December 9 - The Stumbling Stone

Isaiah 8:14-15 He will be as a sanctuary,But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense To both the houses of Israel, As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble; They shall fall and be broken, Be snared and be taken

Psalm 118:22-23 The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing.

Isaiah prophesized that Jesus would be a stumbling stone, something that would cause many of the Jews to not believe in Him as Messiah. During the time of Jesus' earthly life and ministry, the Jews were under a Roman occupation and were looking for a military leader to throw off the yoke of Roman oppression. Jesus was an offense to them - He was of a "common birth" in a stable, He was considered illegitimate and His death on the cross was the ultimate offensive because He didn't deliver the victory over Rome that the Jews wanted.

In the mid 1930's, two young Jewish men, Jerome Siegel and Joseph Shuster, created a new comic book character: Superman. The 1930's were a time of anti-Semitism in this country and abroad - the pogroms of Hitler were underway and Siegel and Shuster wanted to create a character that would be both a hero doing good for its own sake, but a hero who was also supernatural and other worldly. The character of Superman is both similar to and different from Jesus. Superman was sent by his father from another world to Earth. His name, Kal-El means something like "all that God is" signifying that the son embodied all of his father, Jor-El. The trailer for the movie "Superman Returns" indicated that Jor-El sent Kal-El to earth because the people of earth were good. His otherworldly nature gave him supernatural powers to do good and fight evil.

I believe this image of Superman approximates what the Jews were expecting from the Messiah.But that "messiah" is not the one that came. Jesus didn't come to earth in a blaze of glory aboard a rocket ship - instead he came quietly in a stable to a poor working class couple. His birth wasn't announced to the kings of the world, but to shepherds. And Jesus didn't fight evil through his own strength. He resisted temptation and used evil to further God's purpose through God's strength by his death and resurrection. And Israel didn't need Christmas and the Savior that came because they were good - just the opposite from the sick Jesus came to heal (Matt 2:12, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:31). They and we need a Savior because of our depravity and inability to save ourselves. As much as I like Superman, I'm thankful that God sent Jesus instead. It's important to remember that this was part of God's plan, but what we have come look upon as "the Christmas Story" (no, not that movie) was not what the Jews were expecting. The "Silent Night / Away in A Manager" thing was part of the offense that the Jews would have with Christ and eventually lead to His chosen people crucifying him. Even now, we have to worship the Christ of Christmas as He is and not how we might wish him to be.