Who Is This Baby Jesus? Part 3
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Intro:
Novelist Kurt Vonnegut writes into some of his stories the character “Kilgore Trout who is a paperback novelist himself, Kilgore is always thinking that he is a character in someone else books. He said, ‘The way things are going, all I can think of is that I’m a character in a book by somebody who wants to write about somebody who suffers all the time.’”
In one scene Kilgore’s haunting suspicion is unveiled before him. Sitting content at a bar, he is suddenly overwhelmed by someone that has entered the room. Beginning to sweat, he becomes uncomfortably aware of a presence disturbingly greater than himself. The author himself, Kurt Vonnegut, has stepped beyond the role of narrator and into the book itself, and the effect is as bizarre for Kilgore as it is for the readers.
Vonnegut came to explain to Kilgore face-to-face that his life is all due to the pen and whims of an author who made it all up for his own sake. In this twisted ending, Kilgore is forced to conclude that apart from the imagination of the author he does not actually exist.
The gospels tell a story that is perhaps as fantastic as Vonnegut’s tale, though with consequences in stark contrast. The Gospel of John begins with a story that is interrupted by the presence of the author: The Word became one of us and moved into the neighborhood. But in this story, the presence of the author is not our demise but our inherent good.
When Pricess Lalla Salma gave birth to a daughter named Lalla Khadija, her husband King Mohammed VI of Morocco was delighted. In fact, he wanted to celebrate. But instead of giving out cigars, he pardoned 8,836 prisoners and reduced the sentences of 24,218 others.
When God’s one and only Son was born in Bethlehem, the whole purpose was to provide pardons for condemned people. God had promised he would do so in Isaiah 55:7,
7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
But to all…he gave the rith to become children of God,
First question: who are the “all”?
This question is answered in the rest of the passage.
Second question: What is the significance of being given a “right” to become children of God?
While the word can and is translated “power” it is also translated “right”. This meaning fits the context better.
Right points to privilege or something that is already given.
Both verbs are in aorist tense pointing to totality of humanities acceptance.
{So, who is this “all”?}
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
3 Key “who’s”:
Who did Receive him, who believed his name,...
In John, the idea of believe is deeper than intellectual assent. It is intellectual, emotional, and volitional assent.
The name is the character of God. To believe in God’s name is to believe in Him completely.
The NLT puts it this way:
12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
Who were born,… 4 qualifying statements:
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Not of blood = spiritual birth.
John 3:6
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Nor of the will of flesh = a physical birth that flows from the passion and emotion of a man and women.
Nor of the will of man, = The word for man is actually “husband” signifying the will of a man to have a birth.
But of God. = Our spiritual birth is not in our hands it is only the result of our receiving the Word, it is God who makes it happen.
This is not outlining a process, but stating a fact. The person who receives is also the person who believes is also the person who is given a new birth by God.
Conclusion:
A long-simmering debate continues over how American society should commemorate the Christmas holiday. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that most U.S. adults believe the religious aspects of Christmas are emphasized less now than in the past—even as relatively few Americans are bothered by this trend. In addition, a declining majority says religious displays such as nativity scenes should be allowed on government property. And compared with five years ago, a growing share of Americans say it does not matter to them how they are greeted in stores and businesses during the holiday season—whether with “merry Christmas” or a less-religious greeting like “happy holidays.”
The most seismic change captured by the survey, from a theological standpoint, may be the declining number of people who said they believed the biblical story of Christmas accurately reflected historical events.
The survey asked respondents about their belief in four parts of the biblical Christmas story: that an angel heralded the birth of Jesus; that it was a virgin birth; that wise men were guided to baby Jesus by a star; and that he was placed in a manger.
Only 57 percent of Americans believe in all four, down from 65 percent in 2014. There were two factors that contributed to the trend, researchers said. One was that atheists and the religiously unaffiliated appeared even less likely now than in the past to believe the story of Jesus’ birth. The second was “a small but significant decline” of roughly 5 percent “in the share of Christians who believe in the Christmas narrative contained in the Bible.”
The truth: His birth leads to our birth. His incarnation leads to our transformation.
The Challenge for the Church: To live as the children of God.