An Advent and Christmas Analogy
by Adam Jones—
A few months ago my friend Simon invited to go to a student’s home after class. My student lives in my neighborhood and I jumped at the chance to get to know him (and his friends) better. Simon and the other guys have been doing this weekly for a while. They share a meal together, tea, and then recline and talk about any and everything.
One thing you quickly learn about Arab culture is that they love sweets. Baklava. Kanafeh. Burma. Fingers. Cakes. You name it, they can make it. So, an invitation to go to an Arab home for a meal with the anticipation of an Arab dessert? Count me in.
The first week I went, the food was simple and delicious. The wife scrambled some eggs and laid out olives, yogurt, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, pickled eggplant, and hummus. We each took our bread and scarfed down the wonderful food as we sat on the floor and talked.
But let’s be honest, for me, the tea and desserts were the main attraction. It wasn’t long after we finished eating that my student took away the tray. Yes! I can almost taste the delicious, homemade treats.
You can imagine my surprise when he then brought out a tray of fruit.
Fruit? I guess this is some kind of precursor to the dessert. Or maybe the fruit was for the crepes he was making???
We were all given a plate and a knife to accompany our fruit. This was it; fruit for dessert.
The second week I went to my friend’s house, I took some cookies as a gift. Maybe that was my duty and I missed it. But he didn’t serve them after dinner. He served fruit. The next week, I brought different cookies, but no dice. Fruit it is.
I sometimes try to imagine what it was like to be a Jew right around the time of Jesus’ birth. For the longest time they were told of a Messiah who was coming to rescue them. And boy did they need it. The Jews, at the time, were failing at every turn.
For the last several hundred years, leading up to the birth of Jesus, Israel had lived under some other kind of authority, whether it be the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, or the Romans. And even before that, the nation and people were quite divided. They really needed a strong King to rescue and lead them.
Not only were they in shambles politically, but also religiously. Through the prophet Malachi, God told his people, ‘“Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you, and I will accept no offering from your hands.”
They were in need of redemption and a Savior, big time. And yet they had to wait. It was over 400 years that they waited. In silence they waited for their Messiah. They waited for their King. They waited for their Savior.
And in this 430-plus years, they had time to dream what He would be like, this Messiah. He would be strong and would crush the Romans! He would make their nation great and mighty and overthrow any enemy that might come their way! He would bring prosperity and wealth!
But much like the fruit I was served, when Jesus did come, it was not what they were anticipating. The Kingdom and Message that He brought was not an indulgent one. The Kingdom of God did not look like the Kingdom the Jews had envisioned.
The Kingdom of God was humble and meek. It was kind and generous. It gave to Caesar what was Caesar’s and it used the rest to bless the lowly. The Kingdom touched the unclean and healed the sick. It raised the dead, not to profit from it, but to bless a family in mourning and display the power of God.
And because of this, many Jews were disappointed and even angry. Surely this is not the dessert I was expecting or entitled to have!
It is during this season of Advent that we remember the waiting and anticipation of the arrival of Jesus 2000 years ago. We also look forward as we await His second coming, when all things will be made new. We remember that He came and we celebrate that He will come again.
But when He does, will we be ready to inherit the Kingdom of God? Does Jesus’ prayer to see His Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven excite us or disappoint us?
I confess there are times that I wish the Kingdom was more indulgent. It is in all of our natures to seek what satisfies us. Can the Kingdom of Heaven be an all you can eat buffet with nothing but the best and the sweetest and the most savory indulgences one can imagine?
Humility. Generosity. Forgiveness. Yeah, they sound good. But sometimes ‘Likes’ and things and judgment feel good, too.
As I reflect on this Advent season, God keeps asking me this one question: ‘Am I what you are really waiting for?’
This is essentially: ‘Is Jesus enough?’ When it is all said and done, do the realities of the Kingdom of God excite me or disappoint me? Does the King of Kings fulfill me or stifle me? Is He what I really want?
You see, the truth is He is both this perfect balance of fullness and indulgence in one. John Piper talks about this idea of Christian Hedonism, which says that we can find complete satisfaction in Christ. He is the dessert of desserts! It may not be what we were expecting, but it is far great than we could have imagined on our own.
Did Israel need a strong leader to save them or did they need to put their trust in God and believe that He was the LORD regardless of who was the earthly king? Did the people of God need more prosperity or more contentment? It was G.K. Chesterton who said, ‘There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.”
As we await and expect His arrival, let us also reflect on what King we are waiting for. May He far exceed our hopes and dreams and expectations as He reigns in our hearts here on Earth as it is in Heaven.