I’m reading a book by David Platt, a Christian minister who traveled and taught throughout Asia. In it, he shares an interesting exchange he had while in Indonesia. While visiting a Buddhist temple complex, he had a conversation with the leaders of the local Muslim and Buddhist communities. The two leaders were discussing how they thought all religions were essentially the same. Both the Buddhist and the Muslim agreed that all paths lead to God. They then asked Platt what he thought on the matter. Platt responded that it sounds like they both picture God at the top of a mountain, with all people at the foot of the mountain working their way up to him by various paths. The Buddhist and the Muslim happily agreed that this was exactly how they saw it. Platt responded with a simple question: Wouldn’t it be great if God didn’t wait for people to come to him, but instead came down off the mountain to meet with mankind on their level. Both leaders agreed that this would be fantastic. Platt responded “let me introduce you to Jesus.”
I love this story for the same reason I love Christmas. What we celebrate at Christmas is that God, who made us and loves us dearly, came down to our level. This is a unique concept in the major world religions. For the most part, faiths teach that people must work their way to God. This is accomplished through all sorts of work. Christianity is unique for two reasons, beginning with what happened on Christmas. God came to our level. There’s a particularly powerful line in the book of Job, where Job is dying, having lost his family and fortune. Job asks God an accusing question: Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as a mortal sees? He essentially asks God if he even understands what it is like to suffer the way men suffer; if he has any idea what it is like to be one of us. On Christmas, God becomes one of us and does exactly that. He walks a few miles in our shoes and experiences the world we experience with all its pain, sorrow, and challenges. On Christmas, we celebrate God coming to be one of us. Stepping off the mountain and living among us. God isn’t done there. On Easter, he builds a bridge to the mountaintop. He provided a way to overcome our sins and the broken world we live in to be close to God.
It’s easy to forget this truth in the clutter and noise of the Christmas season. The season is about bigger things than gifts, songs, decorations, and the other trappings of the season. God came near to us. That is worth celebrating.
