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PROLOGUE
Animals belong to a proper crib scene: ox, donkey, sheep
In
many Christmas legends and fables animals even play a central role:
During that first Christmas Eve they were loving, tolerant, well behaved,
could converse with each other and with people, praising God in their
own special ways.
Dostojewski writes: "You should love
animals. God gave them the rudiments of thought and untroubled joy.
You should not disturb this joy, you should not rush them or rob
them of their happiness. You should not strive against godly intentions,
o mankind. Do not be proud of your superiority over animals: for
they are free of sin."
Fjodor Dostojewski: The Karamasow Brothers
1. ANIMALS AT THE CRIB SCENE
Who or what was at the crib scene first?
A simple question - and yet - of course - it was the animals!
Maybe not ox and donkey, as in many crib scenes, but sheep and goats.
Animals, God's creatures, were present before shepherds, wise men
and other persons arrived on the scene.
In contrast to the people, who had "no room in the inn",
they took the "holy family" in, sharing their room with
them and their manger with the child.
And the animals did not murder children as Herod did and did not force
anyone to flee to Egypt.
They praised God in their own special way, as is described in connection
with promise of the coming Messiah in the book of Jesaja: Voici,
je vais faire une chose nouvelle, sur le point d'arriver: Ne la
connaîtrez-vous pas? Je mettrai un chemin dans le désert,
Et des fleuves dans la solitude.
Les bêtes des champs me glorifieront, Les chacals et les autruches,
Parce que j'aurai mis des eaux dans le désert, Des fleuves
dans la solitude, Pour abreuver mon peuple, mon élu.
Le peuple que je me suis formé Publiera mes louanges.
Ésaïe 43, 19 - 21
2. GOD, PEOPLE AND ANIMALS
L'Éternel Dieu forma de la terre tous
les animaux des champs et tous les oiseaux du ciel, et il les fit
venir vers l'homme, pour voir comment il les appellerait, et afin
que tout être vivant portât le nom que lui donnerait
l'homme.
Et l'homme donna des noms à tout le bétail, aux oiseaux
du ciel et à tous les animaux des champs; mais, pour l'homme,
il ne trouva point d'aide semblable à lui.
Genèse 2, 19 - 20 Tu
lui as donné la domination sur les oeuvres de tes mains,
Tu as tout mis sous ses pieds,
Les brebis comme les boeufs, Et les animaux des champs,
Les oiseaux du ciel et les poissons de la mer, Tout ce qui parcourt
les sentiers des mers.
Psaume 8, 6 - 8
God brings his creation to the man. None of the animals runs away,
none attack the man, none of them eat each other.
The man is allowed to give a name to each creature: You over there,
you are to be called a lion, and you an elephant, and you a horse,
etc...
In the bible giving someone or something a name is nothing to be taken
for granted. Much more is associated with the presentation of a name
(or of a new name: Abraham, Israel, Matthew, Peter, Paul,
).
It is the taking in possession of someone or something in a wider
sense, taking the responsibility, the love of, the trust of, the care
of, and everything else we care to mention here.
Perhaps this will be easier to understand when we remember what it
is like when God himself calls us by our name. When He says: Ainsi
parle maintenant l'Éternel, qui t'a créé, ô
Jacob! Celui qui t'a formé, ô Israël! Ne crains
rien, car je te rachète, Je t'appelle par ton nom: tu es
à moi!
Ésaïe 43, 1
God passes on the assignment for giving names to HIS creation to the
man.
This early story points to the new Testament. To God's new assignment
to mankind in the form of a new names giving:
God passes on the assignment for giving names to HIS creation to the
man.
This early story points to the new Testament. To God's new assignment
to mankind in the form of a new names giving: Allez,
faites de toutes les nations des disciples, les baptisant au nom
du Père, du Fils et du Saint Esprit...
Matthieu 28, 19 3.
ANIMAL OFFERINGS
Again a sentence from the very beginning of the bible: L'Éternel
Dieu fit à Adam et à sa femme des habits de peau,
et il les en revêtit.
Genèse 3, 21
Wilhelm Busch explains this sentence as follows: "Theses
nameless animals that God killed, are a preview of the Lamb of God,
of the crucified Lord Jesus.
What a moment as these animals suffered death. A cry of agony, a
groan was uttered by all creation. For it was the very first dying
and killing experienced. And it demonstrated with dreadful clarity
that all was no longer "very good"
Wilhelm Busch: Traces of the Cross [20]
4. ANGER AND MERCY FOR PEOPLE AND ALL
CREATURES L'Éternel vit
que la méchanceté des hommes était grande sur
la terre, et que toutes les pensées de leur coeur se portaient
chaque jour uniquement vers le mal.
L'Éternel se repentit d'avoir fait l'homme sur la terre,
et il fut affligé en son coeur.
Et l'Éternel dit: J'exterminerai de la face de la terre l'homme
que j'ai créé, depuis l'homme jusqu'au bétail,
aux reptiles, et aux oiseaux du ciel; car je me repens de les avoir
faits.
Mais Noé trouva grâce aux yeux de l'Éternel.
Genèse 6, 5 - 8 L'Éternel
dit à Noé: Entre dans l'arche, toi et toute ta maison;
car je t'ai vu juste devant moi parmi cette génération.
Tu prendras auprès de toi sept couples de tous les animaux
purs, le mâle et sa femelle; une paire des animaux qui ne
sont pas purs, le mâle et sa femelle;
sept couples aussi des oiseaux du ciel, mâle et femelle, afin
de conserver leur race en vie sur la face de toute la terre.
Car, encore sept jours, et je ferai pleuvoir sur la terre quarante
jours et quarante nuits, et j'exterminerai de la face de la terre
tous les êtres que j'ai faits.
Noé exécuta tout ce que l'Éternel lui avait
ordonné.
Noé avait six cents ans, lorsque le déluge d'eaux
fut sur la terre.
Et Noé entra dans l'arche avec ses fils, sa femme et les
femmes de ses fils, pour échapper aux eaux du déluge.
D'entre les animaux purs et les animaux qui ne sont pas purs, les
oiseaux et tout ce qui se meut sur la terre,
il entra dans l'arche auprès de Noé, deux à
deux, un mâle et une femelle, comme Dieu l'avait ordonné
à Noé.
Genèse 7, 1 - 9
Again Mankind is guilty in the eyes of God. Through this all creatures
come under the curse, stand beneath the judgement of God.
However just as Noah found mercy in the eyes of God, so do the animals.
Along with those persons near and dear to Noah, God also commands
Noah to take animals into the ark, too.
So Noah went to the animals and said, "You can come and you and
you
The thus chosen animals did not run away from Noah but went with him
and were saved.
The story of Noah can be a parable for our time and age: Talk to
people saying, "You can come and you and you
- in the
ark, - for Jesus will save you from the judgement of God.
5. GOOD NEWS FOR ALL CREATURES
After His baptism and calling, Jesus went into the wilderness for
forty days.
Here He was tempted by the devil.
Matthew gives us a detailed report of this (Matthieu
4, 1 -11).
Mark writes more terse:
Aussitôt, l'Esprit poussa Jésus
dans le désert,
où il passa quarante jours, tenté par Satan. Il était
avec les bêtes sauvages, et les anges le servaient.
Marc 1, 12 - 13 "...He
was with the wild animals ..."
A Jewish Christian interpreter writes: "There
He was tempted, and afterwards He walked amidst the wild animals (lions,
bears and wolves), whilst the angels protected and remained with Him.
Before Jesus went to people, He went
to the animals.
"
Rev. David Jaffin: Jesus' Path of Sorrow with
Israel [19]
And the animals did not prepare a ghastly death for Jesus. They did
Him no harm. They accepted him in their midst.
The story of Daniel rises to mind. There the lions were not allowed
to harm Daniel either, the angels held their mouths shut and God was
very close. (Daniel 6, 17 -28)
6. THE KINGDOM OF PEACE FOR PEOPLE AND ALL
CREATURES Le loup habitera
avec l'agneau, Et la panthère se couchera avec le chevreau;
Le veau, le lionceau, et le bétail qu'on engraisse, seront
ensemble, Et un petit enfant les conduira.
La vache et l'ourse auront un même pâturage, Leurs petits
un même gîte; Et le lion, comme le boeuf, mangera de
la paille.
Le nourrisson s'ébattra sur l'antre de la vipère,
Et l'enfant sevré mettra sa main dans la caverne du basilic.
Il ne se fera ni tort ni dommage Sur toute ma montagne sainte; Car
la terre sera remplie de la connaissance de l'Éternel, Comme
le fond de la mer par les eaux qui le couvrent.
Ésaïe 11, 6 - 9
Evocative pictures I use for my "Christmas
Story":
Roughly one hundred years separate these two pictures yet the theme
remains the same:
PEACE
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