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You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
He's making a list
And checking it twice;
He's gonna find out
Who's naughty or nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
And checking it twice;
He's gonna find out
Who's naughty or nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
You better watch out!
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
John Fredrick
Coots and Haven Gillespie penned this American Christmas classic in 1934 and it
became an instant hit. The name “Santa Claus” was taken from the Dutch
pronunciation of St. Nicholas, Sinter Klaas. Saint Nicholas was the bishop of
Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) in the 4th century. His parents died when he was young and left
him with a large sum of money. He was
known for helping those who were poor, including surprising them with many
secret gifts. He was a godly man who
expressed his love for Christ by giving to those in need. His generosity was modeled after the love of
Christ who gave to those who did not deserve it.
Paul writes of
this love in Romans, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ
died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though
perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for
us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8) St.
Nicholas (or Sinter Klaas) wanted to share this type of love so others could
also experience the same type of undeserved love that he had when Christ died
for him.
There is no
secret that Christmas has become commercialized and the true reason for the
season has been watered down. The story of Santa Claus no longer means what it
once did, but has been hijacked by our secular culture. Many a parent has told their child to be good
so that Santa would bring them a present. Santa is making a list and checking
it twice, he is going to find out who is naughty and nice for Santa Claus is
coming to town. And yet I have never met
a child who didn’t receive presents because of their bad behavior. Parents tell their children to be good or
else, but when they are not good, the “or else” never happens. When children are trained to receive gifts
from Santa Claus regardless of their behavior, they are being blinded to a
future reality. And if they are well-behaved (at least during the Christmas
season), they are trained that they can be good enough for goodness sakes.
Santa Claus may be coming to town, but he is not the only one.
Christmas is not
about us being good, but God being good to us by sending his Son when we were
naughty and not nice. Christmas is a reminder that God came as a man to redeem
men, but also that he will come again, and we better watch out and I am telling
you why: the Son of Man is coming to town.
Knowing that his death is approaching, Jesus offers one of his final
warnings as he concludes the Olivet Discourse that final redemption is coming.
The Redemption
is Coming
Luke 21:25-28,
And there will be
signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in
perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting
with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of
the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a
cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place,
straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.
Jesus says at the end of time that
there will be visible signs in the sun and moon and stars. Matthew is more specific in saying, ““Immediately
after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will
not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens will be shaken.” (Matthew 24:29) Jesus uses similar language as the
prophets, (Isaiah, Joel, Haggai) use when referring to the Day of the Lord.
The tone of the
passage implies the helplessness of those facing a horrific natural disaster[1]. December 26th, 2004, a wall of
water crashed into the coast killing 230,000 people across 14 countries in a
matter of minutes. In the face of the
roaring of the seas and the waves, the people were fainting in fear and
foreboding on what was coming. For even
the most experienced sea captain, the Tsunami was absolutely terrifying. Captain Fernandes said, “In all my years as a
sailor, this was my most awful experience.”[2] On
the awesome and terrible Day of the Lord, the nations will fear of what is
coming. It will be visible and evident
to all that something terrifying is coming.
The nations will
look to the sky and see the Son of Man riding on the clouds of heaven. This is the same language Daniel uses when he
says “one like a Son of Man.” This Son
of Man was coming down from Heaven with power and glory. The fear of the nations was well
grounded. They should have been terrified. The OT image confers that the Son of Man
would have superhuman majesty and glory proving that he was divine. And it should be noted that everyone hearing
Jesus and reading this gospel would know that Jesus was referring here to
Himself.
The nations will
be rightly distressed, but despair will not come to all. As the promise given
through Daniel was given to a struggling and enslaved people, Jesus promised
redemption to his saints in the midst of their despair. The nations may be
blessed now, but they will weep while the disciples may suffer now, their
redemption is near. “Now when these
things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your
redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28) While the rest of the nation bows
their head in fear and despair, God’s people will straighten up and raise their
heads in victory.
Beloved, hear the promise in that lies in this verse. God has promised us redemption. The coming of Christ as a babe in Bethlehem will lead to the cross and the grave, but he will overcome the grave. And he promises that one day he will come and complete our salvation and we will live in a city no longer forsaken. Listen how Jamie Barnes describes this hope in his song a City No Longer Forsaken,
How can we grow
tired
When his return
is nigh?
The skyline
will burn bright again
Like a diadem
on the crown of Christ /
A brand new
name,
Straight from
the mouth of God,
The orphaned
ones now take
Through the
waning years He preserves
His own In a
City No Longer forsaken /
A brand new
land
Tilled by his
tender hand
the thorns and
thistles break
From the desert
sand the harvest comes
In a city no
longer forsaken/
Unbend the
road, the Savior rides!
Send up the
signal high
Over the gravel
waste, His highway runs
In a city no
longer forsaken
Every door will
be stained with
Salvation’s
name In a City no Longer
Forsaken
Jesus promised that he will give us
full redemption at his coming. The redemption will complete and final. He will
fully reign in righteousness.
The Reign is Coming
Jesus drives home his point by
telling them a parable using the fig trees that surrounded them on the Mount of
Olives. Verses 29-33,
And
he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as
they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is
already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that
the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass
away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words
will not pass away. (Luke 21:29-33)
Fig Trees were known
for their luscious fruit that would appear every summer however during the
winter there would practically be no life at all. The trees were so barren
during the winter that the life that would begin to appear in the spring would
be clear and evident to all. Jesus wanted
the disciples to know that although life may seem bleak and barren now, the
kingdom of life and righteousness is near.
Jesus has already mentioned several
times throughout this gospel that the kingdom of God has come near. Even his very first words recorded in his
earthly ministry Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is
at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15). The kingdom of God is
“already” and also “not yet.” Although we can experience the kingdom now
through the Spirit, there is coming a future reign of a consummated
kingdom. We even see glimpses of this
promise in that great Christmas Hymn, Joy to the World,
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he comes to make his blessings flow
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found.
The angels said to the shepherds, “And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11) There is great joy because the promise of the incarnation is that God will not only bring a spiritual kingdom through faith in Christ, but his reign will extend as far as the curse is found. We are still experiencing the consequences of the fall, but one day God will establish his physical kingdom forever. The incarnation of Christ will always lead to the final physical reign of a consummated kingdom.
Verse 32 is a very difficult verse
to understand. He is speaking about the
Day of the Lord and he says, “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not
pass away until all has taken place.” (Luke 21:32) Now it is clear that the Day
of the Lord hasn’t happen yet, but it appears that Jesus is saying that the
generation who heard his words was going to see the end. This verse has brought
widespread disagreement, so we cannot be 100% sure of its exact meaning, but I
believe that the “this generation” Jesus mentions is that generation that sees
the beginning of the end. In this view, those who see the beginning will see
the end because the end will be sudden and quick. I think this fits the New
Testament picture of the suddenness and the speed of the end mentioned in 1
Thessalonians 4 and 2 Peter 3.
We could debate the exact meaning,
but do not mess the verse 33 which says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but
my words will not pass away.” This world is temporary, but the Word of God is
not so what are you living for: the world or the word?
This is a wonderful season of
celebration and giving. I love to give
my children gifts and to see their faces light up when they receive things they
love. That being said, we have to be careful to teach this physical world is
only window to the future physical world. Our homes, our toys, and our bank
accounts will one day be dust and rubble, but the Word of the Lord will stand
forever. Isaiah 40:6-8,
A
voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all
its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass
withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
Simple question,
what is your supreme treasure: this world or His Word? If we focus more on His
Word, we will one day get to experience a better world, one free from the
curse. A world where: No more sins and
sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; Christ comes to make his blessings
flow far as the curse is found.
The Repentant at His Coming
So how do we live
with a focus on His Word more than on this world? Jesus says that we must be
repentant. We live today under his reign and rule.
“But watch
yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness
and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it
will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at
all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that
are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” And every day he
was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount
called Olivet. And early in the morning all the people came to him in the
temple to hear him. (Luke 21:34-38)
Jesus warns us that the Day of the
Lord will come upon all who dwell on the earth. And he specifically warns us to
avoid 3 things: Dissipation, drunkenness, and the cares of this life. Jesus
describes how the end will come, but now urges that people’s lives change as a
result.
Dissipation is the
gradual dissent into immoral living. It is the squandering of one’s money, life,
and resources. He warns people to watch
out unless they gradually move further and further into sin. If one is not careful, the current of this
world will lead people to slide away from God.
We must actively pursue God or we may passively fall away from Him.
Drunkenness is an
indication of a lack of self-control and a indicating that one is trying to
live in carnality. The drunkard lives for today. If you have ever known a drunk, they usually
are only concern with the pleasures of today, ignoring the consequences of tomorrow. 1 Corinthians 15:32, “If the dead are not
raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” Drunkenness ignores the
future resurrection.
Lastly, Jesus
warns those who have an unhealthy worry and anxiety over this life. We are all going to face difficult things in
our lives. Life in a fallen world is hard, but we serve a sovereign and
powerful God. If God is for us, who can
be against us? He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all how
will he not with him graciously give us all things? There is a type of worry and anxiety that
proves that we are too focused on this life while ignoring the life to
come. Let us face our anxieties and our
stresses, great and small, in light of the resurrection and the coming of the
Son of Man who will bring us our redemption in His consummated earthly reign.
How do we overcome
these things? We stay awake by praying for God’s strength. We are not called to
be passive in our pursuit of God. The times in my life when I have been tempted
with dissipation, carnality, and excessive anxiety parallel the times when my
prayer life struggled. When we are
actively pursuing God in prayer, pleading for this strength, leaning on his
grace, our focus is fixed on the future hope we have in Christ.
Jesus says that we
need strength to stand before the Son of Man. The Son of Man is coming to town,
will you be able to stand? The only way we will be able to stand is if we are
already standing on Christ the solid rock, for all other ground is sinking
sand. Only those who live repentant lives
prove they are standing with Christ.
St. Nicolas,
bishop of Asia Minor was imprisoned by Emperor Diocletian in AD 303. The records note, “as he [Nicholas] was the
chief priest of the Christians of this town and preached the truths of faith
with a holy liberty, Nicholas was seized by the magistrates, tortured, then
chained and thrown into prison with many other Christians.[3]”
James Parker said,
Those who survived
Diocletian's purges were called "confessors" because they wouldn't
renege on their confession of Jesus as Lord. When Bishop Nicholas walked out of
the prison, the crowds called to him: "Nicholas! Confessor!" He had
been repeatedly beaten until he was raw, and his body was the color of
vermilion. Bishop Nicholas was also said to have intervened on behalf of
unjustly charged prisoners.
St. Nicholas was able to stand
before the Son of Man because he would not deny his confession of Christ. He
did not deny with his words or with his life.
Beloved,
this season let us live like the real ” Santa Claus” who knew that the Son of
Man was coming and, therefore, lived in generosity and faith confessing the
gospel of Christmas.
[1]
Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke: 9:51–24:53 (Vol. 2). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic. Luke 21:26
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