When we think of the birth place of Christ in Bethlehem, one would never imagine that the saviour of the world, ‘the expected Messiah’ would come in such a manner. He came in a dusty and dirty place that no decent human being would have imagined. He was born amidst the cattle with their distinctive smell.
Oxen, often called bullocks by some, are useful animals for human subsistence. Some cultures in the ancient past literally adored oxen and kept them as religious symbols. Oxen are believed to have been domesticated since around 4,000 BC. An ox is used in many forms as an important tool. It accomplishes major tasks for the farmers in the field, ploughing, pulling wagons, carts, threshing grains, etc.
Every farmer would like to have some oxen. The oxen’s behaviour signifies obedience to the owners, ungrudging acceptance of any kind of arrangement made. They endure the harshest treatment given to them. But they do not make noise or raise alarm unnecessarily. And they are often easy prey for wild animals.
Yet the nature of an ox signifies calmness and sturdiness. Oxen often exist uncared and unattended. They sleep in the streets, in dirty places, and in the open spaces where nobody bothers about them. They endure heavy thunder and storms. And the tasks assigned to them are enormous. They till and plough the toughest portion of the land in the fields. All the odd jobs are done by oxen. They constantly toil in and are attached to the mud, dust, and dirt. They endure the hardest situation such as the scorching sun or the stormy rain. Yet they endure and resist all of such harsh realities.
I, a farmer, toil throughout the year in the field with my oxen. Whether it be incessant rain or scorching heat, I bear it with magnanimity. I, a farmer, am a vulnerable being. The corporate world, in collaboration with the powerful rulers, tries to take advantage over me and my hard earned efforts that are being done throughout the year in the field. I sweat my blood, sacrificed and laboured to fill my stomach and that of my loved ones. However, I am struck mercilessly and manipulated by the greedy and power mongers. I am expected to accept their cruelty, ultimately driving me to commit suicide.
My daughters are raped and killed on the streets. And no one is there to help because the upkeep of the law is in the hands of the high and mighty, who are hand in glove with the cruel ‘culprits.’ I am jobless, hungry and orphaned. But in the midst of my anguish I’ve found Christ anew. I am motivated by the way Jesus Christ had endured, the same Christ who asked me to follow him.
Christ showed me to be strong as an ox, to be calm and obedient whatever circumstance befalls me. Christ shows me to live a selfless life. He was born in the form of human, born with humility in an unusual and in an unexpected place. Where a “normal” human being would hardly stand, in cattle shed, and also would not seek accommodation in such a dirty, dusty, malodorous and unorganized place, let alone think of as a place fit for a birth place.
This Christmas, let me make a resolution following Christ’s example. In a situation where I am being hurt, dejected, stabbed in the back, injured, broken, mistreated, insulted, uncared for, abandoned and forsaken. I am being renewed through Christ. I have learnt the lesson that I should be accommodative, friendly, and unmindful. I have to be tolerant in whichever situation I may be.
Even though I face hardships and am helplessly depressed due to the pandemic, Christ has showed me the way to accept, endure and to revive again. Even in my harshest situation I will endure because Christ taught me so. I wait for my eternal joy and happiness through Christ.
May our saviour Lord Jesus Christ help me to withstand the storms that I face in life. May I be like the ox that is tough, strong and does all the tasks assigned by its owner. For the Bible says, where there are no oxen, there is no grain; abundant crops come by the strength of the ox (Proverbs 14:4).
O God of the oxen, we pray that you enable us to endure the pains along with those who struggle and resist the challenges and overcome them is the best possible way. We pray in the name of the one who was born among the oxen and cattle, Jesus Christ our lord. Amen.
Author: I Lanusenla Ao
About the Author: Lanusenla completed her Doctor of Theology in Christian Communication and the Associate professor at Gossner Theological College, Ranchi, Jharkhand.
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