Christmas Is for Misfits
Have you ever felt like a misfit? I sure have. As a kid, I was a bookworm with a 4.0 GPA and some decent athletic ability. One hazy summer afternoon I was riding in my parents’ late ’90s Kia Sportage with my cousins. As we rode I dangled my new pair of swimming goggles in the hot summer breeze. They slipped from my hands and shattered on the asphalt, and my cousins immediately reminded me of how stupid that was. Since I had good grades but no common sense, they decided I was the “dumb genius.” I felt like a misfit that day for sure, but that was certainly not the last “dumb genius” moment in my life.
As I reflect on this misfit feeling, the childhood Christmas classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer comes to mind. Rudolph’s red nose kept him from being accepted by his peers and ultimately landed him on the Island of Misfit Toys. There he met Hermey, the elf who wanted to be a dentist instead of making toys, and several other misfit toys—like a doll without a nose, a “Charlie-in-the-box,” and others.
Nobody likes being a misfit. It can feel uncomfortable and even downright embarrassing. Like this misfit toys, I spent much of my life trying to validate my existence and prove that I wasn’t messed up after all. But I've realized that Scripture—and the Christian walk itself—is full of misfits, and we can learn a great deal about ourselves and about Christ’s goodness by leaning into this unwanted label.
We’re All Misfits
We don’t have to read very far into the Bible to see misfits. After the glorious picture of God’s creative work in Genesis 1–2 we see Adam and Eve, the first misfits, sin against God by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A page later we see their son Cain murder his brother Abel. As human history progresses we see that “there is no one who does good, not even one” (Ps. 14:3). There’s not a single person on the planet who can deny the impact of sin in themselves and the world around them. We’re all misfits.
“There’s not a single person on the planet who can deny the impact of sin in themselves and the world around them. We’re all misfits.”
Of course, I’m not implying we are all socially awkward or out of tune with cultural norms. In fact, most people wouldn’t fit this standard definition of a misfit. However, spiritually we are all misfits. When compared to the Holy God of the universe, we fall miserably short of his glory. Not only do we sin publicly and privately in ways that would bring us much shame and sadness, but sin is in our very nature. Apart from a saving act of God, sin has so shattered the image of God in us that “misfit” is the only fitting label for us all.
If this sounds depressing and morbid, it should. Sin brings death and makes us enemies of God. We’re not just socially inept people who are decently good but live on the fringes of society. Far from it. Here’s a fitting description of spiritual misfits: “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another” (Titus 3:3). Whether we like it or not, the shoe fits and we all wear it.
Jesus, the Misfit?
Even before his birth, Jesus bore all the marks of a social and religious misfit. In a culture dominated by the self-righteous Pharisees and the unorthodox Sadducees, there was no way Jesus could fit the status quo. His mother was a pregnant virgin who bore a son in a manger. After his birth, his parents weren’t wealthy enough to offer a lamb, so they gave two turtledoves or two young pigeons for his dedication. He was raised in the no-name town of Nazareth—can anything good come out of Nazareth (John 1:46)?
Jesus’s forerunner was a strangely-dressed, bug-eating man who rebuked the highly religious crowd and crushed their hope of an ethnic superiority in the Kingdom of God (Matt. 3:1–12). He ran with a motley crew of disciples that included some uneducated fisherman and even a tax collector. To make matters worse (socially, of course), Jesus sat down and actually ate meals with tax collectors and sinners. He stooped down to talk to children and even spent time talking to a Samaritan woman with multiple divorces.
Beyond his physical circumstances, Jesus took controversial stances on key doctrines among the religious elite. His views on God’s coming kingdom repulsed the Pharisees and confused his disciples. He forewarned about the destruction of the temple—the lynchpin of Jewish religious life. He spoke of the resurrection of the dead, which incited the Sadducees against him. If there was a controversial but biblically-sound view to be held, Jesus held it. This certainly made Jesus a misfit in the eyes of his contemporaries.
Christmas Brings Hope to Misfits
“I rejoice that Jesus was a misfit in his day. I am thankful that Jesus would be canceled by people on all parts of the political spectrum. ”
As a fellow misfit, I rejoice that Jesus was a misfit in his day. I am thankful that Jesus would be canceled by people on all parts of the political spectrum. I rejoice that Jesus didn’t trip over the physically and spiritually blind, deaf, lame, and promiscuous people as he climbed the ladder of religious and political grandiosity. The King who would come humble and mounted on a donkey (Zech. 9:9) at the triumphal entry also entered through the womb of a lowly virgin. Our misfit Savior—though actually the standard of true humanity—became low and like us in every way (Heb. 2:17). We needed someone who could truly love us despite our misfit status.
Carrying the weight of being a misfit burdens us more than we could ever realize, but we must never forget that the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared on that new and glorious morning nearly two thousand years ago. Paul reflected on the coming of Christ with three simple but amazing words: “He saved us” (Titus 3:5). If you haven’t yet trusted in Christ, these three words could soon be your autobiography. These three words are why we celebrate Christmas.
Jesus came so you could know such a great salvation. You don’t have anything to add to the equation because salvation is “according to his own mercy.” Embrace being a misfit and lean into the embrace of a suffering servant who was wounded for the transgressions of all who trust in him.
Being in Christ doesn’t exempt us from feeling like misfits. Maybe you tore down your children with your words again. Perhaps your spouse has been chilled by your cold shoulder lately. Perhaps your swollen ego has gotten the best of you as holiday bonuses and end-of-year evaluations arise. Maybe you’re in the dark pit of seasonal depression and can’t find the joy promised to those who believe. Regardless of what makes us feel like misfits today, our Savior arrived on that Christmas morning for misfits like us. Sinclair Ferguson says it powerfully: “Because Christ bears our name and our nature even the weakest believer may look to Christ and find assurance of grace and salvation in him” (Some Pastors and Teachers, 81).
“While we were still misfits, Christ came to love us. ”
Christmas is certainly a time for joy and celebration, but even if we can’t seem to cheer up and get our acts together, we have hope. Christ came for us. He didn’t come when we were great. He didn’t come when we were strong. While we were still misfits, Christ came to love us.
Chrys Jones (@chrys_jones) is a husband and father of four. He is a pastoral resident at Grace Church in Danville, KY, and he writes regularly at dwellwithchrist.com. Chrys is also a Christian Hip-Hop artist and producer for Christcentric.