December 25 I Tuesday

Zephaniah

Revelation 16

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”   —John 1:14

A popular saying around Christmas time is “Jesus is the reason for the season.” Amidst all the feel-good movies and red-nosed reindeer, this saying reminds us to keep our focus on the true meaning of Christmas, Christ’s birth. But this saying also has implications that reach beyond Christmas.

In the late sixth century B.C., there lived a Greek philosopher named Heraclitus. Today, Heraclitus is considered the father of science, for in every field of science he looked for the logos, the reason why. He was determined to discover if the world was just a series of random chaotic events or if there was an order that governed creation. Even the names of many of our sciences are indebted to logos. For example, biology (bio logos) is the study of life, which looks for the whys and hows behind the biosphere.

Astrology, a pseudoscience, looks for the reason why behind human affairs in the movements of the stars and planets. The magi who visited Jesus after His birth were astrologers. Foretelling the future from the stars was a common belief in those days, and any interruption of the normal orderly routine of the heavens was given particular interpretation. We cannot be sure whether the star over Bethlehem was a natural phenomenon or something more miraculous, but what is interesting is that reading the stars brought the magi to Christ. The Bible usually speaks of astrology with rebuke and scorn, but in this case, God worked through this practice to prepare even Gentile nations for the arrival of the Logos made flesh.

The ultimate reason why is not a study or a concept but a person: the Lord Jesus Christ. Until we enter into relationship with Him, there will always be a pit in our souls hungering for the reason why that only He can fulfill. Like the magi, we might have spent our whole lives looking for purpose and explanations in all sorts of places. Some look to other faiths, some to our work or studies and some to ourselves. But just as God used the stars to guide the magi to His Son, if we are genuinely seeking, God will meet us where we are to lead us into a deeper understanding of who the Logos is.

Jesus is not just the reason for the season; He is the reason for everything. He is the reason behind all that exists, the air we breathe, the way things happen in human events, and most importantly, our reconciliation with God. Let us adore Him this Christmas, for our Lord is the Word, the Logos, “the reason why” made flesh who came to live among us and save us.

Prayer: Thank You, God, for the way You introduced the magi to Your Son, and for the ways You have done the same for me. He is the reason why, and I am thankful to know Him.