As we celebrate on this 25th of December 2025, journalist Isaac Megbolugbe invites us into a profound reflection on the true essence of Christmas, revealing it as a season rich with divine paradox. A paradox, defined by Merriam-Webster as a seemingly contradictory statement that may yet be true, finds its ultimate expression in the story of Christmas itself.
The Profound Paradoxes of Jesus Christ
The central figure of Christmas, Jesus Christ, is the embodiment of these paradoxes. He was the King of the Jews, as noted in Matthew 2:2, yet born in the lowly setting of a Bethlehem manger to a carpenter's family. His humble origins troubled King Herod and all Jerusalem, yet wise men from the East journeyed far to find him, rejoicing and offering precious gifts.
This pattern of contradiction continued throughout his life. Jesus, a carpenter's son, exhibited a depth of wisdom that confounded the scholarly minds of his day. As Cynthia Bourgeault noted in 2003, he was a master of wisdom, a "moshel meshalim." Paradoxically, he was not accepted by his own people but was acknowledged by Gentiles. His teachings, especially the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12, often defied common sense, presenting a kingdom where the meek are blessed and the last shall be first.
Even the great Napoleon Bonaparte recognized this unique paradox, stating that while conquerors like Alexander and Caesar built empires on force, Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love, for which millions would die.
From Divine Intrusion to Human Celebration
The birth of Jesus represents a moment of divine intrusion into human history, where God entered humanity to effect redemption. However, human history has shaped this sacred event into a whirlwind of commercialism, gift-giving, and merry-making. Early Christian leaders practiced syncretism, incorporating pagan traditions like Saturnalia and Yule into Christmas celebrations to make the faith more accessible.
The result is the modern Christmas paradox: a celebration with multiple, often conflicting, layers. We now navigate a spiritual layer commemorating Christ's birth, a cultural layer of traditions, a family layer of gatherings, and a powerful commercial layer driven by consumerism. These narratives coexist, creating both tension and a rich tapestry of human experience.
The Prism of God's Sovereignty
Megbolugbe proposes a powerful metaphor to understand this tension: the prism of God's sovereignty. Just as a prism refracts light to reveal a spectrum of colours from a single source, God's sovereignty takes the paradoxes of human experience—joy and sorrow, sacred and secular—and refracts them to reveal a deeper, more beautiful truth.
This prism does not eliminate paradox but redeems it. It shows that God's weakness is stronger than human strength and His foolishness wiser than human wisdom, as echoed in 1 Corinthians 1:25. The ultimate paradox is the incarnation itself: God becoming man in the person of Jesus Christ.
As we navigate a world seeking governance and purpose apart from God, the article posits that true governance begins with surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The Gospel emerges as the exclusive path offering redemption, true freedom, and a purpose that transcends fleeting human existence.
The Christmas paradox, therefore, is not a puzzle to be solved but an invitation. It is a call to encounter the living God who entered history to redeem it. As we celebrate, may we be reminded of the unchanging truth of God's redemptive plan, allow our festivities to reflect surrender to His sovereignty, and be transformed by the power of the Gospel. In the words of the Apostle Paul from 2 Timothy 1:7, we are given a spirit not of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind—a promise for all navigating the beautiful, complex paradox of Christmas.
