By B J Syiemlieh
In Christianity, the cross represents the essence of Christian faith in that it symbolizes voluntary self-giving and the suffering of the righteous. But judging by the way Christmas is celebrated, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the celebrations are closer to a birthday party where new dresses, cakes, delicacies, presents and decorations overshadow the significance of the occasion. That is to say, Christmas is celebrated sans the spirit enshrined in the cross. Since this is a tricky situation where faith and celebration of a faith event stand in paradox, the point to ponder is can the cross be found at Christmas?
In the Christmas story narratives in the gospel of Matthew (Matthew 2:1-23), the story begins with an episode narrating about the visit of wise men from the East to pay homage to the infant Jesus. This episode is followed by a narration about their encounter with king Herod, who on knowing about the birth of the new king of the Jews, conceived an evil design to kill Jesus. As his plan failed since the wise men never came back to provide him with any information about Jesus, Herod wanted to secure his position by ordering the massacre of the innocent children of Bethlehem who are below two years of age. In between these episodes, there is also a narration about the flight of Jesus to Egypt to escape the evil design of Herod. The story ends with a narration that Jesus returned from Egypt to settle in Nazareth after the death of Herod.
Without delving into all the details, the first point that a reader familiar with the story would take note is the identity of these wise men. In the context of ancient West Asia, the Greek word “magoi,” which is translated as wise men, refers to persons of the Persian priestly caste in Zoroastrianism. Normally, special status is ascribed to these persons because apart from being priests, they are also considered to be experts in the science of astronomy which is mixed with astrology. This aspect can perhaps be gleaned in the story where it is narrated that they came to Bethlehem by observing the star connected with the birth of Jesus at its rising. Though it is normal in ancient stories to find reputed persons paying homage to a great personality at his birth, what is unique in this story is the possibility of identifying them as Persians or non-Jews. In fact, they are specifically identified in the story as coming from the “East,” a term which can refer to anyone from Turkey to India. In most situations where the pride emanating from ethnocentrism is the norm, the point to be noted in this identification of the wise men is that non-Jews were part of the reception of Jesus at his birth or that the community welcoming the birth of Jesus is inclusive leaving no room for ethnocentricity. In other words, pride is replaced by humility which is one of the attributes of the cross in the process of forming an inclusive community.
Another point that most readers would note this story is the reaction of Herod when he heard about the birth of Jesus from the wise men. Being a puppet king of the Romans, there is no doubt that he would feel insecure about losing power and that he would do anything to retain his position. When political tactics failed since the wise men never reported back to him about Jesus’ birth as he had wanted, Herod resorted to violence. In the story, it is narrated that when Herod realized that he had been tricked by the wise men, he ordered the massacre of all innocent children in Bethlehem who are below the age of two. Such was the pain and suffering inflicted by Herod that the birth of Jesus was also marked by wailing, loud lamentation and inconsolable weeping of the mothers of these children. Therefore, this narration of the events is nothing but a reflection of typical human behaviour which is obsessed with power and position. In fact, the narration would also mirror the impact and implications of such obsession as evident in the massacre of the innocent children and the pain and suffering it inflicted on their parents. Hence, this story about the actions and reaction of Herod functions as a critique about the abuse and misuse of power through violence.
Alongside the critique of abuse and misuse of power, the narration also lays emphasis on the suffering of the righteous which is a dominant theme in the Bible. This aspect is evident in the massacre of the innocent children the pain it inflicted on the grieving parents. The point to note here is what when power is abuse and misuse, it is bound to victimize and make the innocents suffer. In other words, this narration portrays the looming shadow of the cross which is perfected in the life, ministry and death of Jesus on the cross who himself was innocent and righteous but yet suffered a painful and shameful death.
Finally, the story also narrates that divine providence helped Jesus escape the evil design of Herod by fleeing to Egypt. Here, it may be noted that Egypt is best remembered by the Jews as the land where they experienced oppression and slavery at the hands of the Pharoahs though there are instances where Egypt served also as a place of refuge for the Jews in times of calamities like famine. In the birth of Jesus, the often forgotten role of Egypt resonates again when it gave refuge to Jesus when he was persecuted in his own land and by his own people. Here also, the point to be noted is that in the new dispensation marked by Jesus’ birth, social and ethnic boundaries are crossed and enemy lines become obsolete and irrelevant. Again, it may be reminded that crossing boundaries or treating an enemy as a guest is never an easy task as it demands a radical form of humility as symbolized by the shame in the cross. Therefore, at the birth of Jesus, a new and inclusive community is formed with the cross as the central point.
Christmas is a time of joy, fun and celebration. But the point to ponder and remember is that joy can be more joyful when voluntarily and selflessly giving even to the extent of losing something dear and precious, becomes the hallmark of the celebration. This story about Jesus’ birth shows that there is no Christmas without the cross. A meaningful celebration of Christmas is when the shadow of the cross looms large over humankind to create a new and inclusive community.