“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”
â€â€Luke‬ â€2‬:â€1‬-â€7‬ â€NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.2.2-7.NIV
Once upon a time
In his book Tremendous Trifles, G.K. Chesterton writes:
“Fairytales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairytales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairytale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon.”
We love to read fairytales because they illustrate the struggle between good and evil, and we want good to prevail. Fairytales resonate with our deep desire for an idyllic world, offering us relief and solace, especially when reality often falls short. C.S. Lewis, one of the most influential writers of his time, incorporated many elements of fairytales into his stories. Reflecting on his journey to faith in Jesus Christ, David Beckmann writes:
“As for Tolkien and Lewis, there was a disjunction between the time when they would agree that Christianity was a “fairytale that is really true.” Before September, 1931, though they had read the same kinds of books, they did not have the same assumptions. Tolkien had long before settled on Christian belief. Lewis had resisted it, for various reasons. But on this night, there was something supernaturally at work in Lewis’s heart and mind that would lead to their ultimate agreement. The fact is, Lewis himself became the subject of a fairytale coming true – indeed, nothing less than a MacDonald fairytale at that. Lewis became Anados. He became the subject of a Grace that turned his foolish pride in his opinion into a humble acceptance of reality, though it meant the death of his old self and the flowering of a new life. And as he existentially went through a fairy-tale-become-true, he found himself agreeing with his friend, Tolkien: it is possible for a fairytale to be true, and it is certainly the case that Christianity is such a tale.” (1).
The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination.
G.K. Chesterton
A fairytale become true
Most people are familiar with the Christmas story and the nativity scene: a baby in a manger, shepherds seeing an angel, and wise men following a star, and yet, as Giles Fraser writes:
“Every year, Christians struggle to distinguish between the Christian festival that takes place on December 25, and its secular cousin that travels alongside it. Every year, the cultural mash-up between Santa and Jesus, Rudolph and the angel Gabriel, gets ever harder to distinguish.” (2).
For many, Christmas has become a fairytale—a myth with no basis in reality. In a 2020 YouGov poll, 52% of British people considered the Nativity story historically inaccurate, and only 28% believed that Jesus was the son of God. (3). When we turn to the Bible, however, we discover that Luke wrote the gospel, which contains the most background information on the birth of Jesus. Luke was most likely a well-educated Greek speaker who accompanied the Apostle Paul on some of his missionary journeys. He was also the author of the Book of Acts (see Acts 1:1), probably a physician (see Col 4:14), and is considered by scholars to be an outstanding historian. Perhaps the most accurate historian of the ancient world! R.C. Sproul writes:
“The ancient world had many notable historians, both Roman and Greek, and Jewish as well. You have the historians Thucydides, Xenophon, Herodotus, Suetonius, Tacitus, Pliny, and the Jewish historian Josephus, all of whose works are still read. I have a collection in my house of all the works of the great Greek historians, and there were many. And they were excellent in the work they did. But no historian of the ancient world has been subjected to as much academic and archaeological scrutiny as Luke, the writer of this Gospel.” (4).
Luke was a serious man who was not writing a fairytale or perpetrating mythology. Luke himself gives a reason for writing his gospel in Chapter 1:
“Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”
The familiar romanticised nativity scene has no Biblical basis. These were real people and places where God was supernaturally at work. Luke, who carefully investigated everything from the beginning, recounts the birth of Jesus as a historical event, offering insights into the time’s political, social, geographical, and historical context. Alistair Begg writes:
“First and second century histrorians were in no doubt concerning Jesus’ reality. Tacitus, a Roman historian who was writing in the early second century, had no interest in supporting the claims of Christ but was absolutely convinced that Jesus was not mythological. Josephus, a Jewish historian writing in AD 93, affirmed the fact that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus were proclaimed by his followers. The point is this: When we read that Mary laid her firstborn son in a manger, she really did. When we read that the child she gave birth to was conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit , He really was. These supernatural elements are an intrinsic part of the Gospel’s account, and Luke’s inclusion of historical detail is to underline his claim that his Gospel belongs in the history section, not on the fiction shelf.” (5).
The nativity is supernatural history.
It is possible for a fairytale to be true, and it is certainly the case that Christianity is such a tale.
J.R.R. Tolkien
And they lived happily ever after
We are familiar with the lyrics of the famous Christmas song by Andy Williams from 1963:
It’s the most wonderful time of the year
There’ll be much mistltoeing
And hearts will be glowing
When loved ones are near
It’s the most wonderful time
Yes, the most wonderful time
Oh the most wonderful time
Of the year.
However, for many, Christmas is not the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas can intensify many of life’s problems, such as financial difficulty, grief, and loneliness. It is well documented that suicides increase in January, just after Christmas. Since birth, we have struggled with the “dragon” that Chesterton wrote about and long to overcome it. However, the Bible teaches us that the natural disposition of the human heart is one of darkness and rebellion against God. The dragon is too powerful for us. We cannot calm the storm that rages in our hearts. This is why Christmas is fundamentally hopeful: a light has emerged to dispel the darkness and slay the dragon. In Luke chapter 2, we read:
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
The Bible tells us that, once upon a time, God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world on a rescue mission. God’s love drove him to action. Christmas is an announcement that God has come to address our greatest need: forgiveness. This is why Christmas cannot exist without Easter. If you read the Gospels, it becomes clear that Jesus was a man on a mission, and that mission inevitably led Him to Calvary. We will never fully understand Christmas until we understand Easter — why Jesus was born to die. The cradle and the cross cannot be understood apart from each other. The Apostle Paul writing to the Romans sums up the reason:
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Sin is a declaration of independence from God, and all humans are guilty of it. It is an act of treason against the King of the universe and cannot go unpunished. Ultimately, sin is rooted in unbelief, and a rejection of God, and living in this manner has eternal consequences. Our hearts long for that fairytale ending, but that will never be true for us unless we submit to the rule and reign of King Jesus. At Christmas, the love of God came down “to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (Col â€1‬:â€20‬). Glen Scrivener writes:
“Love bears the cost, and on the cross, Jesus bears the cost for all that separates us from God – paying off our debts to God in full. He suffers the dark hell which our sins deserve and then bursts through death and into life on Easter Sunday. Now he comes to each of us in this land of deep shadow and says, “I know your darkness. Let me be your light.” This is the ultimate Christmas gift. (6).
Christmas reminds us of the significance of Jesus’ birth, Easter, death, and resurrection. However, it is also a time to look forward to His return—not as a baby but as a King who will reign over the universe. Only those who have trusted Him will have a fairytale ending—and they lived happily ever after.
Will you?
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King:
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with th’angelic hosts proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King”
Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold him come,
offspring of the Virgin’s womb:
veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail th’incarnate Deity,
pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel.
Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth.
Charles Wesley
Notes
- https://www.cslewis.org/blog/fairy-tales-that-come-true/
- https://unherd.com/2021/12/secular-christmas-is-a-lie/
- https://yougov.co.uk/society/articles/33539-jesus-his-birth-and-resurrection-fact-or-fiction
- R.C. Sproul – Luke, An Expositional Commentary, Reformation Trust Publishing, 2020, p12
- Alistair Begg, Let Earth Receive Her King – Daily Readings For Advent, The Good Book Company, 2024, p102-103
- Glen Scrivener, Four Kinds Of Christmas – Which Are You?, 10Publishing, 2015, p32
Related:
What’s Christmas really all about?🎄
seekingthekingdom.blog 