It would be entirely wrong to end this study without pointing out that although there were many who did not find Christmas—millions, in fact —there were nevertheless some who did. They were not the kings of this world. They were not the religious leaders. They were not the thousands who were entirely engrossed in the countless minutiae of materialistic lives. They were just poor folk who were looking to God and to whom God came.
We concluded yesterday’s study with the observation that perhaps the religious leaders missed the birth of Christ because of their pride in being summoned by Herod to answer his theological question.
The second man who missed Christmas was Herod. Herod was the king of Judaea, or as we should more accurately say, an under-king of a border province of the far-flung Roman Empire. There was nothing likable about Herod. He was a sly old fox, guilty of many murders, including at least one wife and three sons. He probably had no religion. He was a cynic. He knew the traditions of Israel, but he only half-believed them if, indeed, he believed them at all. Yet he should have found Christmas, if only because he had such a large stake in the outcome.
Am I pressing the point too much to say that the world is filled with such innkeepers today, materialistic men, women, and children who miss the meaning of Christmas simply because their business, parties, Christmas cards, trees, or tinsel seem too pressing? If this were not the case, there would not be so many grim faces in our stores or so many exhausted, sleepy people in our churches the Sunday before Christmas.
I believe that the experience of Rommel has been the experience of many persons throughout history. But of all these experiences, perhaps none has been more tragic than that of the men who missed Christmas. When I speak of the men who missed the first Christmas, I am speaking of the men who missed the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet, in another sense I am also speaking of many who miss Christmas today. These men miss the most important things in life, and yet—here is the tragedy— there is no good reason why they should miss it.
