When this time of the year comes around, I am filled with sweet and bitter emotions. It is not because I've had good and bad Christmas experiences in the past, but because of my reflection on the day (or what it symbolizes, the birth of Christ). In the history of the chosen people, Israelites, the hand of God was seen time after time. There was no one group of people that had been more loved by the Creator Himself than the children of Israel. Despite Israelites' failure to recognize His love, the Lord loved them unconditionally and passionately. However, all of God's great works were done by His invisible hands. No one could have told you what to picture in your mind when you thinking of God. Yes, the Lord had tried to reveal Himself intimately to Israelites, but they fled from His presence because of their sins. Very few got to understand the heart and character of the Creator. The situation was even worse for Gentiles. It was extremely difficult for them to get to know the Holy One.
But one day, everything changed. God became man. A Baby was born, not of man's seed, but of the Holy Spirit Himself. Those who sought to worship the Lord could now see, hear, and touch the One that created them. Oh how sweet an event it was! There was one Jewish man whose divinely inspired dream had been to see this Child. God made his dream come true. I can't even begin to imagine the excitement and joy this man must have had when he finally got to behold the Baby Jesus. He said with much passion:
“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” Luke 2:29-32
The Christmas day was a sweet day. However when we look back on that monumental day in history, we are reminded that the Saviour that was born into this world was destined to suffer for mankind's sake. In fact the wise men that came to worship the Baby Jesus also gave Him myrrh for His future and present sacrifices, namely, His humble incarnation and His death on the cross. Oh how tragic that the Lord Almighty would experience such things as brutal death on the cross! Often we are simply caught up with the theology of it all and do not see the reality. King of kings had to suffer for His unworthy subjects' sake! When we look at our President and his secret service agents, we immediately see the significance of Jesus' life and death. The secret service agents (Mr. President's servants) are the ones who are supposed to take the bullet, not the President. In the Lord Jesus' case, the King took the bullet for the servants. How tragic! How bitter.
Yet we know that without this sacrifice of His, we could not even be allowed to serve Him in His kingdom. Christmas is a sweet and bitter day. Perhaps my up-bringing in an agnostic Japanese family has also something to do with it, but I've never been able to fully settle in mind how to celebrate Christmas. For many Americans (whether believer or not), the celebration of Christmas is in their cultural blood. In contrast, I seem to have a mixed strong feeling of sweetness and bitterness. As I think of my Lord's birth as a human, I am exceedingly joyful and yet sorrowful that He had to die for sins that I am solely responsible for. As I write this post with bitter and sweet tears in my eyes, the only conclusion I have is: praise be to the Lord Jesus!
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