This story starts out on a very chilly Advent Sunday.
To set the stage, I have to accompany my dog out to the backyard to do her business so she doesn’t eat anything she is not supposed to. Since it was particularly cold this morning , I threw on her winter coat and threw my winter coat over my bath robe. I let out the dog and started trudging out to the back yard in the sub-zero temperature. I got to my shed and wondered where my dog was. She was waiting at the backyard gate, apparently anticipating a walk in the neighbourhood. As I had MY jacket on too, it was logical to her we were going for a walk. We were not going for a walk.
Now, I got to thinking about logic at Christmas time. This can be a real stumbling block to people understanding and receiving the Son of God.
The Jewish people were most likely confused about the Messiah and would not accept that He would come into the world by such humble means. It did not seem logical. They were most likely expecting something more….
Also, the message of the Messiah can seem illogical as well. How can one person take on the sins of the world? Mathematically, this is not right….
Furthermore, people ask why would God come to earth and live as one of us? Would He not prefer to stay in heaven? Again, it does not seem logical.
Since we are rational creatures, we embrace logic. It has been the tool of great thinkers and builders throughout the ages. It could be however the process that stops us from believing in Jesus.
In the Bible, it states that the real work WE must do is “believe in the One who was sent.”
Did you catch that? All we have to do is BELIEVE. Not rationalize, apply logic, puzzle , or even think.
Why? Because God has, and continues to do, ALL the rest. He sends, He loves, He cares, He minds, He holds, He sacrifices, He does it all….and logic is nowhere to be found.
We are in an age where we so heavily rely on technologies, especially computers and their accompanying logical pathways, that a message that defies logic can be very difficult to comprehend.
In reality, we are no different to the people who stood under that star in Bethlehem and made a choice. To analyze or believe? To dissect with logic, or to believe?
Going back to how this story started, perhaps we should be thankful this Christmas for the earthly training we have received with all of its insightful intentions. This, however, is not the end of the training. There is a higher good. This has been offered on such a great scale; it is beyond logic and understanding. Thankfully, God has extended this hope through the tender hand of a baby in a manger ― take it ― and believe.
~Mark Gibson