GARY VARVEL

Varvel: Christmas inspires dual images of Jesus

Gary Varvel
IndyStar
Follow Gary Varvel on Twitter @varvel and like him on Facebook.

“Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king.” Matthew 2:1

Over the years, I've drawn many cartoons for Christmas Day. This is the first time I’ve written about my inspiration. 

My favorite Christmas cartoons are the ones that use a dual-image technique. It involves an optical illusion created by two images in one drawing. This technique is a perfect way to tell the Christmas story. 

First some background. 

The Bible says Jesus was born during the days of Herod the Great. Caesar had appointed Herod as king, ruling over the Jewish people. But Herod was not Jewish. 

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Herod was a brutal dictator who murdered several of his wives and two of his sons, plus anyone else he saw as a threat to his throne. He also was a great builder. He renovated the Temple in Jerusalem, built the city of Caesarea, horse tracks, amphitheaters and palaces for himself. One of his palaces, called the Herodian, stood on top of a tall hill near Bethlehem. 

The Bible says that Caesar Augustus ordered a census, requiring people to register in the town of their birth. Joseph and Mary made the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, a small town of a couple hundred people. When they arrived, they could have seen the Herodian in the distance. But their baby was not born in the king's palace.

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On the night Jesus was born, angels appeared to shepherds in the field and said, “Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

The Bible is full of examples of God doing the opposite of what we would imagine. In this case, it was a newborn king lying in a feeding trough in a cave wrapped in the same cloths used to wrap sacrificial lambs.

Three decades later, this symbolism would be used by John the Baptist when he saw Jesus coming toward him and he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

The cornerstone of the Christian faith is that God came to earth as the baby Jesus. He was the sacrificial lamb sent from God, to redeem the world of sin by dying on a cross, rising from the dead and offering salvation to those who believe. That is the gift of Christmas. And that is why I have tried to depict the beginning and end of Jesus' ministry on earth, in my dual-image Christmas cartoons.

Today, Herodian, the symbol of Herod’s earthly kingdom, is in ruins. 

By contrast, not far from the Herodian 2,000 years ago, a king was born in a dark, smelly cave. His kingdom is eternal and lives on in the hearts of his followers to this day. 

As families gather on Christmas morning opening gifts that will eventually wear out, Christians, worldwide, will give thanks for the gift of God, delivered on that first Christmas Day.

Contact Varvel at gary.varvel@indystar.com.  Friend him on Facebook at Gary Varvel and follow him on Twitter: @varvel.