“Behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2:10)
“Let the nations be glad and sing for joy… Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!” (Psalm 67:4-5)
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10)
Good news for all the people
December is here, which means Christmas is upon us. My reflections this Christmas season, however, have been percolating since early November.
Last month, our church held its annual Missions Emphasis Week – a time when we focus special attention on God’s work beyond our borders, as it were. Our dear brother and missionary to Columbia, David Baer, delivered a rousing message from Psalm 67, probing our hearts to align with God’s vision of all peoples rejoicing in him.
The following Sunday, I had the opportunity to preach from Revelation 5, exploring the question of how God will accomplish that vision. (Though Dave and I prepared independently, our messages worked in tandem in the way only God can super-intend.) In short, God will do so through the cross. As the living creatures sing to the slain-and-risen Lamb, “by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”
Thus, when I recently read the familiar angelic announcement of the first Noel, I couldn’t help but wonder: did they get it wrong? (Trust me, this isn’t going to end in blasphemy.)
You see, the angels declare “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Notice the singular, “people”? To whom are the angels referring? They were referring to Israel, God’s chosen nation, whose Messiah’s birth they were announcing. Let us not forget Jesus was Jewish. And Luke’s emphasis in the early pages of his gospel narrative seems to be especially on the impact of Jesus’ birth for the “people” of Israel.
Yet, the angels make clear the good news they herald is for “all” the people. By this, I take them to mean rich and poor, esteemed and despised, Pharisees and shepherds, those in Jerusalem and those in little Bethlehem. Jesus’ birth was good news for all Israel, not just a select few.
Good news for all peoples
That’s all well and good. But it leads me to my question: did the angels get it wrong? Or to put it another way, were the angels too narrow in their scope? Is this not good news for all peoples? The answer, of course, is no and yes. No, they didn’t get it wrong. And yes, it is good news for all peoples. The two are not mutually exclusive.
The angels’ announcement emphasized the national aspect of the inter-national good news of Jesus’ birth. Before any other people or nation, Jesus’ birth was good news to Israel. Their promised King had arrived. Nevertheless, this King’s reign would not to be limited by geo-political Israel. For he was, in fact, King of kings. And as such, he was born to ransom and rule people from every people. His kingdom is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-racial, multi-national tapestry.
More than ever, I’ve been thinking about the fact that Christmas is good news for everyone. The birth of Israel’s Messiah is good news for all peoples. Which has me reflecting on not just how we celebrate, which holiday greeting people prefer, when it’s acceptable to start playing Christmas music, or why we have turkey for Thanksgiving and ham for Christmas… but on my heart’s posture towards God’s global kingdom work.
How do I feel about the fact that Jesus’ life and death is for the joy of all peoples – not just me, my family, tribe, or country?
The birth of Israel’s Messiah is good news for all peoples.
I’ll put the question to you this way: how you feel about God’s global kingdom vision? Does it recoil in anger? Does it boil with shouts of joy? Does it tense up in fear? Does it rejoice with thanksgiving?
To illustrate, let me offer a negative example. This fall, I’ve been working through the book of Jonah with our students. If you didn’t know, Jonah was an angry guy. You might not have picked that up if you stopped reading the story after chapter 3. But chapter 4 reveals what’s been lying under the surface through the whole narrative.
Jonah was a committed nationalist. You could say he had an “Israel-first” policy. As such, he didn’t appreciate God showing mercy to non-Israelites, especially pagans the likes of Nineveh. He held outsiders in contempt. And he desperately didn’t want to be an agent of God’s mercy to people beyond his group.
If the newspapers in Jerusalem ran the headline, “Great News of Great Joy for All the Peoples,” I don’t suspect Jonah would be leaping for joy.
Known for joy
Let me drive this home: are you (and I) like Jonah? I’m not asking about your views on American foreign policy. I am, however, asking about our heart’s allegiances and loyalties. Are they aligned with the values and interests of our homeland, the United States of America, to the same or a greater degree than those of our eternal home, the multi-national kingdom of God? If the former takes priority, then I suspect we too will find it hard to smile about good news of great joy for all peoples.
This Christmas, I’m asking God to thrill my heart with the hope of his global redemptive vision, the multi-national kingdom of the redeemed.
Will your heart rejoice in the knowledge that Jesus’ has come for Jews and Gentiles, Blacks and Whites, Spanish-speakers and English-speakers, the wealthy and the destitute, the famous and the forgettable? Or will you be like Jonah: miserly and angry with crossed arms and furrowed brow?
In a world full of Jonah’s, may we be known for our joy this Christmas season.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.” (Psalm 126:2)