Christmas Rags
Listen to this blog on The PRODCAST.
INTRODUCTION
When our Lord came to visit the earth, He did not ride in fast and furious on a celestial chariot for all to see. He did not topple the world’s great empires with a legion of heaven’s special forces unit. And He did not sit down upon His rightful throne to reign. At least not at first. He came at first to the warm quiet darkness of a poor young virgin’s womb, just as He promised (Gen. 3:15).
In so doing, our Lord submitted Himself to the same human gestation that He joyfully designed. He was fed from the umbilical cord He artfully fashioned. And He became dependent upon the very mother He wove together in his grandmother’s womb. The artist truly did paint Himself into His own masterpiece.
Upon His birth, the King of all glory was not welcomed in with festivals, celebrations, and the kind of feasting befitting His majesty. No heralds were sent off singing on that day. There were no governmental holidays or observances set in place. Just the humble cry of a new born baby boy, wrapped in common rags. But why?
It is here that we must lift our gaze above the Hallmark card and Christmas carol exegesis that is so common this time of year to see the point of what was happening. Jesus was not loosely covered with warm soft linens like a cuddly blanket on a kicking baby. He was not wrapped in a loose fitting onesie because auntie Elizabeth bought him the wrong size. He was bound and wrapped with tight strips of linen, making him look more like a miniature mummy than a precious moments model. But again, why?
Culturally speaking, the point of such a tight and restrictive linen binding was to simulate a mother’s womb. A new born child had more recently spent a little more than 9 months cramped in an ever tightening uterus, so they would be most comfortable in such bindings while they learned to live in a wide open world. But for Jesus the symbolism goes far deeper and gets right at the heart of the Gospel. Let us explore.
First, we know from Scripture, that the angels directed a group of herdsmen to go and find the child. He also told them to view these linen rags, wrapped around the body of Christ, as a great sign unto them, convincing them of who He is and what He had come to do. It says in Luke 2
In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” - Luke 2:8-14
The rags upon Jesus’ body were a sign meant to be looked at, noticed, and pondered in such a way that they would come to believe these three specific truths.
He was born for their good news.
He was born for the world’s great joy.
He was born to be Savior, Christ, and Lord
BORN FOR THEIR GOOD NEWS
When the Shepherds viewed those shabby rags, it was meant to be a sign to them of a very specific kind of message. A good message. A joyful message. A message that communicated good news. But there is more for us to consider here.
The word used in the text by the angelic fleet is the Greek word εὐαγγελίζω, which is where we get our verb “to evangelize” or more accurately “to proclaim the Gospel”. But in those days, unlike today, that word did not really have a religious connotation. instead, it was purely political! A “gospel” message was a good news report about things like a victory in battle, or a call to celebrate an emperor’s birthday, or a declaration that a new child had been born into the royal family. When these good news events occurred, singing heralds would be sent all throughout the empire to alert the people so that they could celebrate together.
But, just because something was good news in Rome did not necessarily make it good news worth celebrating in Judah. We get that point fairly clearly when thinking about our nation’s capital, that signs all kinds of abominable things into law and then calls upon the people to herald the accomplishment. Oftentimes, the things the capital is celebrating are either repugnant or irrelevant to its people. That was true back then. It is also true today.
So, when the angels alerted the shepherds of God’s very good news, it wasn’t an irrelevant Gospel that happened far away in the halls of power. It was a sign to them! A relevant sign that was happening in the next town over from where they were staying. A sign that a better King than Caesar had been born unto them; born from their own people; born into their royal city of David; born to reclaim the world that had been lost; born to set up His throne right in their backyard; and born to establish His Kingdom that would never end.
The good news that these rags symbolized, is that God brought His Kingdom and His King down low enough to be a blessing to His people. You cannot get much lower than Bethlehem, mangers, and animal stalls for the beginning of your world empire. But it was in the humility of it all where good news is truly found. By going to the lowest region, born in the most humble scenes, Christ can be a relevant savior to all His people. He went to where we are to save us from who we are and that is very good Good News!
BORN FOR THE WORLD’S GREAT JOY
When the shepherd’s saw the shabby rags wrapped around the newborn King, they were also to have great joy, which was a commodity in short supply in the shepherding industry. Shepherd’s worked long grueling hours, tended nature's dumbest animals, and were constantly on guard for both animal and human attack.
Because these men were shepherds in Bethlehem, a suburb of Jerusalem, they were also responsible to care for the lambs that would get purchased and sacrificed at the temple. Men and women would travel to the temple from all over Israel, and even the Roman empire, unable to bring their animals, who would become too sick or injured along the way to be sacrificed. So, when they arrived in Jerusalem, they could pay for these animals from the priests, sacrifice them in the temple, and remain in good standing according to the law of God. It was a wonderful blessing unless you were a shepherd.
To be a shepherd meant you lived with and alongside the animals. You slept with them. You stepped in countless mounds of sheep dung as you were caring for them. And according to the law at that time, you would have been in a perpetual state of uncleanliness because of them. This meant you could raise the animals that would be sacrificed for other people's sins. But you were too filthy and unclean to even enter the gates of the temple, let alone have hope to sacrifice an animal for your sins.
But as those shepherds saw the rags on this tiny baby King, they were pointed to the hope that they would soon have joy! Their uncleanness would soon be healed! A true and better sacrifice would be offered for them, on their behalf, so that they would no longer be on the outside looking in from God and His people. This Jesus came to heal them, and all His unclean people all over the world, and that fact made them exceedingly joyful! (Luke 2:20)
BORN TO BE SAVIOR, CHRIST, & LORD
While no one would ever think to look for a messiah like this, the angels told them to look at the rags wrapped around His body as a definite sign that He was savior, Christ, and Lord.
He is the Savior because He would save His people from their sins. He would stand in their place as the perfect man and spotless sacrifice.
He is the Christ, the anointed one, who would sit on the throne of His father David and reign forever. The one who came with a Kingly mission and would not stop until it was finished.
He is the Lord, because this man was not just a man who could stand in our place; He is the one true God who alone has the power to forgive our sins! He is the maker of heaven and earth condescended into human flesh to save His people. He is the eternal logos who dwelt in eternal joy with the Spirit and the Father was born into His creation to bring that relationship to men.
And this has become relevant to us, not simply by His birth, but most importantly because of His death!
BORN TO DIE
Why did the angel make such a big deal to point out Jesus’ swaddling clothes as a newborn? Perhaps it was because that would not be the only time our Lord was bound in linen strips. According to the Gospels, when He died, He was wrapped with the same kind of cloths once more (John 19:39-40). The same angels who heralded those clothes a “sign” of who He is, now sat beside a folded pile of them in that empty garden tomb! (John 20:11-12) His birth rags were a sign of who this Savior, Christ and Lord would be. His grave clothes are a sign - to all of us - of who He is and will be forever!
He was born to die. He died so that we might live. We live so that we can live for Him!
BORN FOR US
In His birth, He has shown His great love for you and I. No matter where you came from, or what your status might be, He can empathize with you. He left the splendor of heaven to recline in a feeding trough made for pigs. Why? So that you would never wonder if God was too busy to notice you, to high and lofty to care for you, or unconcerned to reach you. He proved that when He left the highest place in heaven to dwell in the lowest parts on earth to rescue you. He loves you! That is good news!
Also, in the grave, He took our place. Our sin condemned us before a holy God, but Jesus willingly allowed Himself to be bound by the rags of death in order to give you the new life that can only be found in Him. He’s done the work! He has been bound to set you free! All you have to do is believe and it will be for your great joy!
Finally, Jesus did not stay bound. While He began and ended His life bound in rags, He did not come to remain that way. He broke out of those linen cloths to signal victory and freedom for all the people of God!
This Christmas, remember why Jesus came. If you are not feeling loved, look to those Christmas rags as a sign of His great love for you. If you are feeling separated from God and all alone in this world, then look to His humble grave cloths and remember that He has taken your place. If you are feeling bound by life, sin, circumstances, emotions, or anything else, look to that heaping pile of rags left lying in an empty tomb and remember that Christ has set you free! You can experience that freedom this season in Christ if you look to Him.
