Part 3: Cross of Christmas
Have you ever asked the question, “Where did I come from?”
Ancestry.com and similar programs have helped many discover their origin story. People love to see where they came from. They desire to know what similarities they share with common ancestors. My college roommate claimed lineage to Alexander the Great! How does Ancestry.com know someone’s family history from over 2,600 years ago?
I’ve never done a search, but my grandmother has shared some family history with me. Apparently, part of my family immigrated from Germany to San Antonio, Texas. She provided proof with pictures, tickets (I think), and newspaper articles. I was even told there is possibly a castle somewhere in our family history.
What I find so comical is how I hold this minimal information in such high regard. For instance, on my dad’s side of the family, I’m proud of my Irish heritage. Yet sadly, the only proof of such an ancestry is my last name O’Donnell and a red beard. How can such little evidence give me so much pride? How does it assure me that this is who I am and where I come from? And if I am willing to trust a small amount of information, then am I willing to trust other sources?
The Bible is a significantly better version of Ancestry.com. It’s actually the most trustworthy collection of books from antiquity. The Bible is more credible than anything collected on Alexander the Great. It’s definitely more reliable than my red beard.
Given those facts, the Old Testament (OT) and New Testament (NT) are inseparable. The OT is the ancestry of the NT. It tells the history. It shows the parallels and connections between OT characters and NT characters, with both Testaments pointing to Jesus.
Actually, ancestry is extremely important to the biblical authors. Old Testament books are littered with lineage recordings. The Gospel of Matthew, the first book of the New Testament, gives us the lineage of Jesus, tracing the family line from King David. The Gospel of Luke traces the family line of Jesus back to Adam (the first man).
The OT predicts the events that will happen in the NT. The NT looks back at the OT and says, “This is where I come from. This is why I am the way I am.”
The Christmas story is a perfect example of the OT and NT interacting. Zechariah and Elizabeth are John the Baptist’s parents. Their story resembles the story of Abraham and Sarah, both being old in age yet still bearing a child.
John the Baptist is referred to as the prophet Elijah by Jesus. John the Baptist quotes Isaiah 40:3–5 to the Pharisees:
Isaiah 40:3–5
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
Prepare the way of the Lord.”
Micah 5:2 predicts the birthplace of the King of Israel 700 years before Christ:
Micah 5:2
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”
There are many examples like this of the New Testament tracing its ancestry to the Old Testament. The fig tree story shares the same interactions as other NT stories.
The fig tree itself has an origin story. Its ancestry can be traced back to Genesis, right after the fall of Adam and Eve. In the Garden of Eden, Genesis 3:7, Adam and Eve commit sin. God told them not to eat from a specific tree in the garden, but they did anyway. Their sin reveals their nakedness. And what do they do to cover their nakedness? They sew together fig leaves. They try to hide their sin from themselves and God.
I cover my sin, not with literal fig leaves, but with a fig-tree type faith. I try to look holy or righteous on the outside. Jesus withered that fig tree to warn us. We deceive ourselves if we think we can cover our sin. We’re no different from Adam and Eve with a few fig leaves. We think we can do only the things God can do, like removing sin and moving mountains.
Now in my experience humans can move mountains. I’ve been through a tunnel that runs the length of a mountain. I’ve driven through the middle of mountains that have been blasted to pieces.
If we return to the ancient world, we see the Egyptians building mountain-like structures called pyramids. These structures look as if they touch the sky. And they did this without the use of cranes or modern-day power equipment. The Tower of Babel was an effort to reach heaven. From the sounds of it, they got pretty high.
But in both instances, it’s the weak human attempt to be God. Humans think with enough faith they can build their way to heaven, but it always falls short.
Our busyness in trying to be like God deceives us. It causes us to miss what Jesus has come to do.
Think again about Christmas. Think about the holiday music you enjoy. Pentatonix sings a beautiful version of Mary Did You Know? They eloquently tell us what Jesus came to do. But do we get lost in the beauty of their vocals and miss the message? I would say yes.
The Jewish people missed the message their ancestor Isaiah gave in regard to the suffering servant.
Isaiah 53:5–6
But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
The disciples missed the message Jesus was conveying to them on His way back to Jerusalem. Jesus was telling them and us He came to do more than grant mountain-moving wishes. He came to do more than cover sin. He would conquer the undefeated mountain of death. He would permanently wash away the sins of the world.
He did this on an immovable tree. He did this on the Cross, where the death for our sin was taken on by Jesus. This is the mission that started not just at the birth of Christ, but when God created man.
And better yet, the mission of Christ didn’t end with just His death on a Cross. He rose from the grave three days later. When He rose, He didn’t just say hi. Jesus taught, directed, and spoke people’s faith and purpose into existence. Then he ascended, leaving us the Helper, the Holy Spirit.
And guess what? The story keeps getting better.
He says, “One day I will come back. Those persecuted in my name will be rewarded. Those who believe in me shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The birth of Christ isn’t only a time to celebrate the arrival of a King. It signifies a moment that points to and beyond the Cross.
When you’re standing there in the Christmas Eve service, listen beyond the beautiful melody. Listen to the words being sung. When you see the candles all beautifully lit, look past what is in front of you and look to the Cross. That’s what Christmas is all about.
Lit Lamp For The Soul 
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