place where we can mask our spirituality. People steeped in various cults
talk about God, Christ, and Scripture, but they don't know Christ.
They are lost amid religion. So, the people of Jerusalem missed Christmas
while they were being religious.
The Romans also missed Christmas. Micah's prophecy that the Christ child
would be born in Bethlehem was set in motion by a Gentile emperor. Luke
2:1-2 says, "It came about in those days that a decree went out from Caesar
Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first
census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria." The Roman soldiers
registered the people and took the census.
Throughout the life of Christ, we see the presence of the Romans. Before
His death Christ appeared before Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea
(John 18:28-40). He was executed by the Romans (Matthew 27:27-36).
Roman guards lied about His resurrection, propagating a story to cover up
the reality that He rose from the dead (Matthew 28:11-15). They all missed
Christmas because of their idolatry: they worshiped their own gods. Christ
didn't fit in with them. They worshiped a multitude of gods, and the pinnacle
of their worship was emperor worship. Therefore, in the midst of their pagan
idolatry they missed Christmas.
The world today is full of people who worship their own gods. They don't
worship idols like they did at the time of Christ, but we still have idols and
gods. Some people worship money. Some people worship sex. Others
worship cars, boats, and houses. Some worship power and prestige. Those
things are the pagan gods of today-the idols of the twenty-first century. And
if that is what you're worshiping, you'll miss Christmas, too. You may receive
some presents, eat a big dinner, and enjoy a beautifully decorated pine tree,
but you'll miss Christmas.
Perhaps the saddest of all, the people of Nazareth missed Christmas. Luke
2:39-40 says, "When they had performed everything according to the Law of
the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. And the
Child continued to grow and became strong, increasing in wisdom; and the
grace of God was upon Him." When Jesus returned to Nazareth, He was
unlike any other child in Nazareth. He accompanied His parents to
Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover when He was twelve years old. He
proceeded to confound the doctors of theology in the Temple (Luke 2:41-
47). He spent thirty years of His life in Nazareth, yet the locals failed to
recognise Him.
Luke 4 unveils the tragedy that took place when Jesus revealed His identity
to the Nazarenes:
He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and as was His
custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.
And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the
book, and found the place where it was written, "The Spirit of the Lord is
upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has
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