A Scandalous Christmas

In one of my previous postings I talked about expectations and how I so often simply don’t expect God to show up where he seems to so often show up. I think I’ve found a reason why it’s so surprising to me when God does show up like he does…


In my small group we recently looked at the first half of Luke’s opening chapter and compared the responses of Zechariah and Mary when the angel Gabriel visited them. The group had some perceptive insights.

Zechariah was a priest – one of God’s mediators between the people and God. He was in a position of having a great measure of spiritual authority. Though he was an old man, we tend to think he shouldn’t have been so surprised when Gabriel showed up to give him God’s message.

Even though he was “startled” (Luke 1:12, NIV) to see an angel of God, he should at least know not to question or doubt what the angel said about him and his wife Elizabeth bearing a son in their old age. “How can I be sure of this?” he asked, “I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” (1:18)

Gabriel does communicate some offense at Zechariah’s impudence: “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God…” (1:19) In other words, ‘You question me? I see God face to face and you doubt what I have told you? Ha!’ And poor Zechariah isn’t even allowed to speak an apology!

Perhaps Zechariah doesn’t doubt God’s ability to produce a son from ancient parents (everyone knew the story of Abram and Sarai by heart!), but he clearly wanted definitive proof that God would actually do what the angel said he would do. And this, to me at least, shows a lack of faith – by no less than a priest! Luke may want us to be reminded of the miraculous birth of Isaac when Abraham and Sarah were old, but maybe he’s saying tongue-in-cheek that don’t think Zechariah is in the same league of faith as Abraham!

Though Mary’s response shows some doubt – “How will this be since I am a virgin?” (1:34) – she should not be held as accountable as one of God’s priests. Her “doubt” comes across more as innocent ignorance of the ways of the Lord. She is young and most probably uneducated, as most women were in that time, and not even allowed to be in the Temple! Yet here she says, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” (1:38)

Mary’s question, so similar to Zechariah’s, is a question of mechanics. Elizabeth and Zechariah are old and beyond any natural ability to bear children. Mary is a virgin and though she is pledged to be married to Joseph (a descendant of King David, no less!), she cannot have children… yet.

There’s also this to consider: Mary’s reputation as a virgin would be severely compromised when this Messiah-child started growing in her womb. Matthew’s gospel tells us that her betrothed, Joseph, had plans to quietly “divorce her quietly,” (Matthew 1:19) but God told him not to, after yet another angelic visitation!

Have you considered what God was saying to Mary? ‘Mary, I want you to bear my Son, who will be the Messiah, the Savior of Israel and the world. This will mean, of course, that people will whisper behind your back; it means you’ll be the subject of much gossip; it means people will accuse you of being, at best, unfaithful to Joseph and, at worst delusional. What do you say?’

“I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”

Wow. Scandalize me, Lord. I’m willing to endure it if that’s what it takes to be obedient.

We empathize with the innocent virgin; we roll our eyes at the spiritually blind old priest.

And there, I think, is the whole point of these two stories. They are told side-by-side – for a reason. Luke is trying to get us to see something. He wants us to look for it, to dig deep into the text and to discover the amazing mystery that is there. It is a deep truth, a revelation of the very nature of God himself. The apostle Paul would later say it like this…

"But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things…" (1 Corinthians 1:27-28a)

There it is. Zechariah is supposed to be numbered among “the wise” of the world, yet he is completely caught off guard when one of Yahweh’s angels shows up at work one day, the one place where you’d think he would expect to see an angel! The priest who is supposed to know God and be familiar with his ways has to spend the next nine months reflecting on his shame at how he blew it.

And Mary? Well, isn’t it obvious how foolish it is to entrust the Savior of the world – the Son of the Living God no less! – to a poor, uneducated virgin?! Who is she to bear God’s own Son? Who is she to nurture that precious child? She is lowly. Perhaps despised. Definitely weak.

Lowly. Foolish. Despised. Weak. She’s the perfect candidate to give birth and nurture the Messiah.

There’s the scandal of Christmas: God looks for the weak and lowly people of this world to work in and through to bring about his salvation.

It’s not that God doesn’t love the priests, it’s just that the priests of this world – the “religious authorities” – you know who we are: pastors, priests, chaplains, teachers and professors, etc. Well, we have this tendency to think we have it all figured out, that our education, charisma, experience and knowledge give us a “leg up” on everybody else. We sometimes think we have the “inside track” on God. And that is our shame.

Imagine if God silenced the so-called “religious authorities” for a while. Where would you hear God’s voice? Where would you find the presence of the Lord?

I’m pretty sure we’d have to go looking for him. Not in the massive cathedrals or church spires. Not in the seminaries or Christian radio stations. Not even in the pulpits or pews.

Where would he be?

I think the answer frightens us, because the places where we know we could find the Lord are precisely the places we so often don’t want to be…

 In the homeless shelter, handing out food and clothing to the despised of our society
 On the streets of the ghetto, teaching the lowly the secrets of the kingdom
 At the bedside of the sick and dying, ushering them into the healing presence of Jesus
 Down the halls of nursing homes, stopping at each lonely soul to look in their eyes and show them the all-embracing love of God
 In the cell blocks of criminals so caught up in the system that they have lost hope for a “normal” life
 In orphanages and hospitals, on the streets and every lonely road, in addiction recovery meetings and confessional booths…

Wherever we find the weak, the despised, the lonely, the imprisoned, the sick, the lowly… there’s where we’ll find Jesus.

If there’s one thing Christmas teaches me, then it must be this: God doesn’t regard my wisdom or strength; he doesn’t regard my power or authority as being important or relevant or valuable.

God does things very differently than I do. Sometimes I don’t understand what God says or does or even why he says and does it.

God is really a mystery, and I just can’t figure him out. Perhaps all I can do is say as Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be as the Lord says.”

Lord, I humble myself, but I’m afraid that isn’t going to be enough. You humble me, as you have before… as you will no doubt have to do again. Show me that I am really lowly and weak – despised even, that I can make room for you in my life. Do with me as you will. Humble me. Change me. Scandalize me, all for the sake of your son Jesus and the glory of your kingdom. In his name… Amen.