I have heard it said that there was no way Jesus could have been born in a manager. I believe in the entire bible and thinking that the bible had it wrong is beyond dangerous. When everyone was gathering for the census it must have been so crowded in town that there wasn't any room left. That isn't even the point, this amazing miracle of Jesus' birth in the simplest of places is often overshadowed by the uncertainty of the location. When you read the story, picture it as written and you will see the significance in the words written so long ago. Jesus was not brought into this world in a palace as most people probably thought he would have been. He was brought in to be a servant of God and how appropriate that He came in to the world in an unlikely place.
Luke 2:8-14 "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'"
Shepherds were near the bottom of the choice jobs. Angels came to shepherds in a field, not the religious leaders of the day. They brought them news for ALL people, not just the Jewish people. They also brought the news to the least likely in that time period. How appropriate that God uses the least likely for His work so that we should not boast in our own talents, that we give God the glory for the work He is doing through us.
Matthew 2:1-2 "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."
Magi are considered to be wise men, a very fitting description since they saw a star and followed it out of the east. How did these men know to follow a star? They saw and followed. If we choose it can be that easy for us, we see and follow Him. These men were wealthy and had to have a position of power due to the gifts they brought. They brought gold, frankincense and myrrh, all highly valuable during that time.
I hope:
- we will be like Mary, caring for the helpless in abounding love
- we will be like Joseph, looking beyond the circumstances
- we will be like the shepherds in the field, lowly yet mighty in the Kingdom
- we will be like the wise men who came from afar to bring a precious gift to someone they did not know, for they knew to follow a star that let them to the King
Good job. It's always important to remember that Christ came into this world humbly, lived humbly, served humbly & sacrificed Himself in the same manner. I firmly believe some doubt the lowly birth place of Christ, not because of a lack of faith, but because they lack humility themselves.
ReplyDeleteThank you E.S., humility is such a difficult thing to keep in check. Pride is very sneaky, but that is why we are to renew daily so that it will not have time to establish roots.
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