He comes, He saves.  Not once in these verses does it ask if I've been good.  Instead, it assumes I haven’t, which is why He has to come in the first place.

This Christmas, I’m thankful for a God who steps into my messy world, and does for me what I cannot do for myself.  No, Jesus, I can’t say I've been good.  But I’m so thankful that You are.

Hurt by His Followers

Last night I was watching the fourth installment of Mark Burnett's mini-series, "The Bible," on The History Channel.  One scene in particular jumped out at me, one that often gets overlooked when the story of Jesus' arrest is told.

Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He asks the disciples to pray, as He goes deeper into the garden to pray Himself.  The disciples fall asleep, but Jesus agonizes in prayer, begging for "this cup to be taken from Me."  In the end, He surrenders Himself to the Father's will.  Soon after, Judas leads the crowd into the garden, and the soldiers capture Jesus.  The disciples, awakened from their slumber, see what's happening, and they're ready to fight.  They promised Jesus they would stand by Him, and now's their chance to prove it. Peter pulls out a sword, and in the melee, he cuts off Malchus' ear.  Malchus is the high priest's servant.  He falls to the ground in pain, as the fight continues.

But then Jesus speaks up:  "Peter, put away your sword.  He who lives by the sword will die by the sword." Then, in the middle of the fighting, the confusion, Jesus reaches out and touches Malchus' ear.  He heals him. There's Jesus, being arrested, about to be put to death - and He's still doing what He's spent His ministry doing:  bringing healing to others.

What jumped out at me as I watched this on the TV was who the characters were:  Peter,  follower of Christ; Malchus, servant to Jesus' enemy, the high priest.  Peter was doing what seemed like the right thing - fighting for Jesus.  In his zeal, he inflicts great pain on whoever is standing nearest, in order to protect His Lord.  But Jesus makes it clear that what seemed to Peter to be the right thing, really wasn't.  Peter, in spite of His zeal, missed what Jesus was doing.  Then Jesus stepped in and brought healing.

Maybe you've been hurt by the followers of Jesus.  So many Christians stand up for Jesus, for what is right, and though they may not swing a sword,they brandish words that create deep hurt.  They think what they are doing is the right thing, and their zeal is admirable.  But they miss what Jesus really calls us to do, to bring healing.  So, since we don't do what we should, He does.  He brings the healing to those who've been hurt, even when the hurt comes from His followers.

As I write, I realize that I'm Peter far too often.  Maybe my words have caused hurt.  I pray that God would open my eyes and let me see through His, that I might make things right, that I might be an instrument of healing.

So, for those who have been hurt by His followers, whether it was me or someone else in the church - I pray that you will see Jesus reaching out to you, with the healing touch that only He can provide, the touch that can make you whole again.