Today in the penultimate part of our 4-part series on the some obvious and some not-so-obvious lessons gleaned from the first Christmas, let’s focus on
Poverty…
If at all there was one person who could have chosen affluent parents to live a life of ease, it was Jesus. Yet, He chose lowly carpenter’s abode to grow-up. Want proof of Jesus’ earthly “parents” poverty…consider these Scripture portions.
As per the Mosaic Law, for a mother’s purification ritual, the woman was required to…“And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.” (Leviticus 12:8)
So what did Mary and her supportive husband Joseph do? Let the Scripture speak again…
“And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” (Luke 2:22-24)
What about our Lord during His Ministry? Enormous crowds followed Him (Matt 4:25). Did He greedily and opportunistically fleece the” flock” or feed it? Well, the Saviour who had no place (read home) to lay down His head to sleep (Matt 8:20) during the time of Ministry owned nothing more than one seamless garment (John 19:23-24) towards end of His life, to acquire which the Roman soldiers cast lots for.
Many years later, an inspired Apostle Paul would say…“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” (Acts 20:35)
Felicity…
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:5)
This Christmas what better gift we (those of us who are already walking with Him) can give to the Lord than by resolving sincerely to “have the mind of Christ” at all times. It would delight the Trinity, when we depending on the strength of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 15:4-5) strive to see issues as Christ sees, have inter-personal relationships as Christ would have, respond to persecutions as Christ would all for the Father’s glory (1 Cor 10:31). For one thing, such an act like it was intended in the Church at Phillipi, would bring complete unity on the Body of Christ.
Prayer: Father, what else would please Thee more than your children donning a Christ-like attitude at all times. Even as we display our will for the same, empower us from within.
Suresh Manoharan
J and SM Ministries
(To access the entire “It’s Elementary” mini-series, please click here.)