"Joy to the world!"

"The Lord is come!"

To which all us Christians say "Amen!"

Yet there is a sad side to Christmas as well.

One Baby was born, the Lord Jesus.

Miraculously born!

By means of a virgin's womb!

Conceived of God Himself, the Holy Spirit.

Yet as soon as He arrived, He became the "target" of hatred and animosity, ending thirty plus years later, on an old rugged Cross!

Truth be told, Jesus' birth led to the deaths of many other little babies, likely all boys!

Because of wicked, jealous King Herod.

"Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men." Matthew 2:16

This tragedy was the first attempt on Jesus' Life. Still a Child, but already hated by the forces of evil!

We hear the angels singing at Christmas, but seldom these babies crying! These mothers sobbing. But they are part of the story, too. No Christmas, no slaughter in Bethlehem!

The Devil may have even tried to "kill" Jesus before He was ever born! That long ride Mary had to take from Nazareth to Bethlehem, presumably on a donkey's back, is not recommended procedure for a soon-to-be Mother. In those ancient days of antiquity infant mortality was extremely high. So was the death rate for ladies during childbirth.

Later, at age twelve, in the Temple. I wonder if the Devil was up to "no good" when our Lord was "left behind" by His Mother and Joseph. Luke 2:43-50 tells us the story. Easily Jesus could have been hurt, or worse.

And when Jesus began His Ministry, at age thirty, the Devil was still at it! "Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." Matthew 4:5-6, it would not surprise me a bit if Satan was here again trying to "kill" the Lord. Had Jesus jumped, unaided, He would have killed Himself. Except for a miracle from God!

And remember that time an angry crowd tried to push Jesus over a cliff? In His home town of Nazareth? "And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But He passing through the midst of them went his way." Luke 4:28-30, another attempt of Jesus' Life!

And that day on the boat in the storm, when Jesus was asleep? Was Satan trying to drown our Lord? Mark 4:35-41, where the disciples plainly said "We are dying!"

Two times the Scribes and Pharisees and other Jesus-haters picked up stones and rocks to kill Him! Twice recorded, anyway, maybe even more than that! See both John 8:58-59 and John 10:30-31 for these accounts.

No doubt in Gethsemane Satan tried yet again. Both with that cut-off ear debacle, Peter's doings, and the sweat as great drops of His Blood! Peter literally attacked an armed body of soldiers and police! Try that today! Instant death! And bleeding like our Lord did there, hemorrhaging profusely, is next-door to a fatal stroke!

Wow!

Time and time again!

The Baby of Bethlehem, now in the cross-hairs of all Satan's weaponry!

Joy has turned to weeping!

Delight to danger!

But why?

Why was Jesus hated so?

Here's one reason, but not the foremost reason. "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." 1st John 3:8, and the devil knew this, too!

But here's the main reason. "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." Mark 10:45, Jesus came to die for sinners, to be our Redeemer! Our Saviour!

And the devil did not want that to happen, Jesus to die, be buried and rise again!

But it did!

Amen!

Yet still, early this Sunday morning I can't get my mind off all those dying children! Slaughtered by Herod!

"Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not." Jeremiah 31:15, where "Ramah" is the same area as Bethlehem! Matthew quoted this exact verse and applied it to that massacre!

Babies dead! How many we don't know, either. Maybe hundreds!

Of course, Jesus was safe, through it all. Until He went to the Cross and gave His Life that sinners might be saved!

Still, all that bloodshed.

All that hatred.

All that heartache.

For Jesus Himself.

And, no doubt also, for His Mother.

Mary is not perfect, not a god, not a mediator, but she is a wonderful example of Motherhood.

She always had compassion for her Son.

When He hurt, I'm sure she hurt too.

Christmas joy?

Yes, keep on singing and celebrating and worshipping!

But the Christmas tears, don't forget them either!

This little Baby, God the Son, came to die!

For you and me!

That's overwhelming!

What Love!

                                                             --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

And I know Him!

That very Jesus!

He lives in my heart!

I adore Him and exalt Him and plan to spend eternity with Him!

He is unique!

None like Him, anywhere!

Praise His Name!

LESSON 3:

Jesus, born in Bethlehem!

Why?

At least for this reason: a government order had been issued. Something to do with a census, and paying taxes of course. "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed." Luke 2:1

Next thing we know. "And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because he was of the house and lineage of David." Luke 2:1, with Joseph bringing his espoused wife along, although technically they were not yet "one" as husband and wife. Yet, she was "expecting."

It's that Virgin Birth thing, that "holy thing" according to Luke 1:35.

On, there's at least one more reason why Jesus must have been born in Bethlehem, to fulfill Scripture. Yes, Micah 5:2 is referring to Jesus! "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

And we sing songs yet today, good songs, about Bethlehem. Written by preachers, some of them. Lyrics that talk about how "still" and "at peace" little Bethlehem lies! "Silent and sleepy" she is!

Yet today, Bethlehem is in a virtual war zone!

Not too peaceful at all!

I want to suggest to you that Bethlehem, place of our Saviour's Birth, is not so pleasant a place after all!

Nor was it very kind to the Baby and His Mother, or Joseph too for that matter. Almost downright rude!

Bethlehem, not quite a sleepy little hamlet of silent stars and resort motels and wonderfully friendly neighbors!

Here's one of the initial things that happened at Bethlehem, Biblically speaking. Jacob's "love," the very "delight" of his life, Rachel, unexpectedly died there! During childbirth!  "And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem." Genesis 35:19, where Bethlehem is again identified as Ephratah, as Micah has already told us.

Bethlehem, already a location of sadness, not gladness!

And get this. The little baby associated with Rachel's sadness, whom she named "Son of my sorrow," Benoni, is none other than Benjamin! A picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, a "type" of Christ we say now. Whose Dad, Jacob, promptly renamed "Son of my right hand!"

Anyone know that Son, Who is on His Father's Right Hand even today?

He's our Saviour!

Bethlehem surfaces again in the closing chapters of the Book of Judges. A man named Micah who is both a thief, having stolen from his Mother, and eventually a "prophet for hire," a money grabber in both instances! "And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah. And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it." Judges 17:1-2

Now Bethlehem is a place of unfaithfulness!

No loyalty!

Selling out!

Family ties and one's heritage mean nothing in Bethlehem, not in Judges chapters 17-18.

Again, Bethlehem is not a "glad" place!

Then, as if that's not enough, Judges 19 tells us even more, another story. This time Bethlehem is the place where a Levite with no morals appears. Here's how the account starts. "And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem Judah. And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father's house to Bethlehem Judah, and was there four whole months." Judges 19:1-2

Later, not far from Bethlehem, he "sells" his wife, his concubine, to a bunch of lewd men. They promptly "gang rape" her to death!

Immorality!

In Bethlehem!

Later, sadness yet again hits the City, Bethlehem, during the days of the Book of Ruth! Apostasy and unfaithfulness! Death and nearly the end of a family dynasty!

It seems that nearly every time in the whole Bible we read of Bethlehem, under any of its names, there is absolutely no peace and joy!

These things are "hints" too!

About Bethlehem even in the days of Caesar Augustus!

Even when Jesus was born!

He entered this life miraculously, no doubt, but at a place of hatred and unfaithfulness and immorality and no telling what else!

He, the sinless One, came to a city of iniquity, compounded iniquity!

Even, as we shall see soon, a place where Jesus Himself, and His family, were not welcome!

All I'm trying to say is this.

There is a hard side to Christmas.

In the Bible!

A dark side!

A hateful side!

And, as Joseph and Mary learn soon enough, a dangerous side!

This Baby, like no other, was born to die!

The manger in Bethlehem has a shadow growing across it!

The shadow of a cross!

An old rugged Cross we call it today.

Where the Baby of Bethlehem, grown into Jesus of Nazareth, God the Son, died for you and me!

That's how we got saved, through His shed Blood!

And it all started at Bethlehem!

Place of turmoil!

Let's thank God today, all day long, for His inexplicable Grace!

Amazing Grace!

Saving Grace!

Peter called it "manifold" Grace!

That it is, and a whole lot more!

I expect this, "the half has never been told!"

Wow!

                                                                      --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 4:

This almost for sure is the way it happened.

Mary, the Virgin, is "with child."

She says, "God did this. I am the Mother of the Messiah! And angel came and told me about all this."

To which I'm sure many said, "Likely story, Mary!"

Remember, even Joseph had to be "convinced" by that same angel!

Everybody doubted Mary!

I believe that even her own family turned against her.

Her Father and Mother, of all people, plus any sisters or brothers she may have had.

In fact, in ancient Israel such a girl, expecting a baby but not yet married, not yet living with her husband, would have been shamed no end!

Maybe worse than that!

She could have been killed, if proven to be immoral!

Stoned to death!

Anyway, this much is sure.

Mary went  home and lived with her parents right after the angel came, right after she became "with child."

She naturally would have stayed there until such a time that she began "showing."

A few months, maybe.

But when her pregnancy was "discovered," her parents may well have refused to allow her to stay in the house.

Then what would this young lady do?

She had to go somewhere.

Who would believe her story?

It's now that Mary does a "strange" thing, for somebody in her "shape" anyway.

She travels!

A long way, too!

To the "hill country" to see cousin Elisabeth, quite up in age by now, and also expecting!

"And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth." Luke 1:39-40

How long did she stay?

"And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house." Luke 1:56

Three months!

But even then, getting "bigger" by the day, Mary does not stay at home.

And by now Joseph himself is suspicious of Mary!

He was just going to quietly "divorce" her, however. As opposed to making a public "example" out of her. Read it all please.

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: when as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS." Wow, Matthew 1:18-25, most of it, where I capitalized some critical phrases.

Joseph "wondered" about Mary, until the angel settled the matter! She was telling the truth! She was indeed "carrying" Baby Jesus, the Messiah, the very Son of God!

Then, to top it all, apparently her family did not let her stay around any longer, not at all! No angel appeared to them! Not that we're told.

Mary, expelled!

She will go where?

Again I ask you to to remember. She and Joseph have not yet "come together" as husband and wife.

Technically they are not officially married, not yet.

But he finds it a necessity to take her to Bethlehem with him!

Why?

As I've said, I do believe that by now her family has essentially "kicked" her out!

They were too "holy" to have such a woman, albeit their own daughter, around!

A questionable woman, of dubious character!

"With child," and not married!

Shame!

And certainly Mary was not legally required to go to Bethlehem.

Only men were counted in the census. You know that from the several Old Testament examples we have. Only able-bodied young men who could go to war, who could fight for Israel.

And as far as paying taxes was concerned, Mary had no job. She possessed no money. No women did in ancient Israel! Therefore she owed no taxes!

She accompanied Joseph because everybody else had turned their backs on her. Almost for sure!

So she, very late in her pregnancy, rides a donkey a hundred miles. Bouncing and jostling about!

Dangerous!

But she had no where else to go!

She was that rejected!

Not only was Jesus "despised and rejected of men!" At least Isaiah 53:3 says this was the case.

Mary was too, despised and rejected of men and women!

So far, only two people have "believed" her!

Elisabeth and Joseph.

Well, now there's you and me too!

Do you think Christmas was a time of joy and peace to Mary?

When read like I've presented it today, it does not sound like Mary was "on vacation" down there in Bethlehem!

The dark side of Christmas!

The hard side of the Virgin Birth!

The sword Simeon mentioned is already piercing Mary's heart, and Jesus has not even been born yet! "And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also, Mary." Luke 2:34-35

We do not respect the Virgin Mary, not enough!

She certainly is not to be worshipped!

But there is some honor due her name!

After all she suffered, for Jesus' sake!

Sing all you want to this Christmas! That's fitting and proper. We serve a risen Saviour!

But also remember Mary and what she endured, to bring the Body of little Baby Jesus into the world!

The reality of Christmas!

                                                                        --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 5:

This is Mary's Story.

"An angel came to me. He said that I would soon be 'with child.' And not to worry, this would be an act of God Himself, through the Holy Spirit!"

She continues, "This Baby is Special! He is the Son of God, the Saviour we have so long anticipated."

"I have done nothing wrong, either! I shall bear in my body that "Holy One" of God."

Sure, Mary, likely story!

Who would have believed that?

Apparently many did not!

Maybe not even Mary's own family!

Where is her Mother through all this?

Never mentioned, not once!

She of course could have been dead.

But, also, she could have been in shock!

And horrified that her daughter was pregnant!

"Miracle story" or not!

Anyway, for whatever reason, Mary finally found someone who believed her!

Another woman!

Also expecting!

Whose untimely pregnancy was also announced by an angel!

Whose Baby would be used of God, too!

That woman was Elisabeth, Mother of John the Baptist!

So Mary, unaccepted by her family, traveled apparently alone to the "hill country" to see her cousin.

How did Mary know Elisabeth was expecting?

The angel told her! "And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible." Luke 1:36-37

These two ladies were able to worship the Lord together, apparently understanding each other quite well! "And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: and she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy." Luke 1:39-44, words Mary desperately needed to hear!

Wow!

And while there, out of town, Mary composed and sang her now famous "song." It's a Psalm, really! As good as one of the original 150 really, the Book of Psalms. Inspired by the Same Holy Spirit, anyway!

While we can't examine Mary's whole proclamation, we can study a few bits and pieces.

The Psalm is usually quoted only in segments, the "bright" and "sweet" parts of course. But I'm telling you, the words we so often omit are ones that relate the the "tough" side of Jesus' Birth!

This thing is not just a Psalm of praise, with angels singing in the background and and Magi heading toward Bethlehem!

It's a war Psalm!

Filled with battle!

Mary already knew what was coming!

She was already "tasting" some of it.

"And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; as he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever." Mary's Song, Luke 1:46-55

For example, she calls herself a woman "of low estate!" She has been "put down" by everyone she knows! Belittled and falsely accused, a blight she apparently bore until death!

But, while people in her generation mocked her and doubted her story, some day! Some day she believed, "All generations shall call me blessed."

Mary had done nothing to get pregnant! She defends herself in this psalm, to some degree at least. She protests, God has done this to me! Her very words, "done to me!" Not by me or with my help, done to me! This was indeed a virgin birth!

She appeals to God's "Mercy" and His "Strength," which she so badly needs in her time of distress! "His mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm."

Maybe nobody else believed her, but God knew the Truth. She cries to Him for help!

Then, get ready! Fighting words! The Battle is "on!" Jesus versus the devil! Light versus darkness! Truth against the Lie! "He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats." Wow!

One day God will "prove" to the skeptics, the faithless, who is right! Mary will for eternity anyway be vindicated! She is the Virgin Mother of Jesus! "He, God, hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree."

Yes!

"The Lord hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy," Mary said, and He will help me too!

One more thing, Mary called her God "He that is Mighty!" That's one of God's "fighting names!" This girl is worshipping, in a time of great sorrow and maybe even danger! "He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name."

The Psalm is full of hints concerning Mary's low estate! Oh yes, "He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree." Verse 52 of Luke chapter 1.

Mary, lowly and despised!

But some day, Mary, respected and understood!

Notice also the verb "scattered!" Jesus came to do some of that, too! "He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts." War rhetoric! Fighting terminology!

In Mary's "hill country" words, I hear no angels singing! Or bells ringing! Or snow falling! Or laughter and joy from happy families!

I hear sorrow!

I hear grief!

I hear the rumblings of war!

War that will end in death!

A bloody death!

Death on an old rugged Cross!

No!

No!

No!

It does not end there, not at death!

It ends at an empty tomb!

Glory to God!

Really it does not even end there!

Jesus is coming back again!

To complete His conquest of the enemy!

Mary's Son, God of Gods!

King of Kings!

Lord of Lord's!

Hallelujah!

That little girl suffered untold agony.

That little girl engaged the battle!

And that little girl, some day, will be properly appreciated!

Even by us Bible Believing Baptists!

The "dark" side of Christmas!

Lord, help me remember.

                                                                        --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 6:

Today we see even more proof!

Proof that Mary and Joseph and soon-to-be-born Jesus were rejected and shamed, even by their relatives!

Let's go to Bethlehem.

Joseph takes his "future" wife to Bethlehem for a reason. Although it's very rare, if not dangerous, for a pregnant lady to be traveling such a distance. It was a hundred miles or so from Nazareth to Bethlehem, with this little virgin lady on riding horseback at best, otherwise just walking! Not recommended!

They were required to go to Bethlehem by the government. It was a "tax" or "census" matter.

Why Bethlehem?

That was the city of their forefathers!

"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because he was of the house and lineage of David." Luke 2:4

So, they would have had "relatives" there!

Maybe distant relatives, but still "kin" folks!

And motels, as we know them, were virtually non existent! Besides, as Micah suggests, Bethlehem would have been too small to have one anyway.

Folks who traveled usually stayed in the homes of friends or acquaintances or, as I've already hinted, relatives.

And granted, their cousins and uncles and forefathers may have already had "full" houses, due to the large crowds in town. But still, room somewhere would have been found for an expectant lady and her companion, especially cousin Joseph.

That is, if things had been "normal!"

Someone else could have slept outside, under the stars. Or in the stable. Or a pallet could have been made on the floor, inside the home!

But things here were not exactly "normal!"

There is a cloud of suspicion surrounding this couple!

She was expecting way too soon!

Rumor is they still are not married, not technically!

They have not "come together" yet, not as husband and wife. Most folks know what that means. It should need no further explanation.

Joseph and Mary and Child are not welcome in such "respectable" places!

They were turned away!

Well, maybe they could use the "barn" out back.

Where the animals are!

Think of it.

A baby born there, near such filth.

Long before the Cross, Jesus began to experience Isaiah's forecast. "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." Isaiah 53:3

Need proof?

Of today's Lesson?

It lies in the use of the word for "inn," used specially by the Holy Spirit.

"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:7

This little noun, "inn," is not the word for a public lodging place. In Luke 10:34 that word is used. Used of the Good Samaritan, as we call him today. "And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him."

"Inn" here is "pandocheion," defined as "a public house for the reception of strangers." It blends "dechomai" and "pas," or literally: a place that "receives everybody!" The wounded man of Luke 10 was taken to their "rough" version of a motel. Paid in advance by the kind caregiver.

But with Mary and Joseph the word for inn is different, "kataluma." It is translated "guest chamber" twice in the King James Bible. Teachers say it means "a guest room, an upper room" or often just a "dining room."

It means a place in someone's home!

I'm telling you, this couple, Joseph and his friend Mary, to whom he is "engaged," were not accepted in his own relatives' homes!

This whole scenario certainly gives the words "no room in the inn" new meaning to me!

Think of it, the place where the shepherds are going to come, a place of sadness and rejection!

The place over which the star will shine, a place of prejudice and animosity!

The area where the angels "sang," a place of inner pain to Mary, not counting the physical pain of childbirth!

It's just another example of the "hard" side, the "dark" side, the "sad" side of Christmas!

Mary endured a lot to be the Mother of Baby Jesus.

When she said to the angel, upon first learning of the Virgin Birth, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word," I wonder if she understood all that meant! Luke 1:38

Wow!

Makes me admire them more than ever!

Makes me love Jesus more, too!

What God did just to get Jesus here, physically!

Thank you, dear Lord!

Newborn, and then laid in a "manger!"

That word is "phatne," a place where animals "eat!"

Their feed tough!

Lined with hay or grass, no doubt!

All because a bunch of "goody goodies" inside the house would not let the holy couple enter!

Shame!

Shame!

Shame!

                                                                         --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 7:

The verse does not seem all that significant.

But it is.

Spoken by an angel, to some common shepherds, "And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." Luke 2:5

That noun "sign" is the word John loves so much, using it 17 times in his Gospel alone! And "semeion" means "a mark, token, wonder," even "miracle" 23 times in the King James Text. This is a significant word, used expressly by the Holy Spirit here to indicate that these clothes in which Baby Jesus is wrapped are important.

Now to the verb "wrapped." It's fully translated "wrapped in swaddling clothes," all taken from "sparganoo." It's main form, "sparasso," means literally "to tear, to convulse, to spasmodically contract!" It is thought that the word is used because of what must be done to the cloth in order to make it suitable for "wrapping." It must be ripped to pieces, in long strips! Pulled apart!

And now remember, somehow this "swaddling clothes" thing is a "sign," an "indicator" about this little Baby Who has just been born!

The next time Luke uses the word "wrapped" is significant too.

Jesus' Body hangs limp on the Cross. He is dead! A man named Joseph, from the town of Arimathaea, has asked permission to bury the Lord. Of Christ's dead Body we are told, "And Joseph took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid." Luke 23:53

Now here in Luke 23 the Greek word is different, but the meaning is the same. "Entulisso" means "to roll up," and is used only in this Burial context in the whole New Testament.

Special words, both of them.

"Signs" they are called!

Wow!

Luke is giving us a lesson here in word association!

Baby Jesus, wrapped in swaddling clothes!

Saviour Jesus, wrapped in grave clothes!

Get it?

In a manger, torn strips of cloth adorn Him!

In the grave, torn strips of cloth adore Him as well!

See the association!

This Baby is different.

He came to die!

For your sins.

For my sins.

For the sins of the whole world, past and present and future!

And that, my friends, is another example of the "dark" side of Christmas.

It is encoded all the way through the Bible accounts of his Birth, too.

Jesus said it best, and it's true even from His Birth, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10

And that "saving the lost" involved His being wrapped up twice in His Life. According to Luke anyway.

At His Birth!

At His Death!

This is more than a "hint!"

This is an outright "sign!"

A glaring one!

Thank you Lord Jesus!

                                                                      --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 8:

The angels were even involved!

In the Birth Story, of our Lord Jesus!

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one ...." Luke 2:8-15

I point your attention to the phrase "a multitude of the heavenly host," obviously a descriptor of those angels.

"Plethos," in English "multitude" here, means a "company" of whatever is being named, a "company" of angels in this case. It's used this way once in our Bibles. It's also a "bundle" once!

Lots of angels!

But they belong to the "heavenly host."

Now this is significant.

"Heavenly" is "ouranios," from the root verb "oro," meaning "to rise up" into the sky! That's where Heaven is! Or at least that's the direction Jesus went when He ascended into that glorious Place!

But the key word for these angels, they are called a "host." Yes, "a multitude of the heavenly host."

This word is "stratia," a derivative of "stratos," always meaning an "army!" Honestly, it's a military term!

An army of angels, dispatched to earth the night Jesus was born!

And yes, they announced Jesus' Arrival! Literally saying, not singing mind you, "praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

They worshipped!

For sure!

But look at what they were, a band of heavenly soldiers!

God dispatched an army the night Jesus came to earth!

In the Greek Old Testament, called the Septuagint, "stratia" is overwhelmingly used as an "army," over two dozen times!

These creatures are ready to fight, if need be!

Why?

Why on "stand-by?"

Why on "alert?"

Because Jesus' Birth is not simply a time of peace and joy and sweetness!

Now, more than ever before, the war is "on," the battle of all the ages has begun, in earnest!

I'm telling you again today, there is a "dark" side to Christmas. There is a "sad" side, too.

Not too many infants are born, with an army nearby, to protect them!

But Jesus was!

He was already, even before Birth, the "target" of Satan!

Our Lord was hated by the devil, every step He took!

Gifts are in order, the King is born, and they will be shared!

But not until the army is in place!

Just in case the devil attempts something evil.

The President of the United States of America has the "secret service."

A wealthy King might have a "bodyguard" or two.

Even some preachers I've known took a person with them, "armed" if you know what I mean!

Protection!

Well, Jesus had some too!

A whole "multitude of the heavenly army!"

A Baby in a manger?

Yes.

But a well guarded One!

And Mary knew it.

"Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19, where "kept" means something like "to keep an eye on," to watch over and care for diligently. And "pondered" is "sumballo," to "throw together" literally! She "collected" all these facts about Jesus, constantly reflecting on them one by one, lest she ever forget!

And one of the things Mary so carefully considered, of course, was that "army" out there.

We call it a "manger scene," the Captain of that band of angels might have seen things differently!

A "war zone" he would have said!

And, by the way, Baby Jesus did remain "safe," until thirty-three years later!

Then He died, for you and me, right on schedule and precisely according to God's Plan.

Spiritual warfare!

At Christmas!

I'll never hear the beautiful old song "Silent Night" exactly the same again!

There was a whole army out there in the skies, rather loudly I suspect, praising Jesus!

More happened that first Christmas than I ever realized!

Lord, help me to "ponder" these things also.

                                                                            --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

Then this quickly ...

I just came across a thought that must be shared!

When Jesus was dying on the Cross, you will remember the Scripture, He asked: "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?" Three Gospel writers record this specific event.

That word "legions" is another military word!

In Jesus' day, during the Roman empire, I have read that a "legion" consisted of 6,100 men! So "twelve legions" would be over 73,000 in total!

An army!

Angels ready to come to our Lord's aid, to His rescue, from the Cross of Calvary! Had He just asked!

Angels again, on "stand-by!"

I can't help but wonder, especially since both nouns have a strong military connotation, if it's the same crowd of angels that hovered over Jesus' Birth Place!

"Stratia," at Bethlehem.

"Legion," at Golgotha.

Both are armies!

First at Jesus Virgin Birth!

Later at Jesus' vicarious Death!

Another "hint" and a strong one, that Jesus came to die!

The manger is already being overshadowed ... by an old rugged Cross!

Both scenes, guarded by armies!

I think, the same army!

When we get to Heaven, I hope the angels can talk to us!

These will no doubt have some exciting stories to tell.

From, as one Preacher said, a Virgin Womb to a Virgin Tomb ... Jesus my Saviour came!

Jesus the Victor over all!

Hallelujah!

LESSON 9:

Technically Jesus was forty days old when it happened. "And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord." Luke 2:22

A godly man named Simeon said some things to Mary and Joseph about the Baby. Luke tells us: "Then Simeon took Jesus up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him." Luke 2:28-33, what statements of faith!

Then something was said to Mary that is startling!

In the context of birth, anyway, nearly crude!

Psychologically unacceptable!

Still, he said it!

And it again reveals the "sad" side of Christmas!

The "dark" side of an otherwise "bright" Story!

"And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." Luke 2:34-35

Note just one thing, though these verse are "loaded!"

Mary, he's talking just to her now, "A sword shall pierce through thy own soul also," presumably because of Jesus and His Birth and Life and, as we now know, Death!

Can you imagine saying to a new Mother, baby in arms, "What sorrow he will bring to you!"

"What tragedy is now beginning in your life!"

"This one is the start of lots of trouble!"

Yet that is essentially what Simeon just said!

"Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also."

The noun "sword" is "rhomphaia," meaning a "large" sword, likely even a "javelin!" This was an especially deadly, as well as painful, weapon of warfare.

No showering of gifts here, not yet anyway.

No "congratulations" to Mom and Dad!

Just a dire warning!

Get ready!

Pain and sorrow and tears are on the way!

Yet, what Simeon said was true.

Culminating in the Cross of Calvary.

"Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene." That's how John records it, the ultimate "jab" of the sword, John 19:25.

Oh, the agony of watching your own son die like this!

Yet she never left His side!

Yet Matthew 26:56 tells us, "Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled." Though John apparently later returned.

The men "ran."

Mary "stayed!"

Piercing sword and all!

It's still that way with this Baby of Bethlehem!

Who is also the Son of God!

If He is your Saviour, Heaven is your eternal home!

If He is anything else to you, a worse fate than merely being pierced by a sword awaits!

Hell, unending torment and sorrow!

Yes, Christmas is, and should continue to be, a time of joy and peace.

Celebrate it!

Acknowledge and worship the Lord Jesus!

But do keep in mind that the Birth of this Child is just a "step," albeit a miraculous one, in the direction of the old rugged Cross.

Sadness and tears and now even a "sword" ... within a few weeks of His Coming to earth!

Wow!

I'm ready to call that first Christmas a bold move by Almighty God!

An invasion from Glory!

A declaration of war ... against the devil and sin and death!

Yes, the great Christmas carol is half right, anyway.

It was a "holy" night.

But I'm no longer sure it was all that "silent!"

There were "rumblings" in the background!

Two opposing systems gearing for battle!

God and Righteousness!

Versus Satan and hatred and sin and rebellion!

And guess what?

The Baby won!

Jesus prevailed!

Some day we all shall see it!

In the meantime, thank God for that little lady!

Mary, who took that sword gracefully and submissively.

For Jesus' sake!

                                                                        --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 10, CONCLUSION:

I did not intend to be discussing these Christmas events for so long! But there are so many of them, each adding to the "dark" side of the Holiday Season!

And though most of you might know this, it must be told again.

The "magi," the wise men, finally arrived!

"And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." Matthew 2:11

They "worshipped" Jesus! A fact that could involve anything from merely "bowing" before the little Baby ... all the way to reverent "adoration and veneration" of  Jesus.

Then they gave our Lord three gifts, or three kinds of gifts.

No doubt, Jesus being so young, these gifts remained in the custody of Joseph, Mary's espoused husband.

But why these three gifts, specifically?

And why now, with Jesus being only a few months old?

Each category of these gifts suggests something associated with the "down" side of Christmas!

Gold, "chrusos" in Greek, is based on the verb that means "to borrow, to receive money," even "to handle," all implying the financial "usefulness" of the precious metal.

This gold would, no doubt, have supplied the finances for the soon-coming flight to Egypt! A trip solely for Jesus' safety!

"And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." God paid this bill in advance, Matthew 2:13. Gold for the "journey," one of the sad events associated with baby Jesus, or Jesus as a young lad anyway.

Second, the wise men presented Jesus with "frankincense." Read it just as "incense" and you better get the sense of the noun. It was used in "worship" situations primarily. The word is "libanos," a "white resin," most often burned when collected and dried. It becomes fragrant when exposed to the heat!

But here with Jesus, on the account of one man, King Herod, "frankincense" leads to nothing but "false worship!"

"And Herod sent them, the wise men, to Bethlehem and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also." Where in Matthew 2:8 the King lied, blatantly so!

Sad yet again, hypocrisy at Christmas!

The third gift was "myrrh." It's "smurna" in Greek, "a bitter gum" that exudes from a certain tree or shrub in Arabia. Especially know for it "preserving" power, thus often used to prepare dead bodies for entombment!

Not too joyful a thought, for a Baby, at Christmas, is it?

This is more than a "hint," I would say. Jesus has come to die! To die in your stead, and mine! That He might save our souls.

Now in retrospect ...

Gold, because someone already hates Jesus.

Frankincense, because the Child will be worshipped, by some in a good way and by others in pure mockery!

Myrrh, because in just a few years He will be dead! God, in a grave! But not for long!

Wow!

Christmas has come.

The Cross is on the way!

But, praise the Lord, nowadays Easter towers over it all!

He's alive!

He's alive!

He's alive!

And now He owns all the gold!

And now He is worshipped by everyone in Heaven, with "incense" burning everywhere!

And now the myrrh is absolutely useless, never to be needed again! He is alive for evermore!

So, finally, even the "dark" side of Christmas has been made "bright," by the power and grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Christmas, a prerequisite to Calvary!

But still, Christmas, a time to celebrate the miracle of God coming to earth!

Sing the songs!

Give the gifts!

Read the stories!

Love the children!

But don't forget, most of all, honor the Saviour!

After all, He is the CHRIST in Christmas, for sure!

                                                                         --- Dr. Mike Bagwell