Unitarian Universalist Church at Washington Crossing

Sermon inspired from Marcus Borg
by the Rev. Charles J. Stephens

There is a parable that I am sure you have heard, there was a peasant couple, lets call them Joseph and Mary. They are very poor. One account has Mary giving birth in a barn, putting her baby in a manger or feeding trough. Non-biblical traditions even include barnyard animals standing around like movie extras. One of the versions of the parable has shepherds arriving from their fields. The other has wise men from the east wondering in, having followed a magical star.

200-300 years later this parable was placed in the month of December close to the celebration of Mithra, the Persian god of light, who is said to have been born out of a rock on December 25. The many gods and goddess that came from lands they had conquered attracted the Romans. The emperor Aurelian established Mithraism as an official religion. Thus the festival, the Day of the Invincible Sun, became an important Roman holiday, celebrated on December 25. Some scholars think that the emperor Constantine adhered to Mithraism up to the time of his conversion to Christianity and because of that made sure this important cultural feast made its way into his new Christian faith.

Now, I know you may find it amazing, but sixty-seven percent of Americans (latest Newsweek poll) take issue with calling the stories about Jesus birth a parable. They think of it as historically factual, from the virgin birth, the angelic proclamation to the shepherds, the Star of Bethlehem and the wise men from the east following their magical star.

There continues to be great disagreement and debate about the stories of Jesus’ birth. Are the birth stories historically true and if so, which one is true, or are they totally fabricated? Unfortunately, the debate is so heatedly focused on the question of truth or fiction, that what actual message of the stories is overlooked and totally lost.

Marcus Borg and Dominic Crossan co-authored The First Christmas because people are so busy arguing about the stories being truth or fiction, few ask, why the stories were told in the first place and what do they content mean?

Borg and Crossan’s position is that Jesus is the central figure in the gospel stories and Jesus taught chiefly in parables. Therefore, the parables told by Jesus became the literary model and the literary inspiration for the gospel writers. The writers of the Gospels realized that a well told parable could get people to stop, take notice and be lured into a discussion. Then they might ultimately consider the spiritual truth being taught. Jesus was a skilled story teller, why would not his followers follow his lead when they wrote the Gospels.

Parables grab human interest. We can relate to the characters in the parable and to the context. If the elements of a parable are familiar, people will relax and listen. Usually, toward the end of a good parable you get a twist and find a lesson. Remember, when Jesus taught, people did not sit in rows of chairs, taking notes, facing the front of a room or even in a circle. People gathered around the teacher. A good deal of give and take or argument went into the discussion. For instance, another teacher tried to trick Jesus and asked him, “What must I do to receive eternal life?” (Luke, 10:25b) Jesus answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan.

No one stopped and asked, “Did that really happen?” “Did that really take place on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho?” People knew it was a parable. It had a message. Jesus told it to convey meaning. Today when the parable of the Good Samaritan is retold and no one asks, “Did that really happen?” People know it is a parable, it has a message, it conveys meaning not fact.

A parable is told using context for the audience you want to attract. Therefore, Matthew writing to a Jewish Christian audience made clear parallels between Moses and Jesus, between the Pharaoh who killed the children of Israel in an effort to kill their future leader, Moses, and King Herod who is said to have killed the Jewish children in an effort to kill Jesus. Moses fled from Egypt, but Jesus fled to Egypt. Matthew wanted his readers to accept Jesus as the new Moses.

Only Luke and Matthew’s Gospels tell birth stories or parables about Jesus. But, did you know that they tell two different stories? The content, the characters and the situations are similar, but the stories have significant differences. They have differences because they are parables written to lure people into what the authors consider the most important message ever. They were writing factual history. And, they are two different people, writing their parables for two different groups of Christians. Naturally, when you tell a parable you vary your theme to help deliver your message.

Luke, for example, made Mary and Joseph residents of Nazareth. So, he created a reason for them to travel to Bethlehem, the city of David, where the prophets said the Messiah had to be born. Matthew, on the other hand, made Mary and Joseph residents of Bethlehem so they did not need to travel. Jesus was simply born at home not in a manger.

The genealogies used by Matthew and Luke differ. Matthew’s begins with Abraham, the father of Judaism, since he is writing to Jewish Christians. Luke starts with Adam the father of all humanity because he is writing to both Jewish and Gentile Christians. Mathew emphasizes Joseph’s importance and the entire male ancestry of Jesus. Luke emphasizes Mary’s importance and the significance of Jesus’ female ancestry. In Luke, the angel comes to Mary. In Matthew, the angel comes to Joseph. Luke was also the author of the Acts of the Apostles where it is told that Christianity is opened up to include non-Jews. So naturally, Luke emphasized the non-Jewish ancestry of Jesus as well as the Jewish ancestry.

When Jesus is called the Son of God, it is a parallel to Caesar Augustus being seen as nothing less than God incarnate. Also, the Roman rulers following Caesar were called Sons of God. This was only about 175 years after the Maccabean revolt, the basis for Hanukkah. An Egyptian inscription refers to Caesar Augustus as heaven’s shining star. Dominic Crossan says that archeological evidence testifies to Augustus’s stature as nothing less than Lord, Savior, Redeemer, Liberator, Divine, Son of God, God, and God from God.”

Thus, when these terms were applied to Jesus, do you not think people would understand the obvious implications? Caesar not only proclaimed himself the Son of God, but he had the symbols of the empire to demonstrate his divine power and enforce it.

The Gospels were created as parables about the birth and life of Jesus to illustrate the contrast between Jesus and Caesar. It is important to know that the birth parables clearly were written as overtures to the full gospel story to come. The parallels with Moses and the conflicts with the symbols and the power of the Empire forecast the conflicts that Jesus would have as an adult with religious and empire authorities.

What then is the meaning of the parables about Jesus’ birth? Jesus brings a very similar message to that of the Roman Empire, Peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased. However, the peace brought by this newborn baby is totally contrary to the peace established by Rome. The Roman Empire, as well as all past and future empires, establishes peace through violence and force. Herod, a Jew, was appointed by Caesar as “King of the Jews” to keep peace through violent force. The power to do this came from threats and the use of violence done in the name of the Emperor referred to as the “Son of God,” “Savior” and “Light of the World.” Empires, past and present establish peace through violence and war.

In contrast, everything contained in the parable of Jesus’ birth portrays a kingdom of peace based on nonviolence and justice, a “Kingdom of God.” The meaning of these birth parables is that peace brought by military victory can never last. These parables speak of peace that violence and war cannot bring. It is not wealth or might that can establish this kingdom of peace, but truth and justice symbolized in the birth of a Jewish peasant, one who most likely could not even read.

The parable conveys that shortly after Jesus was born in his home in Bethlehem, wise men or magi from the East having observed his magical star came to pay homage. Matthew symbolizes light, fulfillment and joy by a magical star guiding the magi to Bethlehem. Luke represents the light and glories that fill the night sky in the form of angels encountering shepherds. Clearly, the parables are saying that Jesus brings light to all nations, Jews and Gentiles. Light during darkness is central to the birth parables that we enjoy at Christmas. The time of dark is not only, nor even largely, about the time of year, it is a metaphor placed in a parable to convey a deeper meaning of darkness, both personal and political.

This message has deep and abiding meaning on the personal individual level. We all have personal times of darkness and despair. We all long and yearn for a world with more personal joy and light. The birth parables have long brought great hope to the hearts of those who feel surrounded by darkness and despair. Certainly, that is one important meaning of these parables.

There is another and probably greater meaning within the parables about Jesus birth. These parables have a deeply subversive nativity message. These parables are strongly and clearly anti-imperial. To religious authorities, Jesus is the new Moses who threatens Herod their king, the new Pharaoh. These parables bring a message that threatens the wealthy and the powerful. These parables tell of the birth of one called the Son of God who will bring a kingdom of peace and well-being but not violently nor with force like the Roman Empire brings peace. This new savior will bring peace non-violently and a peace based on justice rather than might.

Is it surprising that for the first three centuries of the Christian movement commitment to justice and non-violence was paramount? Early Christianity was a pacifist movement. Love your enemies and do not follow a path of violence and conquest. That was the face of Christianity until the Roman Emperor Constantine pre-empted Christianity and made it a tool of the Roman Empire.

How about these birth parables today? How do they speak to us? Remember, we must not argue about whether the parable is fact or fiction. Let us recognize it for what it is a story with meaning. If we actually read the parables with eyes that can see and minds willing to understand, that meaning is clear. The message is one of peace on earth and good will to all people. These parables preach both hope and warning.

Hope, to a world facing economic upheaval, violence on numerous fronts and impending environmental destruction. Hope, to people who should be treated with equity, justice and compassion rather than violence. Moreover, there is a warning. Beware of aligning yourself with the power and might of imperialism. This warning is not restricted to Roman times, but is equally valid today.

As Americans, we need to question our reliance on the use of violence and war as our means to peace on earth. People throughout the world need to become strong critics of imperial policies, preemptive wars and a reliance on the use of power to enforce our will over others, even if it is a kinder gentler use of violent force.

As you hear the Christmas birth parables, be aware that you are being lured into listening to a message about hope and a message with a warning. We are called to become active advocates for peace on earth, peace established not by might but with justice and rights for all.