Hey guys! I haven't posted any blog posts since August, which I'd like to blame on my crazy busy schedule. I've been working really hard since school started, however I'm going to try to get back into blogging twice a week again! (Emphasis on the word TRY ;)) Anyways, I just wanted to write a quick post to wish you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! Crazy to think that the holidays are already here. It seems like life just skips from one event to the next.
Since it's almost Christmas, I have been reading the accounts of Jesus' birth/death throughout the New Testament. I really got to thinking about how many people celebrated Jesus' birth, then how many people celebrated His death. I mean, wise men, shepherd and kings came to welcome the King into this world, however there were people even from the beginning who wanted Him dead. Herod tried to kill every male under the age of two in all of Bethlehem just to assure Jesus' death. (Matthew 2:16)
Jesus was popular among the masses because He was different. He was performing miracles, He was teaching and preaching, He was even claiming to forgive sins. Everyone wanted to see who this guy was, yet deep in the heart of many, they despised Him. It didn't take much convincing for most of the crowd to cheer for Barabas' freedom. There was no question that Barabas was a criminal, yet most people wanted Jesus killed although He was perfect. (John 18:40)
Both at His birth and His death, there were two types of people. Those who celebrated His birth mourned His death, while those who hated His birth celebrated His death. It's so easy to say, "I'd definitely be the person mourning at His death, no question about it." But really, it's hard to go against the masses in today's culture, and I can't imagine it would've been much different back then.
When a bunch of people agree on something, it's not easy to be the one to step out and disagree. When people begged for Barabas to go free, they were really condemning someone to death because of the hate in their hearts. If you were to go against them, you'd probably be condemning yourself to death too. The high up people of the day really encouraged the people to cheer for Barabas. (Mark 15:11) When the world really wants us to agree with something, they are going to use celebrities and people the masses know and recognize to encourage you to make a decision. It was obvious in the recent election that certain celebrities really encouraged groups of people to vote for their candidate. They went all out promoting who they thought deserved to be president. No celebrity would have voted for Jesus back then.
It's easy in our world today to just sort of "go with the flow." It's easier to follow the crowd and look cool, then stand up and say that that certain things are wrong. If you were there when Jesus was born, would you have gone to the manger to celebrate? At Jesus' crucifixion, would you be at the cross of Jesus realizing He was dying because of YOUR sin? A pastor from the Bahamas recently spoke in our college chapel and he said, "Even if you were the only person on the entire planet who ever sinned, and you only sinned once, by accident, Jesus would've still had to die to pay for that sin." Every one of us sin and all sin has to be paid for. Thankfully, Jesus has us covered.
Most of you reading this have probably accepted the free gift of salvation, however the question is, what are you doing with it? Is it enough for you to simply be saved, or are you actively trying to please the Lord in everything you say and do? Is your life sold out for the gospel, or are you content with remaining right where you are? Life is so much more than our social media image, or the money we make, or the friends we have, or the clothes we wear. Our popularity status wont matter in Heaven. The amount of friends we have won't matter in Heaven, nor will the lack of friends matter either. This world will say that those things are important, but what matters is that in Bethlehem all those years ago, Jesus came to this earth for the sole purpose of dying for YOUR sin. Are you daily living in remembrance for what He's done for you? Which person are you choosing to be?
Christmas is a time to celebrate the greatest gift of ALL, so remember this:
Jesus became a son of man so that we can be called Sons of God.
Stay excellent!
