Boy, Christmas and Jesus and Mary and Joseph sure got misused the past few weeks.
Immigrants'? a dog whistle for Christians and conservatives? white only? Let's unpack this garbage piece by piece. A christian is someone who believes that Jesus Christ died for their sins, was buried and resurrected. Our Savior. A conservative... dictionary definition "holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation, typically in relation to politics or religion." They have also been linked to smaller government, less governmental regulation, etc. (Thank you , President Reagan). A Liberal according to Merriam Webster "'Liberal' shares a root with 'liberty' and can mean anything from "generous" to "loose" to "broad-minded." Politically, it means "“a person who believes that government should be active in supporting social and political change. Sounds lovely, but it is broadly lumped with progressivism, socialism and statism. ( the government is the answer to all problems) A Christian could hold both sets of ideas. It's in political doings that we get lumped with conservatives and considered a valuable voting bloc. Though our current liberals made a valiant effort to convince us no christian should vote for a conservative, the last two years. We will continue to be liberal in giving to those in need and conservative about politics, as a whole. were Jesus and His parents..immigrants? The short answer is NO. They traveled to Bethlehem for an official census, to be taxed. There was no room at the inn, but they had a stable ( grotto, bottom of a a house, we don't know) to keep them dry and give them some privacy. Later ( they were living in a house by them, with all the census folks having left) some foreigners brought them gifts and both Joseph and the group of (gentile!) wise men were warned Herod was a threat, SO, Joseph packed it all up and moved them to Egypt (which was always a place of refuge for Jews and had a Jewish community) until Herod's death. .It probably was not hard for him to find work, but the gifts may covered their needs during that time. No welfare. no culture shock. Jews moved around.. a lot. We find them in Greek cities in the New Testament, we find them in every major empire throughout ancient history. We find them in Tarsus and Cyprus, in Rome and in Babylon.People who pin them down to the small area of Israel seem totally lost about one of the strengths of the Jewish people..making a home wherever they go. After almost 2000 years denied their homeland, there were still Jews ready to claim Israel again. After learning Herod was dead, generally thought to be 4 AD could be as early as 1 AD..and as Jesus may have been born in 3 BC ( the star configuration we call the star of Bethlehem may have been then, Quirinius,who was not the official Syrian governor until years later, but is the one who called for the census, a lower govt official if you will) in 3 AD. SO, Jesus was between 4 and 7 when they returned. Still fearing the son of Herod, they went back to Nazareth instead of going back to Bethlehem.They kept this scion of David hidden in a reviled, poor area. Lots of work though with all the Roman building going on. No permanent exile. No seeking a better life. And now, as to the term Palestinian...it wasn't even in use until 135 AD. The Romans were so sick of Jewish rebellion, which even destroying the Temple did not stop, they pushed them out in 135 AD and renamed the area, formerly Judea, as Palestine. This was an insult; Palestine refers to the Philistines, enemies of the Jews. But this attempt to wipe out the memory of the Jews and Israel forever also failed. Jews gladly called themselves Palestinians when they returned to to the promised Land around the turn of the past century. And once given a chance, they brought Israel back. Never call Jesus a Palestinian, an immigrant, or any other political term that fits your current narrative. He was a Jew, able to walk in the temple without challenge (Remember; Paul was accused of bringing gentiles into the Temple area, They took this stuff seriously.) Peace on earth, good will toward men.( God's good will towards men, to be clear) It is all in that statement. A King (declared so, to Herod by men from the East!), A Savior. Saying Merry Christmas is no dog whistle, it is an important statement of faith, experienced since 30 AD by people of all colors, both genders, in diverse places. Though Easter, Passover, was certainly the more important celebration, we have always remembered He was born in humble circumstances, for us. |
Faith and ReasonA grandma's perspective on a few things.. Archives
May 2020
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