Mary’s Son

Fox's new sitcom Raising Hope is really growing on me. It is a comedy depicting a family living on the socio-economic margins of society (like Roseanne) – in stark contrast to the vast majority of programs that seemingly normalize the lives of the upper middle class and wealthy. The basic storyline is that of a young twenty-something man, born to teenage parents whom he still lives with, learning to raise a baby girl, Hope, on his own. Oh yeah, and the mother of the child is a now executed serial killer (you may have to watch it yourself to grasp the humor in all this).

In the most recent Christmas episode Hope is turned down for the role of baby Jesus in the local church's 'live nativity.' Why? Because she is apparently known around town as the "murderer's baby." The rest of the show centers on the family's (humorously misguided) efforts to transform Hope's image. Family and friends all participate in acts of love towards a child who they believe deserves a meaningful life despite the circumstances surrounding her birth. It is indeed a true Christmas story.

For many Christians, one of the most celebrated aspects of Christmas is Jesus' birth (conception?) to a virgin girl named Mary. I'm not sure this was how the villagers in Nazareth would have viewed it. If we read between the lines (and I think we must because the traditions Matthew and Luke present are different in so many important ways) we can see the social and cultural mess surrounding Jesus' birth, much apart from the stories of King Herod's wrath and the inn with no vacancies. Mark, whose gospel was earliest and yet gives no birth tradition, may be the most telling. In Mark 6:3 a seemingly innocuous statement is made – Jesus is called "Mary's son." Given the context of the passage and the patriarchal system of the day the phrase "Mary's son" was far from innocent verbiage, it was an insult. Jesus was Mary's son – and NOT Joseph's. As we see in Mark 6, the residents of Jesus' hometown were not keen to accept his teaching because he was a son of ill repute – Mary's bastard son. Jesus had been labeled from even before his birth. Not only was he born on the 'wrong side of the tracks' in Nazareth (see John 1:46), but the morality of his birth, and thus his own, was questionable.

A couple of years ago a friend shared with me an experience he had at a Christmas mass. Nominally Catholic by virtue of marriage he was unfamiliar with certain traditions (and let it be clear I intend no disgrace towards those traditions – just curious wonderment). The congregation sorted out row by row towards the front of the chapel – as if to take communion. Only as he approached very near to the priest did he realize he was being summoned to kiss the knee of a plastic baby Jesus doll. He found this quite humorous, "what the hell is that about?," he said, still laughing about it weeks later. He did recall that the plastic baby Jesus received a sound knee cleaning after each kiss – how very sanitary Jesus has become in our churches.

Many of us have heard preachers stand in pulpits and talk about a plastic baby Jesus – a perfect Jesus, a Jesus that was squeaky clean, a sanitized Jesus who proclaimed a sanitized gospel. It's all very neat and orderly. The storm of gossip and questions that surrounded his childhood has been silenced. The tattered clothes of his childhood have been replaced with gleaming robes of white. If we believe the famous hymn Silent Night, the baby Jesus didn't even cry (he must have been plastic!). There was nothing messy about Jesus' life from their perspective – and there damn well better not be anything messy in yours!

Each Easter Christians celebrate the Jesus who bore the sins of the world on the cross. It may be more apropos at Christmas to remember the Jesus who truly bore the sins of the world in a manger in Bethlehem – poverty, violence, prejudice and marginalization. Many 'sons and daughters of Mary' are with us today living in broken homes, economically disadvantaged, and presumed guilty or corrupt because of the street they live on or because of the pronunciation of their last name. Like Jesus, they need mothers with courage like Mary, fathers willing to stand in and take responsibility like Joseph and mentors who can share a vision like John the Baptist.

The real story of Christmas is that of a child who was loved and blessed by those who saw his value when others did not. And in turn, he became love and blessing for others (like no other!). This may be the great 'Hope' of Christmas – a hope that we can share with the sons and daughters of Mary who live around us today. – D. Christian Nix, 12/10/2010

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"Simeon took (Jesus) in his arms and praised God, saying, '…my eyes have seen your salvation.'" – Luke 2:28-30 (NIV)

"Well happy birthday Jesus, sorry your party is so lame!" – Michael Scott (Steve Carell), The Office