Matthew 2: Jesus' Birth Demands a Response

In reading Matthew 2 this morning, I was struck by the two opposite reactions taken to the birth of Christ. First, the wise men worshiped. Often portrayed as astrologers from the east, these men were so observant of God's creation that they witnessed God's sign in the heavens, and took action. Not content to simply observe God's work, they felt compelled to travel and discover the wondrous thing God was doing in their midst. Matthew does not indicate that they knew exactly who this person was they sought; "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?" does not necessarily reveal a knowledge of Christ's saving mission. They understood, however, that something astonishing was happening, and that they needed to respond. How often does God do wondrous things in our midst, and we simply do not pay attention? The wise men reminded me this morning that I should constantly be looking to see how God is working, and that work compels a worshipful response.

Secondly, Herod responded in anger. Herod was faced with an opportunity.  Three wise men came from a great distance and brought him word of a newborn king whose birth has been marked by a new star appearing in the heavens. Ethnically half Jewish, King Herod immediately understood the significance of this star, asking his priests where the Christ was to be born. After learning that Bethlehem was the prophesied location, Herod could have dropped everything, abandoning his crown and responsibilities, and raced to worship the newborn messiah. Instead, he turned from worship to eventual murder. Herod reminded me of a young man I met this past semester in Greensboro, North Carolina. This man had been a firm believer in Christianity, and yet he turned his back on it and embraced an angry, militant agnosticism. Not content simply to reject the faith of his family, he felt compelled to angrily debate any Christian who would engage him with the intent of tearing down his opponent's faith. Herod was not content to leave Christ alone, but sent soldiers to Bethlehem in an effort to kill the babe. There is something about Jesus that forces people to respond to his existence. One cannot easily ignore Him. His existence compels either worship, or vehemence. When confronted with a sign confirming the birth of the Messiah, the wise men worshiped while Herod murdered. Today, will you respond to Christ in worship or anger? 

A Response to the Popularity of Jefferson Bethke's Latest video about Jesus and Religion

Jefferson Bethke is back, and this time with a more controversial poetry video. His “Jesus is Greater than Religion” has gone viral, posted I don’t know how many times on my facebook page. I have noticed an interesting element of these re-postings, however. One group of postings comes from a more evangelical leaning group from Southern Baptist circles, while my more reformed friends and those from Catholic and Orthodox denomination repost it with critiques in mind. Bethke certainly reveals his West coast Christianity concerned with social justice. He critiques the church generally, however, for not being concerned with issues of social justice.

This past week I read, for the first time, Dorothy Sayers’ classic essay “The Lost Tools of Learning,” and this essay from the 1940s has some implications for Bethke. Sayers’ wrote,

Have you ever followed a discussion in the newspapers or elsewhere and noticed how frequently writers fail to define the terms they use? Or how often, if one man does define his terms, another will assume in his reply that he was using the terms in precisely the opposite sense to that in which he has already defined them? Have you ever been faintly troubled by the amount of slipshod syntax going about? And, if so, are you troubled because it is inelegant or because it may lead to dangerous misunderstanding?

Throughout his rapping/speaking/poetry, Bethke uses the word religion. Not once does he offer a definition of this term. In his Road to Emmaus blog post, Father Demack explains “ that religion is actually a rather great word, once you look inside it. It’s from Latin, and (at least in its etymological parts) it literally (and yes, I mean literally literally) means “reconnection” (re + ligio). Is that what you mean Jesus came to abolish? I had gotten the impression that reconnection was actually the purpose of His coming.” Father Demack has written a thorough critique of this video from both a literary and theological standpoint.

Bethke’s approach to religion has become increasingly popular, and is one reason for the popularity of his poor poetry. Religion has become a dirty word within emergent and seeker friendly church circles. Where Christians of previous generations understood their religion as way of understanding their duties to God owed out of gratitude for their salvation, today many hear “religion” and think of Pharisees and legalism. The danger of Bethke’s message lies in its lack of definition. If he used hypocrisy when he means hypocrisy, fine. By using religion indiscriminately, Bethke permits his viewers to quickly interpret his message as an attack on the institutional church. While he protests that he loves the church, his lack of definition and overall tone work to tear down the church he claims to love.

My father, Phillip Herring, preached a sermon related to this topic on New Year’s day, 2012. Entitled “The Church in 2012: Value and Identity,” he worked from Ephesians 5 and Romans 12,  addressing the value of the church and the literal impossibility of claiming to love Jesus while refusing to value the very things He values. Christ died for the Church, and is returning for her. Christians should love the church, and consequently the religion which the church teaches. Christians should not be the first to criticize the church’s failings but rather jump to her defense.

Christianity is a religion. It has specific teachings based in a written text which are espoused by a global institution, the church. Bethke attempts to separate Jesus from the religion, but the things he criticizes do not belong to religion, but rather to sinful humanity living in hypocrisy. While on first hearing, his poetry seems to cater to Christians seeking a humble recognition of sin within the church, it actually lends itself to an attack on the Bride of Christ.

Having just married my bride less than a month ago, I can hardly imagine my listening to similar remarks about marriage and specifically my new wife without coming to her defense personally and to a greater degree to the defense of the institution of marriage. Criticism comes easy for all, however well thought out reasoned defense for the church today requires  greater thought and time. How does this video edify and build up the body of Christ?   Maybe a better  video would be “Saved is Better than Lost” of “Life is Better than Death.”  Now that’s a statement I could support!