Luke 2:16 Not in a Castle
Then they hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger”(NLT).
The shepherds were told by angels who had just serenaded them that they would find the Savior, and the angels called Him, “Christ the Lord,” which meant to the Jews of that time, the “Anointed One, the Messiah.” They also told the shepherds where they would find Him, in Bethlehem. That’s good as far as it went, but where in Bethlehem? Did they have to search for mangers, and were there many places in Bethlehem where animals were kept? You know, it really doesn’t matter how long they searched. The important thing was that they found Him, and they found Him in an unusual place, in a stable where animals were housed—not in a palace, or even a mansion, or in the finest house in Bethlehem. No, they found Him in a stable with a manger for His bed. There was no finery at the birth of Jesus, just His mother and His earthly father, and some animals with their noise and smells. God went to extremes to show that His Son, the Savior of mankind, was meant to be for all men, even the lowliest—the shepherds. He is, indeed, our Savior, the Savior for every last one of us, even the people we don’t like.
I love the sweet way in which Jesus is portrayed in the Christmas carol, “Away in a Manger.” There is certainly much difficulty, anguish, and controversy to follow Jesus when He began His ministry. But, let’s take the opportunity to picture Him as God sent Him—a baby, one needing extensive care as He grows. No baby is more in need of care than a baby human. Was God giving ordinary people, people just like us, the opportunity and challenge of raising His Son? That appears to be the case, and He didn’t send teams of angels to help with this. He didn’t even send a midwife to assist with the birth. We still have responsibility for Jesus in our own lives. We can make Him the Christ, or we can ignore Him, or we can cast Him off. Yes, Jesus is as helpless in our lives, in our hearts, as the Baby Jesus was in the arms of his mother the moment He was born. Will I accept Him as the Messiah? Will I do whatever I can to encourage His growth in my heart and in my life? Will I help Him grow in me so that others can look at me and say, “I want Jesus?” That’s the responsibility and privilege that we have been given. So let us become good spiritual parents to Jesus “born in us today.”
Away in a Manger
