“’But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’” – Jesus Matthew 16:15
I HEARD the question! But my immediate reaction was not very good, and there was no way to save it, either! For the wrapping had already been torn off and I was seen as how I truly felt…‘irritably confused!’ Thinking it might provide clarity, my wife asked me again, “so what do YOU WANT for Christmas?” But my reaction was the same.
The question is asked countless times during the Christmas Season, since people don’t want to give UNWANTED gifts! I like to ask the question of people who I don’t know, simply as a way to get to know them! Oftentimes, what we WANT can help define WHO we are! Which can be VERY scary!
Presents are exchanged on December 25th because we choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus on that date. We don’t really know WHEN He was born, but that is a moot point! He WAS born…and ‘wise men’ came to visit the ‘new born king’ bearing ‘King sized’ gifts! So we copy the transaction with each other! And usually with more extravagance than on our OWN birthdays. Which really isn’t a bad thing…until it is!
Honestly, I don’t really need or want anything. Other than the old standard of socks and underwear, I’m good! Forcing me to THINK about what I MIGHT like, to make my wife FEEL good about getting me SOMETHING, makes me irritable. The idea of actually LIKING something enough to actually spend money on it creates confusion. Because HEY!!!!! It’s JESUS BIRTHDAY! Shouldn’t we be asking HIM what HE WANTS!?? And suddenly…the room just got quiet!
What CAN you give ‘The God’ who can create universes at the speed of a spoken word? Or to ‘The Almighty’ who invents dynamic systems as small as an atom or a cell? I mean isn’t EVERYTHING at His beck and call?? And before I had time to type those words, I had the answer…which is irritably confusing. Because the answer is ‘NO!’
What ‘baby’ Jesus wanted was pretty simple. What ‘Son of God’ Jesus wants is a whole ‘nother story! Because He WANTS my whole heart’s simple devotion TO Him! How I SEE Him is based upon how I individually answer the Bible verse question today. If He is just some dude in history, it really doesn’t matter. But if I actually SEE him as He claims to be…which is ‘Lord God,’ I’d better be prepared to actually GIVE Him what He REALLY wants! Which can EASILY make me uncomfortable!
Have YOU asked Lord Jesus what He wants from YOU this Christmas?
