The Real Reason For Christmas | What I Just Grasped This Week

Every November/December, my family and I watch The Heart of Christmas. 

The Heart of Christmas is a beautiful musical that tells the life story of Ruth, who is an orphan survivor of the 2nd World War. She is adopted by an American nurse and British soldier and arrives to her new home in New York in the 1940s. Her very first Christmas gift is a precious book that will become an heirloom for her family in generations to come—The Servant King. 

This book recounts the remarkable story of the Persian wiseman Zargon, and his faithful servant Mustafa, on their search to find the King of the Jews who is to be born in Bethlehem.

The musical tells both Ruth’s and Zargon’s story, combining the arduous trek of a Persian prince, and the trials of a family living in times of war, to illustrate the real reason for Christmas and the meaning of Matthew 20:28 and Matthew 25:40.

This year, we watched it again. As usual, I was moved and a little teary-eyed at the end. 

Then, a few days later, my family and I took the 13 hour trip from South Carolina to Connecticut. Our bus stayed down south, since it’s too cold up here for our bus & there’s no place to park; so we drove in our car. Being squished in there all day, we had a lot of time on our hands. 

The Servant King book (which we own) comes with 4 CDs that include the full audiobook and songs. So, we listened to the whole audiobook while driving.

The musical was powerful, but the book impacted me even more so. 

The Servant King plot:

Zargon, the 4th wise man, plans to go with his three friends to bring gifts to the new King in Bethlehem. However, he is delayed and unable to travel with them. A few days later, he leaves Persia with his faithful servant Mustafa—but they arrive too late. The Baby & His parents have already left Bethlehem.

Determined to keep searching for the promised Messiah, Zargon continues his travels. But as he encounters people who need help, he gives away the gifts that were for the King in order to help others. Zargon, not having returned to Persia, ends up serving a leper colony for nearly thirty years, catching leprosy in the process. 

He’s nearly given up hope of ever finding the King. That is, until ten lepers return to the colony, healed. They claim to have found the King. With renewed hope, he goes to Jerusalem where this man named “Yeshua” was last seen. 

He arrives just as Jesus is being crucified. He is crushed and completely in despair. How could the greatest King ever, God disguised as a man, let people kill Him? He was supposed to save His people! 

As he leaves Jerusalem, getting sicker by the day, he and his companions encounter a stranger who offers them food. As they sit and talk, Zargon begins pouring out his heart about his lifelong quest to find the King. If the Messiah was supposed to save His people, then how could He be dead? As Zargon’s confusion and grief nearly overtakes him, the stranger begins talking about the Messiah. 

What was He supposed to save His people from? Was He supposed to bring earthly peace by killing their enemies in war and battle? That kind of peace would never last. 

Then, quoting the Scriptures and prophecies, the stranger helps them to see what the Scriptures said about the Messiah. Everything changes for Zargon. He finally understands why the Messiah came. 

The Messiah didn’t come as a mighty warrior to crush the Romans and set up His throne. He came as a Servant King, to save His people from their sin and bring light to their darkness. Zargon’s search for the King, which started when he began studying the ancient prophecies at the age of twelve, had finally come to a close. He’d found His King. 

The next morning, the stranger is nowhere to be found and all of Zargon’s leprous sores are gone. He has been healed! He returns home to Persia and there is beautiful redemption as he reunites with his wife and finally experiences the peace, purpose, and understanding he’s been searching for his whole life.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough! The story, although mostly fictitious, reminds me of the message of Jesus, which is 100% real.  

Jesus came as King, the greatest king to ever live. Yet He didn’t come to be recognized and applauded by men. He didn’t come to have servants and wealth and comfort. 

He came in the most fragile, humble form: as a baby. He didn’t rattle Herod’s palace when He was born. He wasn’t attractive or majestic looking. He didn’t use His power to put people down or puff Himself up. 

Jesus came in love and humility. He didn’t come for us to worship Him. He came to save us. When we were hopelessly lost in darkness, far from God and trapped in our sins, He came to sacrifice Himself so that we could have life. 

Read Isaiah 53. All of it. That’ll really hit you hard when you realize why Jesus did what He did. 

Just a few days ago, my perspective on Christmas changed drastically. I finally realized what it’s really about. When I understood the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice, love, and humility, then all of a sudden, thinking about His birth became the most exciting thing ever! 

Even though I’ve always known the real reason for Christmas (Jesus coming), it’s easy to still get caught up in the other seasonal stuff and lose focus of what’s important. I never really grasped the importance of what happened on the day Jesus was born. 

To be honest, I’m sad to say that I’ve taken Jesus for granted. I was raised knowing Him. It’s second nature to think and talk about Him being born, healing & delivering people, dying on the cross, and being raised back to life.

But listening to The Servant King just a few days ago, I realized what a big deal it was that Jesus came. 

I’ve had the wrong perspective on Christmas my whole life. For as long as I can remember, when I’d think of “Christmas,” I would think of traditions, memories, presents, and family. 

Christmas shouldn’t be centered around family or presents or traditions. It’s always been about Jesus coming to save us. Without Him, we have nothing. 

Christmas means something different to me now. 

I don’t like Christmas songs that focus on being in love, making good memories, or santa claus. I don’t like the stressful frenzy of trying to buy or receive enough Christmas presents. I don’t like traditions that cause bondage and disappointment if they can’t be fulfilled. They are all stealing our attention from the greatest miracle, the most wonderful gift, the life-changing, tear-jerking, heart-wrenching moment in time that forever changed the world: 

Jesus coming to this world to rescue us.