In his letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul reveals what motivated God to act as he did when he sent his Son to die on the cross: “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). This teaching, offered to a church that was infected with a destructive pride, has tremendous resonance with the events surrounding the birth of Jesus.
Every aspect of what took place appears to have been designed by God to undercut humanity’s bent toward pride and power. The divinely sent conqueror arrives not in a chariot but a young maiden’s womb. His palace, a stable; his throne, a manger. His first earthly messengers are shepherds, considered unclean and unscrupulous by their neighbors. His herald, a child of barrenness. His presence, a provocation to the powerful. His future, an ignominious death.
If anything is lost in the clutter of the season, it’s this: the humble, and humbling, origins of Christmas. With the deluge of festivities, bright lights, parties, and gift-giving, these realities tend to get swamped. But they are important to bring to the surface. It’s in them that the reason why the child came, to save his people from their sins, find their first expression. In order to accomplish his task, he will have to yield to the world’s pride. He will have to become foolish, weak, despised. But by his obedience to the divine will he will bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
It all begins in Bethlehem, in the backyard of an inn, with a baby born into an unknown family from a town of ill-repute. It’s the way God works.
