Ponmala

The Magi interpreted the sighting of a unique star as a sign of the birth of a king who would rule over the world. They followed the star in search of the new-born king. Thinking like ordinary humans, they expected the star to lead them to a kingly palace. So they went into the palace of king Herod when the star passed over it, but found no new-born king there. The wisdom to understand that the unique star had foretold a unique king was beyond them. The star then led them to a manger in Bethlehem. There they found him in the company of cattle, wrapped in swaddling cloth. They worshipped him after presenting the precious gifts they had brought and then left.
Three centuries later, Emperor Constantine took Jesus from the lowly crib to his palace. Then on, Jesus became a worldly king and his mother a worldly queen in appearance and the tributes paid to them. Church leaders too dressed like kings and princes and borrowed their titles – the cardinal is still a prince of the Church and bishops and cardinals are addressed as ‘Your Lordship’, ‘Your Highness’, ‘Your Beatitude’ etc. Then came the ‘Second Jesus’ Francis of Assisi nine centuries later. The Christmas Crib was a part of his attempt to take Jesus back to the lowly manger. It has now become ubiquitous, but Christians still keeps Jesus and his entourage in Herod’s palace.
Then again, Vatican II made a serious effort to take Jesus and his royal household from Herod’s palace back to the lowly crib. But the Byzantine influence of Constantine is still holding its sway over them. The crisis we witness in the Syro Malabar Church of Kerala is actually a battle between Constantine and Francis of Assisi, the former wanting to keep Jesus a worldly king by harking back to Byzantine royalty and the latter wanting to make him a darling of the wise magi and lowly shepherds. As was the case of the Magi when they set out from their lands, many in the Church do not have the wisdom to understand that Jesus’s kingdom is not of this world.
There are defining passages in the gospels that show what kind of a unique and unworldly king Jesus was. The first of course was the manger in which he chose to be born. Others followed. Jesus’s birth was announced only to the wisdom-rich magi and the poor and humble shepherds. The kingly class, the priestly class and the money-rich were not taken into confidence about it, for the simple reason that they would reject it as cock and bull story. The public life of Jesus starts with the three worldly temptations put to him by the devil. The devil tempts him to show his divine origin by working a miracle. Then he asks him to prove his faith in divine providence by taking a huge risk. When Jesus refuses to take those baits, the devil tempts him with the offer to make him master of all that he surveys. Jesus refuses to fall into the lure of kingly pomp and authority.
Jesus said: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: `I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” As king, Jesus rode on a humble donkey. After washing the feet of his disciples he said: “I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet. So you should also wash one another’s feet.” He taught: “When you are invited to a feast, do not take the place of honour.” Finally, he died as a condemned criminal. A unique kind of king Indeed, who was derided as the King of the Jews as he lay dying on the cross!
Jesus was the messiah the Jews longed for, but he was not of the kind they expected – a king of the royal lineage of King David who would deliver them from Roman rule. instead, he was a messiah who came to deliver them from their sinful and ungodly ways and false notions about God and spirituality. He was indeed a king, but of a kingdom that was not of this world. ‘Then Pilate said to him, “Then you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews.”’ Despite this, we do things that show that the kingdom of Jesus is of this world. The people who claim to be his representatives on earth refuse to discard the regal dress, paraphernalia, titles and regal forms of reference used by those who belong to the kingdoms of this world.
Jesus lived true to the message of the crib; its humbleness followed him all through his life. He grew up and lived as a simple and humble man who had a preferential liking for the poor and the disadvantaged. There was not the pomp and glamour of kings about him, but he said and did things that stand out as exceptional even after two thousand years. He was not a ruler who wielded authority; rather, he was a master who exhibited his authority over his disciples by washing their feet.
There is a lot of counter witnessing going on. How ironic is the scene of a priest dressed in Western regal attire standing in front of the humble crib! Worldly poverty (represented by the manger) of those who are rich in spiritual wisdom (represented by the Magi) is what the crib bears witness to. Poverty entails want, faith in divine providence and non-attachment to worldly riches, fame and glory. Cribs are placed as Christmas decoration in front of huge and highly ornate churches all over the world. Jesus would prefer the crib to the church.