Where Is Jesus When Christmas Is in Shambles?

Where is Jesus when Christmas is in shambles? When your loved one is no longer with you; when you can’t afford gifts for your kids; when nothing seems to be going right? Where is Jesus when the joy of the holidays only reminds you of what you have lost?

Where Is Jesus in Broken Nativities?

My only son moved out of our house in December 2020. He was 25 so it was time, but I was still a little sad to know I would no longer see him every day.

To make his new place seem more like home, I wanted to give him a nativity set for Christmas. He was quite used to a house decorated with a plethora of nativity sets and nativity themed decorations during the Advent and Christmas seasons. My ever-growing collection was at about 38 at the time.

I ordered a beautiful porcelain nativity from Amazon. When the box arrived, I heard a terrible clinking sound before I opened it. What I found inside is what you see in the bottom left corner of the graphic above. Where was Jesus in all those pieces of shattered porcelain?

Of course, I returned it. I found a different nativity that I thought would be less breakable. When it arrived, I discovered I had chosen the wrong set yet again as it was broken in two places.

The third attempt was a set like a nesting doll. Somehow the smallest piece, packed in bubble wrap in the middle of all the other pieces was—you guessed it—broken. Two other pieces were broken as well. I finally gave up and decided to try again the following year. (When I was, thankfully, successful in getting him an olive wood set).

Where Is Jesus When Hearts Are Broken?

Sometimes life feels like that shattered porcelain nativity. Everything is in pieces and we can’t even find Jesus. We hear He loves us and that His coming at Christmas makes all things new, but where is He?

I know at least a dozen people who are facing this Christmas without someone they love for the first time. Advent, the season of waiting for the coming Messiah, feels impossible because no matter how long they wait their loved one isn’t coming back. Hearts are broken and defy mending. Grief overwhelms the promise of joy.

This Christmas my heart is broken at the loss of my niece in January, the loss of my sweet dog in August, and the loss of a dear aunt just this month.

At my house, Jesus is everywhere you look because of all the nativity sets. But that doesn’t mean grief isn’t still present.

Martha and Mary Wondered Where Jesus Was

I think Martha and Mary must have wondered where Jesus was when their brother Lazarus died. Although they were present when it happened, Jesus was not. They sent for him, but “when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,” John tells us. (John 11:6 NIV).

I can hear Martha and Mary’s doubtful thoughts as if they were my own. Did we pick the wrong messenger? If we’d sent someone sooner, or gone ourselves to implore the Teacher to come, would he have arrived in time to save our brother? They probably regretted they could do nothing on their own to heal the brother they loved.

When Jesus finally showed up, Lazarus had been dead four days. Even if he hadn’t waited two extra days, he would have been late. It’s Martha who greets him and says to Jesus the equivalent of, “Where were you?” She thought that if He had come sooner, her brother would still be alive.

Unlike Martha, Jesus had a view of the bigger picture. He knew He would raise Lazarus from the dead. But more than that, He knew this situation would bring God glory and would cause many to believe in the power of the resurrection.

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:23–26 NIV.

Jesus Is Weeping

As we face the death of a loved one, Jesus asks the same question. He didn’t raise Lazarus for Martha and Mary’s sake. Jesus didn’t raise Lazarus so that he could enjoy more of this life. He brought him back to life to show a hurting world the power of resurrection that comes only from believing in Him.

When Mary comes out to greet Jesus, she repeats Martha’s refrain, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:32 NIV).

Mary’s grief moves Jesus when he sees her weeping. John records Jesus’ response in the shortest verse in the Bible. “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35 NIV).

Jesus wept because of His compassion for the Jews who mourned over the death of Lazarus. He weeps even now because of His compassion for all those in the world who have been separated from His Father’s love. If we follow those tears to the cross, we will find “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6) who will help us to overcome the struggles and pain of this world.

Jesus Is With Us All

Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it, but Jesus promised He would always be with us. Before He went to the cross Jesus said to His disciples, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV).

He knew this world would bring suffering and loss, grief and anxiety. Without faith in Jesus, the troubles we face can be impossible to bear. But when we know He has not left us and that in Him is the hope of the resurrection, we can endure even the most difficult trials. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV).

When it feels like Jesus has abandoned you, remember that feelings can be fickle. Trust in His promises and His presence. Let Him weep with you when the tears won’t stop.

Closing Prayer for Faith

Heavenly Father, I pray for each person reading this article, that they would trust in the presence of Your Son Jesus. For those whose Christmas is in shambles, draw near and weep with them so that their troubles will not crush them. Open their eyes to see Jesus with them and to find some small bit of joy in this Christmas season. In Jesus’s name, amen.