Warning: The Baby Jesus Is Our King

One day last week I was scrolling through my newsfeed on social media when I came upon an image that had been blocked with the warning message that it might contain violent or graphic material. When I saw who posted the photo, it didn’t make sense. This person is connected to a church I’ve visited a few times and I had frequently seen her posts online. They have never been objectionable and often contain Biblical quotations or other Christian material. My first thought was whether it might be some picture of Jesus’ crucifixion or some other biblical scene that could be considered violent or too graphic for some people. My curiosity was definitely aroused. Therefore I clicked on the image to view it in spite of the warning. I immediately recognized it as one I had seen before. Do you know what it was? Maybe you’ve seen this image yourself. It’s a depiction of Santa Claus kneeling beside the manger of baby Jesus. What in that scene could be considered violent or graphic? Obviously, nothing. Some people might chalk this up to an innocent mistake. However, based on an increasing number of other alleged incidents in recent times, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is just another example of censorship being practiced against Christians and their expressions of faith.

 What is even remotely objectionable about Santa Claus kneeling at the manger? Maybe it’s the implication that Jesus is more than a cute little baby whose birth we celebrate this time of year. He is God in the flesh who is worthy of our worship. He is the King of all kings, the One we all should kneel before and submit to. Many people in this world don’t want to bow or yield to anyone’s authority over them including the Son of God. Unfortunately, that concept can even disturb a lot of churchgoers. They acknowledge Jesus, maybe even recognize Him as the Savior, but they don’t want to submit to Him as the Ruler over their lives.

The Bible affirms that God has so exalted Jesus “and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). It’s appropriate for Santa Claus to be depicted as kneeling before Christ. We all should bow before Him and recognize that He is Lord and King. If we refuse to willingly do so now, one day we will acknowledge that truth with great regret and sorrow as we find ourselves standing before His throne of judgment.

However, this incident of apparent censorship reminds us of the challenges followers of Christ are facing as our culture and nation is rapidly transforming, and much of that change is not in a positive direction.  We can’t take for granted that people around us know the true meaning of Christmas. We need to keep making the effort to communicate the message of Christ and the purpose of His coming to those who need to hear it. We should not be surprised when opposition surfaces. We should look for ways to overcome efforts to hinder our abilities to share the truth.

Jesus is King. He is above Santa, the President (and President-elect) of the United States, your favorite athlete or celebrity, and whoever else we tend to exalt, including ourselves. So let’s honor Him and bow before Him as our King. There is nothing inappropriate about doing so. It’s those who refuse to do so who should receive the warning.