Word of Salvation – Vol. 25 No. 11 – December 1978

 

An Unwanted Child?

 

Christmas Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde, M.A., M.Th. on John 1:11

Scripture reading: John 1:1-18

 

Beloved Congregation,

Perhaps one of the greatest tragedies that can befall a person is to be rejected, to be unwanted by his fellow men.

Think of that poor old lady who has been left to die in a nursing home and who is scarcely ever visited by her children and grand- children.

Think of that migrant factory worker who remains forever unaccepted by his own workmates, who is called a ‘wog’ and is the butt of every joke – until it finally drives him out of his mind and he needs serious medical attention.

Think of the child who is disowned by both his parents and who is forced to become a ward of the state.

Or what about the teenage boy from an upper middle class family? He overhears his parents argue and learns that he was the result of an unwanted pregnancy. He attempts suicide.

Comic strips in the newspapers are not generally known for their wisdom. But sometimes there are exceptions. An identikit picture of a criminal is hanging on the wall of a public place and under the picture it says “Wanted”! A young girl passing by comments to her friend and she says “It’s all because he wasn’t wanted!”

Perhaps none of these cases exactly fits you, but nevertheless, you can identify with each of these people. We have all been in·situations where we were not wanted. There was that group where you were the odd man out. There was that occasion when you had the distinct feeling people did not want you to be there. It may have only been for a moment but you had that horrible experience of being unwanted, unaccepted and unwelcome.

What you may have experienced only occasionally from time to time, Jesus experienced for a lifetime, and He experienced it in the profoundest possible way. He was unwanted. Isaiah had already prophesied this fact some 700 years before, when He said: “He was despised and He was rejected of men.” And John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, had observed this fact, as he had personally witnessed people’s response to Jesus Christ.

And so, at the beginning of John’s Gospel this is stated with the utmost clarity: “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.” (Ch.1:10-11). The’ world at large failed to acknowledge the Christ. They did not recognise Him when He appeared to them in flesh and blood. And perhaps, even more tragically, His own people Israel, did not welcome Him.

But you may say: “Wasn’t John really proved wrong in his assessment of people’s response? Look at the world today what feast, what celebration, what religious festival is more widely observed than Christmas? And what about the impact of Christianity in the world today? We are told that at the present time, one out of four people in the U.S. is an Evangelical Christian. Moreover, Christian statisticians tell us that the Christian Church worldwide is growing at the phenomenal rate of 50,000 new converts a day. How can John say that the world did not know Him? And what · about Israel in Jesus’ day how can John say that Israel did not welcome Him? What about the crowds of thousands who flocked to hear Him teach, whom He fed with loaves and fish, and who wanted to make Him king? Was Jesus really unwelcome in Israel?”

As we answer these objections, I think we will begin to see the depth of humanity’s rejection of the Christ. The old lady in the nursing home, the migrant worker and the state ward are only dim reminders of the way that Jesus was rejected by humanity.

First, let’s look at His rejection by Israel and then at His rejection by the world today.

“He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” – from the very beginning He was unwanted and it began even before He was born. When Joseph and Mary came to Bethlehem there was no room for them in the inn. In spite of Mary’s very pregnant condition, the Saviour had to be born in a stable.There was to be no royal welcome for the King of Kings. “There was no room for them in the inn.”

In later life, Jesus was to pick up this thought once again when He warned His disciples: “Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Wherever He went in Israel, He would be unwelcome and unwanted.

In fact He was rejected to such an extent that when He was still a baby, His parents had to flee Israel and live in Egypt. That hypocrite, Herod, had said he wanted to worship Him. His hypocrisy led to that awful blood-bath of babies at Bethlehem. Israel’s king Herod was in no state to welcome the King of Kings.

Some thirty years later, Herod’s hatred was still very much alive – in the hearts of the simple towns-people at Nazareth. When Jesus reminded them that no prophet is welcome in his own home town, they were filled with rage. They threw Him out of the town and attempted to cast Him off the brow of the hill on which the city was built.

“He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”

Then there were the crowds but what fickle crowds they were. When He fed them they wanted to make Him king. But when He told them what His kingship was all about, even many of His own disciples withdrew and did not walk with Him anymore.

When He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday you might have thought that He was finally getting the welcome He deserved. Had the multitudes ever given such a royal reception to anyone before?

“Hosanna to the Son of David,
Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord,
Hosanna in the Highest!” (Matt.21:9)

But again, it proved to be a fickle crowd. Less than a week later some of those same people were chanting, “We want Barabbas! We want Barabbas!” What then was Pilate to do with King Jesus? “Away with Him! Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

And now the moment of total rejection had come. Before He was born there had been no room in the inn. Now, as a grown Man, there is no room for Him in the city of Jerusalem the so-called ‘holy city’. And so He is led out of the city to a hill called Golgotha. Judas had betrayed Him. Peter had denied Him. His disciples had deserted Him. And on the cross, even God forsook Him.

Now the words of Isaiah had reached their complete fulfilment: “He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, and like one from whom men hide their face. He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”

From the crib to the cross the story of Jesus’ life was one of being unaccepted, unwanted and unwelcome: “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.” Israel rejected Him. And the world rejected Him too! “He was in the world and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.”

History has shown that the world at large has not acknowledged the Christ. Think of the vast masses of humanity that publicly refuse to acknowledge Christ and that outlaw an open faith in Him. There’s the entire Muslim world. There’s the massive Communist bloc.

Think, too, of great nations that have refused to know Christ. The great land of China has had three waves of missionaries throughout its history and yet, as a nation, it did not embrace the Gospel. Today, the island of Taiwan is one of the most evangelised nations on earth. Yet, only 2% of its population is Christian.

Another great nation in the Far East is Japan. Since the 1600’s, it has been evangelised by missionaries. Today, it is greatly influenced by the West. Yet, its Christians form less than 1% of the population.

But what about our culture where Christmas is celebrated with such gusto? Could it be said that this part of the world did not know Him?

On December 24, 1977, the editorial in “The Sydney Morning Herald” gave as good an answer as any: “Millions will move through this Christmas season seeing and hearing nothing of its inner message. Our whole culture conspires to silence the deeper voices of Christmas, The pace of life quickens rather than slackens; the heavy commercialism emphasises getting rather than giving; and a human folk festival can so easily replace a spiritual celebration.”

If we believe that at Christmas time the world is acknowledging the Christ of Christmas, then we are really, kidding ourselves and we are being hopelessly naïve. There was once a very perceptive T.V. program about Australian Christmas traditions. It was entitled “Christmas is Coming Home”. It reminded its viewers that in Australia, Christmas is a folk festival. For most people such activities as carols by candlelight have no religious significance. In the baby, Jesus, they see a god who is harmless and undemanding, and every year he stays the same. He always returns as a baby. Santa Claus is put on his throne and Jesus remains in His manger.

“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”

He was unrecognised, unacknowledged and unwelcome.

But thank God, the end of the story is not the tragedy of rejection, but the grace of acceptance. There were those; and there still are those, who do welcome the Christ. Vs.12: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His Name.”

The world as a whole rejects Him. Israel as a nation rejects Him. But by God’s grace there are always individuals who accept Him – individual Jews, individual Chinese, individual Japanese, Australians, Dutch, and Americans. In fact, individuals from every tribe, tongue, nation and kindred. They received Him. They welcomed Him.

They received and they believed, John says.

They received Him and they believed in His Name.

Now what does it mean to believe in His Name? Sometimes we say we believe in some particular brand name. But still for us a name is just a label, it’s just a means of identification. But in the Bible, a name is always much more than that. So what does the Bible mean when it says to believe in His Name? Dr.Leon Morris has given a good answer: “The name in some way expressed the whole person. To believe ‘in the Name’ of Christ means to trust the person of Christ. It is to believe in Him as He is.” (Commentary on John’s Gospel, p.99).

It is to believe in Him as He really is not only when He is the harmless and undemanding baby at Bethlehem, but also when He is the crucified King of the Jews at Calvary and when He is the demanding God and Judge of all. To believe in His. Name is to believe in Him as He is, and not as your imagination would like Him to be.

When you receive Him as He is (when you want the Unwanted One and accept the Rejected One) and when you believe in Him as He is, then He in turn will accept you in a glorious way: “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His Name.”

When you receive Him, then He receives you into the eternal family of God. And this truth can be so beautiful and so practical in the life of every Christian. I’d like to illustrate this from one of the experiences of Walter and Ingrid Trobisch. They are a husband and wife team of Christian counsellors and have helped many people throughout the world. This one incident of which they speak ties together a lot of what I’ve said in the sermon so far.

This is what they say:

“The parents of a distinguished family phoned us. Their son was hospitalised after an unsuccessful suicide attempt. ‘I am going to do it again’ as the first thing he told us when my wife and I visited him. ‘Why?’ ‘I am an error, a mistake. I am not supposed to exist!! We did not understand. Slowly the full story emerged. He had overheard a nasty conversation of his parents and learned that he was an unwanted child. His mother had forgotten to take the pill, and in anger his father had reminded her of it and blamed her for it.

This experience had crushed the boy. What was the meaning, the purpose of his life if he was not supposed to live in the first place? If his parents did not want him, who did? God? Does God want all children to be born who are born? Even if their parents did not want them to be born? These questions had been too hard for him. So he had rung the alarm bell.

‘God wants you’, we assured him.

‘How do you know?’ He looked at us with eyes that expressed doubt and hope at the same time.

‘God was Himself an unwanted child,’ I answered, ‘an embarrassment to His parents, unexpected and unplanned. No human action was involved in His coming into being let alone a human desire. Actually, He remained an unwanted person all His life until they tried to kick Him out of this world by crucifying Him.’

‘And still,’ my wife added, ‘there has never been a child more wanted, more loved by God, and never a person who became a greater blessing to more people than Jesus.’

The face of the boy expressed unbelieving amazement: ‘I, a blessing?’

‘Yes, a special blessing’, we answered him.

Never had we understood in a deeper way the invasion of God into the vicious circle. The totally unaccepted One accepts the totally unaccepted. The unwanted God wants those who are unwanted. The unloved God loves those who are unloved. Therefore there is acceptance for everyone.

We prayed together with the boy and witnessed his acceptance of God’s acceptance.” (Love Yourself, pp.25-26)

Do you receive Him? Do you accept Him? Do you want Him? Not just the pretty little baby at Bethlehem, but the bleeding King of the Jews at Calvary.

Do you receive Him? Do you accept Him? Do you want Him?

You do?

Then let me continue with a warning.

If you accept the Rejected One and the Unwanted One, then you in turn will be rejected and unwanted.

When Jesus called for followers, it was a call to rejection: “If anyone would follow Me let Him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”

He is God’s Son and if we are God’s children we can expect some of the same treatment He received: “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘a slave is not greater than his master’. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you…!” (John 15:18-20).

The writer to the Hebrews speaks in a similar vein. He is writing to Jewish Christians who seemed to be unwilling to take up their cross. And so this in his word to them: “Jesus… that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Hence, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” (Heb.13:12-13)

At Christmas time many people are willing enough to make a pilgrimage to Bethlehem. They adore the Christ Child and they bring Him gifts. But only for a few does the pilgrimage take them on to Calvary. Jesus does not only want us to bear our gifts, but also to bear our cross.

Today, you have come to Bethlehem. You have come to praise, to worship and to give. You have come to Bethlehem will you also make it to Calvary?

AMEN.