What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?

A few weeks ago, at Christmas, we reaffirmed a great truth:  Jesus was born - and now, is with us -- and -- for us.

But what if that event, had never occurred -- what if Jesus had never been born?  What if we had never "...seen his glory, the glory of the one and only, who came from the Father full of grace and truth..."  (John 1:14)?

According to author John Ortberg, a huge negative impact would have occurred, for a new humanity would not have been born, birthing, in turn, a new humanitarianism: creating the first hospitals and agencies for the needy, sparking the spread of literacy and education for the masses, promoting the abolition of slavery and the equality for women and children, fueling the advancement of classical art and music, and elevating the virtues of humility, compassion and forgiveness.  John Ortberg.  “Six Surprising Ways Jesus Changed The World.”  Huffington Post,  August 13, 2012.    

In sum:  if Jesus had never been born, the world, as we know it, would be radically different. 

Yale historian Jaroslav Pelikan underscores such reality:  “Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of Western Culture for almost 20 centuries.  If it were possible, with some sort of super magnet to pull up out of history every scrap of metal bearing at least a trace of his name, how much would be left?”  According to Pelikan and other historians:  not much!

But in actuality the most important impact of Jesus Christ has yet to be named:  Christ’s ability to provide the very resource needed to create the new humanity, that in turn, creates a new humanitarianism: His very self expressed through Christ’s redeeming, reconciling Work On Cross, Christ’s engaging, uplifting Power through the resurrection, and Christ’s contemporary, gifting Presence through the Holy Spirit.   For there is no new humanity, or frankly true humanitarianism, without Christ in us, as we’re literally ‘made over,’ empowered, by His life-changing, transforming being.  

Lloyd Ogilvie tells of a time when he  got stranded after losing his car keys.  Reaching out to a locksmith Lloyd was hopeful he’d get moving again – but four hours later he was still immobile!  Why the lock smith made key after key but nothing worked.  Finally the locksmith discovered the problem:  the key clerk had given him the wrong key code – a code from a generic catalog, not the manufacturer’s catalogue.  The result:  a key code one digit off.  And so the locksmith added that one digit -- and presto -- the key worked and the car took off again! Reflecting later Lloyd mused: how ironic, my weighty, high powered vehicle would not move -- all because -- it was one digit off.  (adapted)  

   

A lot of weighty, high-powered lives aren't moving because they’re one digit off.  I mean a lot of us have high powered bank accounts – high powered careers – high powered social lives – but we’re still not going anywhere.  We too need to return to the original manufacturer of our lives and receive the missing digit, the missing element that will ‘turn-over’ -- and rescue our lives -- Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior.

H.B. Charles tells of a woman who always showed up at church, praying the same simple prayer:  ‘O Lord -- Thank You Jesus!’ Not surprisingly folks snickered at the woman, for each week it was the same old, same old:  “O Lord – Thank You Jesus.”

Well one week someone finally asked her:  why do you pray the same monotonous prayer every week?”  “Well,” the woman replied – “I just combine the only two prayers I know.  You see we live in a bad neighborhood and bullets fly every night, everywhere.  And so I pray -- 'O Lord.'  But then I wake up in the morning and see that we're okay, and so I pray -- 'Thank You Jesus.' And so it goes all day, all week, in every part of my life:  “O Lord – Thank You Jesus.”  And so when I get to church, I just know God has cared for me – I just know God has rescued me – I just know God has saved me.  And so I just put together the only two prayers I know:  "O Lord -- Thank You Jesus."

As we continue into 2015, sense: God has cared for us, God has rescued us, God has saved us.  And so O Lord – Thank You Jesus!   O Lord, it’s a scary world.  O Lord, I’m overwhelmed.  O Lord, I’m a serious sinner.  But, Thank You Jesus – I’m not alone.  Thank you Jesus – I can know peace.  Thank you Jesus – I can be saved and rescued.

And so the real question is not:  what if Jesus had never been born?  The real question is: what do I do now, knowing that Jesus has been born?

My counsel:  surrender to Him -- receive Him -- serve Him -- praying a simple prayer:  O Lord, Thank You Jesus!