McDonald’s doesn’t make most of its money from hamburgers, as is often thought. The reality is that they get most of their money from an unlikely place. While most know them as a restaurant, they are actually a real estate company as well. Their biggest profits come from the land they own where the franchises are built. In truth, things are not always what they seem.
It is the same with Christmas. When Jesus was born, there was already a king on earth. Herod was powerful, rich and cruel. He was extremely paranoid, even afraid of his family and friends. He had vast armies, a fortress, and personal guards. However, he had little peace and his restlessness made him even more cruel. In the end he tried to end the life of the newborn king.
On the other hand, Jesus was born in a small town with little news. From the outside, these two men couldn’t have been more different. One a mighty ruler, the other born to be a king. In fact, things are not always what they seem.
However, we must all ask ourselves, which king rules our lives? It is too easy to be like Herod. Patience wears thin during the holidays, families are often toxic, work is often overloaded, and crowds can seem unforgiving. In those moments, we can easily be more like the selfish ruler, losing our temper, fearing rejection in our smallest moments. and behave shamefully.
Turn on the news for a few minutes and it becomes clear which king is in the headlines. In a world where if you bleed you lead, grace and peace can seem like a universe away.
The gospels give Jesus another name, Emmanuel. We don’t need to know Greek or Hebrew to understand the meaning of the name, Matthew tells us, the name means “God with us.” That’s the difference that makes all the difference.
Because the promise goes much further, it is not only with you, it is within you. As Max Lucado said, while he was a baby within Mary, “he is a force within you.” And what you can’t handle, he can, and he’s inside of you.
Paul himself would call his inner presence a mystery, the greatest mystery of all time. He not only came to dwell among us, but to literally live inside the temple, the temple that is you and me.
In fact, things are not always what they seem. Christmas is not the story of a baby, it is the story of a king. Not a king like any other, but the King of the Universe. And the true gift is that he lives in us, so that in all things we can have peace. There is no greater gift.
