Who's birthday do we celebrate this season?
Some of you are groaning, Please don't go down the Jesus is the Reason for the Season path....
Others are recalling signs and Christmas cards calling for us to put Christ back in Christmas.
I know we know the answer to the question above is "Jesus". But which Jesus are we celebrating? Are we celebrating the Jesus we are simply accustomed to, without giving it any thought? What if our picture is totally off? I'm remembering the movie Guess Who's Coming to Dinner from 1967 where a young white woman surprises her parents when she introduces them to her African-American fiancé. It was a brilliant movie, especially for its time. You could feel the tension in the room as if it were your own (which, actually, it was/is).
While we are generally unaware of it, we have strong, deeply-seated notions about the Jesus we celebrate this season. What we probably don't realize is just how much our vision of our Jesus has been shaped by church history 300 years after Jesus walked on this planet. We know he was born into humble surroundings - we love the songs that remind us. But just to be sure our vision resembles reality, let me share some interesting data with you.
During the Roman Empire, everything was designed to serve the Emperor. Power flowed from his throne, money flowed to it. Below is a quick glimpse of the make up of the Empire during the time of Jesus. The list is in a socially ranked order, and percentage of income is also noted where known.
Ancient Upper Class
Ruler: 1 Person/Family; 25% of National Income
Governing Class: 1% of Population; 25% of National Income
Retainer Class (Bureaucrats, military): 5% of Population; 15% of National Income
Market Class: Considerable wealth
Priestly Class: Very few; 15% of Land
Ancient Lower Class: 30% of National Income?
Peasant Class: 80% of Population;
Artisan Class: 5% of Population;
Unclean and Degraded Class: Diseased, Disabled, Tax collectors, Lenders, Retailers
Expendable Class: 7% of Population
Do you remember what Jesus profession was before he began his ministry? He was a carpenter, most likely, as that is what his father Joseph did for a living. A carpenter was an artisan. Where does artisan fall on the list? While things may have changed favorably for artisans in the future, they ranked below an everyday peasant during that time period. This is most likely because a high value was placed on agri-business, and those who worked for a living were just a notch above retailers, tax collectors and lenders. Jesus was an artisan who didn't even get the social respect of a peasant.
To give you an idea of what sweet life was afforded for peasants, consider the following example from several centuries later from a 40-acre farm in Mecklenburg northeastern Germany during 14-15 Centuries CE. Their crops yielded a total of 10,200 pounds of grain. Immediately, they stored 3,400 for seed, fed 2,800 to livestock, paid 2,700 for rent, and were left with 1,300 pounds for personal food. This would provide 1,600 calories per person. We know we need somewhere between 2,000-3,000 calories a day to live. If you were a peasant, you didn't have enough to really live. You were part of a machine to provide for those above you. As one expert put it, peasants of all times and places are structured inferiors. Recall that Jesus wasn't even a peasant.
If that's not bleak enough, let's consider mortality. Currently in the United States, for every 1,000 babies delivered, all but 6.75 will live. Less than 1% of babies die in childbirth. Of those 99.325% who live, they can reasonably expect to live to celebrate their 77th birthday.
When Jesus lived, however, things were a bit different. In Pre-Industrial societies, 33% of live births ended in death by age six. 60% of live births died by age 16. 75% of live births were dead by age 26. 90% of live births were gone by age 46. And only 3% of live births would make it into their 60's.
When we think of Jesus, we think of strong leader. Humble, sure, but we easily see a halo over his head in the cradle. We think of Jesus as a king, as part of the godhead, as eternally omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. In our current culture this type of person is pretty well dressed, in pretty good shape - commanding respect wherever they go.
If that's your image, it's probably wrong.
Conjure poverty in your mind. What's do the poor wear? How do they look? How do they act? Where do they stand in terms of public respect? How are their rights compared to those literally above them who command much more resource than they can ever dare dream of grasping? What's their life expectancy compared to those in the upper class? How is their quality of life? How does their life experience shape their message? How welcome are the poor at the social gatherings of the rich? Would we find ourselves playing the part of Spencer Tracy, struggling to welcome such an unexpected guest?
Which Jesus do you sing Happy Birthday to this Christmas? As you answer the questions above, you are more likely to be addressing the right one, and less likely to be adoring a figment of your imagination.
May you be deeply disturbed and eventually filled with hope as you investigate which Jesus you've invited to your home this Christmas.
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