Today’s Scripture Reading (December 22,
2013): Isaiah 50
In the movie
“Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” there is a great scene of the
family around the dinner table. They are ready to eat, but before they eat,
they pray. And Ricky Bobby begins the mealtime prayer by addressing it to Baby
Jesus. He is reminded by various family members that Jesus grew up, but that
fact has little effect on Ricky who starts his prayer over again. “Dear Eight
Pound, Six Ounce, Newborn Baby Jesus, in your golden, fleece diapers, with your
curled-up, fat, balled up little fists pawin’ at the air …” Ricky is pressed by
the other characters that Jesus was a man and that he had a beard, but Ricky
Bobby is undeterred. After all, Ricky likes the baby version of Jesus the best.
As I write
this, Christmas is only a few days away. It is a joyful time of year, and there
are probably a lot of us that would admit that we like the baby version of
Jesus the best. At its best, Christmas is a happy time of year. At least, that
is what we want it to be. The Christmas story itself is filled with comforting
images; a baby in a manger surrounded by love, angels that come down from
heaven to bring the good news to shepherds, and even wise men bringing gifts to
the child that they believe will one day be “The King of the Jews.” But along
with the comforting images, there are also disquieting ones, including a
prophecy from an old priest by the name of Simeon – “This child is destined to cause
the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken
against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will
pierce your own soul too” (Luke 2:34-35). They were probably not
exactly the words that Mary was waiting to her.
Yet from
some of the earliest writings about the Messiah, the suffering of the one who
would be the Christ is also a common thread. We can’t speak of the birth of
Jesus, without being reminded of the death that he was being born for. As much
as we might be comforted by the birth of Christ, his purpose is fulfilled in
only in his death. And that is one of the reasons why the death and resurrection
of Jesus was immediately recognized, while it was centuries before anyone
thought of celebrating the birth.
This passage
is messianic (meaning that it is written about Jesus) in its nature. And that
fact is attested to by Jesus. As he was getting ready for his last journey into
Jerusalem, “Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going to Jerusalem,
and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be
fulfilled. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him
and kill him. …” (Luke 18:31-33). The scene that Jesus had in mind
would seem to come directly from this passage in Isaiah. There is no mention of
the beard of Jesus being pulled out by his tormentors (it is mentioned by
Isaiah), but it would also not be a surprise if they were – that painful act
would have been a common torture of the day.
So our
reality is that even in the joy of our Christmas celebrations, we are also
reminded of the death of Christ. In many ways the two events cannot be
separated. As much as we may want to pray at Christmas time to Dear Eight
Pound, Six Ounce, Newborn Baby Jesus – the Baby grew up, and he had a beard
that could be pulled out and a back that would be laid open to the whip of the
flogger – and a death so that we might live.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah
51
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