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As far back as my 40-year-old mind can go, Luke 2:11 immediately comes to mind when I think about Christmas. It's synonymous with polar bears selling Coca-Cola, sitting on Santa's lap at the mall, a claymation story about Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, and a cartoon about the Grinch stealing Christmas. The reason Luke 2:11 lives in my psyche as synonymous with Christmas has nothing to do with church or Christianity. It's because of A Charlie Brown Christmas.

For those who don't know or haven't seen this annual cartoon, in A Charlie Brown Christmas, Linus steps forward from the stage, carrying his beloved blanket to address Charlie Brown and the audience. After Charlie expresses frustration over the commercialism of Christmas and questions its true meaning, Linus begins his speech by reciting Luke 2:11.

For the majority of my life, well before I knew the word Christian or that there was a religion based on the life of a carpenter named Jesus, I knew Luke 2:11. Since I was a boy, I've implicitly recognized how this passage highlights the foundational Christian themes of hope and joy, powerfully shifting the focus from commercial distractions to the true significance of Christmas.

Like most churches, Charlie Brown recognizes how Matthew and Luke's narratives about Jesus' birth underscore foundational Christian themes of hope and joy. However, Charlie Brown and the Church fail to acknowledge how these narratives also serve as potent political propaganda, challenging contemporary socio-political structures by presenting Jesus as a messianic figure destined to redefine authority and power.

As of December 1, 2024, 2.38 of the 8.2 billion human beings on Earth identify as Christians. For even nominal believers, the two times they are likely to attend a religious service are Christmas and Easter. There's even a name for these types of Christians, "Chreasters" (a mix of Christmas and Easter).

Based on these numbers, it is not hyperbole to say that apart from Easter, more people on Earth observe Christmas than any other religious holiday. For context, the next closest religious holiday is Ramadan, with approximately 1.9 billion Muslims participating annually.

Christmas has shaped and influenced Christians worldwide. Due to its religious and cultural significance, our understanding of Christmas—particularly the narrative surrounding Jesus' birth—holds great importance.

I was 15 years old when I was 'awarded' the role of Joseph in the small evangelical church my mom attended. I didn't realize then how Joseph plays the starring role in the Christmas play. The only other respectable option is to be a Magi; all other roles are singing angels or farm animals.

Years later, as a pastor, I saw firsthand how competitive and demanding sweet old ladies can become in fighting other elderly ladies over whose grandson will get to play Joseph. Though a sense of entitlement and status drives families to so passionately fight for their child to get a 'starring' role in the Christmas pageant, there's actually something much deeper at play.

At the heart of the narrative around Jesus' birth are sentimental feelings. The circumstances of Jesus's birth, set in a humble manger and witnessed by shepherds, highlight the themes of divine humility and accessibility, resonating deeply with Christians. The humble beginnings ending with an ascension into heaven also touch on the core of the American ideology around achieving 'the American dream.' Furthermore, the theological concept of the incarnation, where God takes on human form in Jesus, strengthens the notion of divine involvement and intimacy with humanity. Together, these elements create a message of hope and love, portraying Jesus's birth as a profound act of divine love and a promise of redemption for humankind.

As much as Christmas pageants, nativity scenes, and a luminescent baby swaddled in a manger give us warm fuzzy feelings, we neglect the political propaganda Matthew and Luke built into their gospels. What may shock some is that only Matthew and Luke say anything about the birth of Jesus. Mark and John are entirely silent on the subject.

For context, as profound and sentimental as Jesus' birth narratives are, only two chapters within Matthew and Luke make up the entire collection of what we know about Jesus' birth. At the beginning of both gospels, each dedicates a single chapter to the birth of Christ.

To state it plainly, everything we know and believe about the birth of Jesus totals the same amount of words as two Polar Bears selling us soda in a commercial. Please take a moment to let that sink in.

Though there are only 350 words about the birth of Jesus, they have profound political implications that Christianity has largely ignored. First, most Christians must realize that Linus' Oscar performance, quoting Luke 2:11, echoes Isaiah 9:6.

Within its historical Jewish context, this passage in the Hebrew Bible has been understood as a prophetic announcement regarding a future ideal ruler or Messiah. Isaiah 9:6 was written during a time of turmoil for the Kingdom of Judah (Southern Kingdom of Israel), which was experiencing threats from Assyria and internal conflict.

In a Jewish context, this Messianic figure symbolizes hope and redemption for Israel, often linked with the more prominent prophetic themes of restoration and the coming of an age of universal peace. The historical context reflects the anticipation of divine intervention in the face of oppression, highlighting the importance of prophetic literature in Jewish faith and identity.

Why is it significant that Luke 2:11 is purposely echoing Isaiah 9:6? Because Luke (and Matthew) are explicit, the same Messianic expectations found in Isaiah are retrospectively applied to Jesus. In the same way that the Kingdom of Judah was dealing with external threats and internal conflict, first-century Israel was experiencing the same. Luke is making at least two points in echoing Isaiah. First, he reminds us that there is a way we construct every civilization. How humanity structures our societies, cultures, and power dynamics tends to be the same across time. The second point is that through Jesus, there is a comprehensive vision and example of another way of living that goes against the usual way civilizations are structured.

Furthermore, have you ever considered why Matthew gives so much attention to Herod the Great early in his gospel? It is well known that Matthew intentionally portrays Jesus as a Moses archetype in the first part of his gospel. Like Moses, there is an individual who represents the oppression of the people of Israel. For Moses, it was Pharaoh; for Jesus, it was Herod.

Historically, Herod was simply a puppet figure under the control of the Roman Empire. As the gospel of Matthew unfolds, the true face of oppression is revealed. It starts with Herod the Great and ends with Jesus on a Roman cross. Yet, neither Herod nor Rome is the ultimate oppressor.

This is where the comparison between Moses and Jesus ends. Moses did successfully lead the Hebrews out of slavery and oppression at the hands of Egypt. But when you keep reading the story, those same systems of slavery and oppression reappear. Where Moses rescued the Hebrews from a manifestation of oppression, Jesus attacked the heart of domination systems themselves.

Within Jesus' birth stories are the foundation of the conflict between a theology of power and a theology grounded in God as known through Jesus. Jesus' birth stories aren't onlyabout light breaking through darkness for us individually. That light is far more significant. It is a light that breaks through what causes humans to create hierarchies, power structures, and domination systems. Once that light shines forth, its purpose is to transform individuals and the structures we create in governing our civilization.

This Advent, as we reflect on the narratives woven into the story of Jesus' birth, it's essential to recognize they are not merely stories of individual hope but catalysts for profound societal transformation. The nativity scene should not limited to mere sentimentality, nor should it be reduced to commercial clichés. Instead, it beckons us to embrace a radical reimagining of the world, challenging the status quo and inspiring us to pursue a life infused with justice, peace, and genuine equity. By recognizing the subversive undertones intentionally embedded in these ancient texts, they empower us to not only celebrate the personal light and joy but also to fervently work towards a world reflecting the harmony and compassion envisioned at that manger in Bethlehem. In doing so, we honor the memory of Jesus' birth and the revolutionary paradigm it heralds for all humanity.

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