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Christmas 2024 · 25 December 2024


Merry Christmas to all.


I hope that you, dear reader, are having a wonderful Christmas. I decided that I would put out a blog post on Christmas day instead of my normal Saturday because… Well, because it is Christmas. And Christmas is a most blessed day.


Now some would say that Christmas is THE most blessed day. I would argue against that a bit. After all, who does not want to have a little argument at Christmas? Okay. Not that kind of argument. I mean it could devolve into that, but that is not the point.


The point is that without Good Friday and Easter, Christmas is just somebody’s birthday. Somebody who was nobody. Think about it. If Jesus did not die on the cross (Good Friday) and rise again from the dead (Easter), then nobody would know about Him. He would have just been a Palestinian Jew who lived in the first century and nobody would have known about him except his disciples. And they would have dispersed if the Roman or Jewish officials had found a body in the grave. Or if they had produced Jesus’ dead body. “Nothing to see here, folks. Just a dead guy who caused a ruckus for a time.” And that would have been it. No Christianity. No Christmas. (No first century either, by the way. Think about it.)


Paul said that Christians are to be the most pitied if Jesus had not risen from the grave. (1 Corinthians 15:12-19) And I agree. Why would I want to follow the teachings of some dead guy who said he was going to rise again, if his body was still in the grave? Where is the logic in that?


Now before I talk too much about logic and reason, I must say that people do not put much store in those things today. Instead, people talk a lot about their feelings. They want to be satisfied emotionally. Which is understandable and good. And there are many religions and philosophies and worldviews where you can satisfy your emotions for a time. Maybe even for a lifetime. But many of those worldviews (dare I say all) are not also intellectually satisfying. They might hold a little water, but the bucket has holes. And so we are left just satisfying our feelings. At least for a time.


Following Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords is not like that. Following Jesus in all that He says in the Bible is both emotionally and intellectually satisfying. You can be comforted by His words. Jesus will strengthen you. He will help you lift your head when you are down. He will give you strength when you are sick. He will love you when nobody else does. Jesus satisfies all your emotional needs.


Jesus also satisfies all your intellectual needs. You can question all you want. You can doubt. You can dig and dig and dig to your heart’s content. You can even look at the cynics and critics. Even they cannot deny that Jesus lived, died, and that His grave was empty. They might not agree as to why the tomb had no body, but they all know that He was gone. And so they are left with a choice. Ignore the evidence or explain it away or follow it where it leads. That is the power of the cross and the empty tomb. You can be intellectually consistent when you follow Jesus.



It might seem that I have strayed from wishing you a merry Christmas, but I have not. I am just pointing out the main points of why Jesus is the reason for the season. No cross. No empty grave. No Christmas. Think about it. Truly think. The deeper you dig, the more you will realize that Jesus truly is King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus truly is the reason for the season.


And that is why I can wish you all a Merry Christmas indeed.

© 2024 Michael T. Miyoshi

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