The favorite Christmas platitude is "Peace on Earth." Occasionally they will take enough effort to add, "good will toward men." This of course is taken from Luke 2:14.
Those who quote "Peace on Earth" usually intend one of two things: either peace, the antonym of war, or peace, the generalized friendliness toward other people in one's community.
Are either of these what the angels were proclaiming?
Well, if the angels meant that Jesus birth would usher in the end of war, the following two thousand years of history shows that they gave the wrong announcement, at the wrong time, to the wrong people. The 20th Century alone has dizzying statistics of casualties from armed conflict, insurrections, crime, genocides, and wars both "Cold" and "Hot." The sort of peace many protesters seek will indeed come, but not yet. One cannot reasonably interpret this angelic proclamation to mean peaceable international relations. Scripture informs us that such a time of peace will follow, not precede, the return of Christ.
Were they announcing some new social arrangement? No more fighting, misunderstandings, dogmatic assertions, that sort of thing? Live and let live? Admittedly, there are many admonitions for Christians to love and to be at peace with others. This is particularly evident in the New Testament. Naturally, Christians are to pursue peace. Even so, the angels could not have been announcing the beginning of an era of peaceful coexistence among people. This would contradict both human experience and Jesus' own words.
It doesn't take a genius to realize that being nice to other people may not necessarily translate into their being nice to us.
In a long passage in Matthew, Jesus teaches us about the Christian life. He told us to be harmless as doves, assured us that those who hate him will hate us, he promises that we will suffer violence for the gospel's sake, that God remains sovereign even through this, and that we are not to fear even death.
Then, at verse thirty-four, Jesus says "do not think I have come to bring peace on earth, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." He forces a choice between the allegiance to himself and other things, even legitimate loves, like family.
This, and other passages cannot be reconciled to the sort of peace / goodwill so often assumed to mean unthinking and uncritical acceptance of every person, belief, and behaviour.
The real meaning of Christmas stems from the true nature of this peace and goodwill.
What sort of peace do the angels declare? Jesus has "made peace through the blood of His cross." (Colossians 1:19-23) The long passage I cited from Matthew also appears in Luke. In Luke's account, Jesus mentions conflict, the divisive nature of the gospel, the Cross, signs of the times, and wraps it up with a reference to appearing before a judge. The prison is a stark reference to damnation, the only fate God owes us for our sin.
BUT...
God is graceful. The Cross (and Only the Cross) IS the way of peace. We have the guilt of our sin borne by Jesus. In bearing our guilt, he also absorbed the divine Wrath against sin. No charges remain unsettled before the magistrate (God), if we accept his work on the Cross, humble ourselves and repent of our sin. We can then freely, and without fear, come before God, and (together with those same angels) joyfully declare "Glory to God in the Highest!"
Take a moment, in light of this true meaning of Christmas, to read with fresh eyes that Carol we so frequently at this time of year:
Hark the Herald Angels Sing (by Charles Wesley)Wishing a very merry Christmas to you and yours.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King,
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim,
'Christ is born in Bethlehem'
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of the favored one.
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see;
Hail, th' incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King.
Hail, the heav'n-born Prince of peace!
Hail! The Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King.
Come, Desire of nations come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Oh, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart!
Hark! the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn king!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled!"
Peace to you.
1 comment:
Merry Christmas to you as well, and thanks for the kind comment. Another funny thing about Luke 2:14 ("good will to men") is something my sister pointed out to me. Notice that you always hear, "Good will toward men!", when the verse actually says peace (or goodwill) "toward those on whom his favor rests."
Anyway. Thanks again for your comment. It's always encouraging to hear from others.
I hope you're having a great Christmas and New Years!
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