God's Last Words

THE GRINCH WHO TRIED TO STEAL CHRISTMAS

When Dr. Seuss (Theodore Guisel) wrote the story “The Grinch who stole Christmas” in 1957 he struggled for a long time with how to end the story. His overwhelming desire was to end it with a religious message of morality to the young folks who would be exposed to it. But he couldn’t find the perfect words.

Instead the story ends with the Grinch dancing around Whoville’s tree with a bigger heart. The Grinch seemingly has been forgiven and taken into the family of the Grinch’s intended victims. The Grinch has learned to abide, as a forgiven sinner secure in God’s amazing grace.

It is a heartwarming story of the dangers of the social and commercial high-jacking of Christmas and a story of forgiveness.

But the true story of a man who would-be Grinch and Dr. Seuss’s  life-sized inspiration is much more scary. Let’s read the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 2, verses 13-23:

Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”

¹⁴Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, ¹⁵and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”

¹⁶When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men.

¹⁷Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: ¹⁸“A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”

¹⁹When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ²⁰“Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.”

²¹Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.

²²But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee.

²³There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.”

Have you ever considered that the story of Christmas is actually a very dark one? Mary and Joseph, and their country are forced to participate in a census carried on by oppressive occupiers known for cruelty, corruption, and bullying.

Then the town they are travelling to is so crowded, there's no safe and secure place for the pregnant girl about to deliver her child, a child whose very existence is controversial, that the couple settle for an animal's hut or cave, neither clean nor pretty, for the birth.

Meanwhile, the local king, a paranoid maniac, dying of a painful skin disease, who has killed his wife, sons, mother-in-law and countless others learns about the child. He, out of fear and paranoia, orders the massacre of all the male children under the age of two in a savage act of terror.

God intervenes and the mother and father escape, carrying with their child the guilt of survival.

There is some archaeological evidence and Jewish history to support this scriptural passage. We just don’t know how widespread the slaughter of the innocents was. This story lends the nativity some credibility that a happily-ever-after fairy-tale wouldn’t have.  

Jesus enters a real world, similar to ours, where children are poor, starving,   enslaved, and then poisoned in the name of power and greed. REAL Life is brutal.

Taking the Nativity story out of the grim context of the actual world it occurs in to make it pretty, defeats the purpose of the Incarnation, and why Jesus was needed.

This passage tells us of another night in Bethlehem. No angel chorus was heard that evening. No Gloria in excelsis. The air that night was rent with shrieks–shrieks and cries; sobs and tears. Newborn babies lie bundled in grave cloths–laid to rest–cradled in fresh-turned earth.

The birth of Jesus is not a fairy tale, it is a story that shows man’s need for a savior and rescue from the depravity of sin.

The streets of Bethlehem echo misery, and the prophecy of “Rachael weeping for her children” is fulfilled. That’s the story of the real Grinch.

I'm sure that most of you have read the story of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." If you haven't read the story, perhaps you have seen the movie.

Remember how everyone in Who-ville loved Christmas? Everyone, that is, except the Grinch. The Grinch hated Christmas and made up a plan to spoil the joy of Christmas in Who-ville. His plan was to dress up as Santa Claus and go into Who-ville and steal all of their Christmas presents, all of their Christmas trees, and even the food for their Christmas dinner.

What a terrible thing to do! Do you know why the Grinch hated Christmas so much? Well, according to the story, it was because his heart was too small!

He was so selfish that he hated to see anyone else who was happy and enjoying themselves. But, as you know, the Grinch's plan did not work. Why? Because the people in Who-ville knew that the real joy of Christmas does not come from the presents, decorations, and food -- it comes from a heart filled with love.

In the true story of the "Grinch" who tried to steal Christmas the Grinch tried to steal the very first Christmas. This "Grinch" was a king by the name of Herod.

After Jesus was born, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and asked where they could find the child who had been born to be the king of the Jews. "We have seen his star in the sky and want to worship him" they said.

When Herod heard about this, he told the men that when they found the child, they should come back and tell him where the child was so that he could worship him too.

The truth is, Herod didn't really want to worship Jesus, he wanted to kill him.  A lot of the would be grinches in our world today don't want to just ignore Christianity - they want to kill it.

Why? Perhaps his heart was too small! Herod was so selfish and greedy that he was afraid Jesus would become more popular than he was and perhaps even take over his kingdom.

Well, Herod's plan to kill Jesus didn't work. After the wise men found Jesus and gave him gifts, an angel told them about Herod's plan and they went back home without telling Herod where they had found Jesus.

An angel also appeared to Joseph and warned him of Herod's plan and told him to take Mary and the baby Jesus to Egypt where they would be safe.

And so, we see that since the very first Christmas, Grinches have been trying to steal the joy of Christmas. There may be some "Grinches" that are trying to steal your Christmas joy. It will never work -- unless your heart is too small.

Make sure that your heart is big enough to share the love and joy of Christmas with everyone you meet -- not just at Christmas -- but all year long.

Let us pray:

Dear Father, we thank you for the joy that Jesus brings. Help us to share that joy with everyone we meet. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.