Last week as we actually went back and looked at the Word of God we found out that the Bible does not specifically mention an innkeeper and that an inn was simply a “guest chamber” or an “upper room.” This evening, as we go back to the Word of God, we do not read anything concerning the shelter, building, structure or facility in which Jesus was born, simply that His first bed was a manger. So, what about the shelter, building, structure or facility? The only indication of what type of place it was in which Jesus was born is the fact that His first bed was a manger which was a feeding trough for animals, implying that the place was some type of animal shelter.
So, where were the animals kept? Where they kept in a barn? Where they kept in a cave? From my reading of archeological studies and from looking at the land around Bethlehem, the best conclusion is that the place where Jesus was born was probably a cave. The terrain of the area would suggest a shelter in a cave of sorts. More than likely it was a natural cave, although some might have been dug out.
So, Jesus, likely was born in a cave which was a place to shelter animals. Our next question might be, what animals were sheltered? Perhaps there were cows, maybe camels, certainly if there were any sheep that were not out in the fields they would be in the shelter, but remember the shepherds were out in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night, implying that they were out in the fields. Maybe there were chickens, but certainly, being a good Jewish neighborhood, there were no unclean animals, no pigs. Maybe a donkey or a mule, any animal which we might see on a farm today.
Another question we might ask concerning Jesus place of birth is, what was this manger in which He was laid, which was His first bed? As I mentioned, a manger was a feeding trough, the place where the hay or other food was placed for the animals to eat. The most sure thing we can say about the manger is that it was big enough to hold the baby Jesus.
As we said last week, by the time Mary and Joseph got to town and began seeking a place to stay, all the houses, all the inns, all the “guest chambers” and “upper rooms” were filled. One suggestion that we talked about last week was that since the “upper room” or “guest chamber” was filled that Mary and Joseph may have stayed with the family in the lower level of the house where the animals would have been kept with the family for the night, which is a good suggestion, but I do not think this suggestion answers the question as to why a manger would be kept in the house. We do know that many animals did stay in the house with the family at night, but would that fact necessitate the need for a feeding trough? Certainly a manger would be kept in the barn or cave where the animals ate during the day. Yet, as was mentioned by Luke in our reading for last week, because the house was full, because there was no room in the “upper room” or “guest chamber,” one person, one relative, remembered that they did have room in the stable, in the cave behind the house. Not much more is said concerning their accommodations except that the baby was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, a feeding trough for the animals and from our text for this evening that the shepherds were directed to find the baby Jesus “wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
Again, as we stated last week, certainly we might imagine that the barn was not the most conducive places for the birth of a child. It was not the Hilton, or the Marriot, and there were no bellboys nor room service. There was no in the room bar or even refrigerator and no ice machine down the hall. The aroma was that of a barn, a shelter for animals, perhaps the smell of animal excrement, but perhaps the sweet smell of fresh hay and of course the sweet smell of a newborn child. But, it was a place of shelter. It was covered, quiet and really, probably not too much different that the homes that were built of mud brick and had dirt floors.
Jesus birth in such a lowly place reminds us that Jesus came, not to be served, but to serve. Jesus came, not to be crowned King, although He was King of Kings. Jesus came, humble, born in a stable, a cave, a barn. Our human nature might attempt to lessen the humility of Jesus birth, because in so doing we lessen our feelings of guilt, because it was for us and our sins that Jesus was born in such a place and at such a time. Yet, as Jesus Himself reminds us, in speaking to one of the Pharisees, to the one who has been forgiven little, he loves little, but to the one who has been forgiven much, he loves much. In other words, we can only understand the depths of God’s loves when we understand the depth of our sin, the magnitude of our part in putting Jesus on the cross and the depth of God’s love to be born in such a way, for us. Later, at the end of His ministry and as He was entering Jerusalem for the last time, Jesus rode, triumphant into Jerusalem and yet in His triumph He still rode humble and on a donkey.
The sign the angels gave to the shepherds of the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger was indeed the sign of Jesus. It was the sign of Jesus humbling Himself, giving up the glory of heaven, which was His as God, but He freely gave up the glory of heaven in order to take on human flesh and blood, to take on Himself, His perfect self, our sins, to suffer and die to pay the price for us in our place. The sign of the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger was indeed a sign to the shepherds who were out in the field keeping watch over their flocks by night, the shepherds to whom the angel announced the sign of this child, the Christ child, the Messiah, the one who was born to be the Savior of the world, of all people of all places of all times, yes, your Savior and mine.
As we continue getting ready for our Christmas celebration again this year, we might continue taking the time to review the events of Holy Scripture. Perhaps what we may find, rather, what we will find is that all the events of Holy Scripture have been worked out according to God’s perfect plan and timing, according to God’s perfect, good and gracious will. God is the prime mover. God started it all. God works out the best through any and all circumstances. God gives and does. We are given to and done to. God gives us faith, forgiveness and life. God even stirs in us to live lives of faith in response to His giving and to His glory. To Him be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
So, where were the animals kept? Where they kept in a barn? Where they kept in a cave? From my reading of archeological studies and from looking at the land around Bethlehem, the best conclusion is that the place where Jesus was born was probably a cave. The terrain of the area would suggest a shelter in a cave of sorts. More than likely it was a natural cave, although some might have been dug out.
So, Jesus, likely was born in a cave which was a place to shelter animals. Our next question might be, what animals were sheltered? Perhaps there were cows, maybe camels, certainly if there were any sheep that were not out in the fields they would be in the shelter, but remember the shepherds were out in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night, implying that they were out in the fields. Maybe there were chickens, but certainly, being a good Jewish neighborhood, there were no unclean animals, no pigs. Maybe a donkey or a mule, any animal which we might see on a farm today.
Another question we might ask concerning Jesus place of birth is, what was this manger in which He was laid, which was His first bed? As I mentioned, a manger was a feeding trough, the place where the hay or other food was placed for the animals to eat. The most sure thing we can say about the manger is that it was big enough to hold the baby Jesus.
As we said last week, by the time Mary and Joseph got to town and began seeking a place to stay, all the houses, all the inns, all the “guest chambers” and “upper rooms” were filled. One suggestion that we talked about last week was that since the “upper room” or “guest chamber” was filled that Mary and Joseph may have stayed with the family in the lower level of the house where the animals would have been kept with the family for the night, which is a good suggestion, but I do not think this suggestion answers the question as to why a manger would be kept in the house. We do know that many animals did stay in the house with the family at night, but would that fact necessitate the need for a feeding trough? Certainly a manger would be kept in the barn or cave where the animals ate during the day. Yet, as was mentioned by Luke in our reading for last week, because the house was full, because there was no room in the “upper room” or “guest chamber,” one person, one relative, remembered that they did have room in the stable, in the cave behind the house. Not much more is said concerning their accommodations except that the baby was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, a feeding trough for the animals and from our text for this evening that the shepherds were directed to find the baby Jesus “wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
Again, as we stated last week, certainly we might imagine that the barn was not the most conducive places for the birth of a child. It was not the Hilton, or the Marriot, and there were no bellboys nor room service. There was no in the room bar or even refrigerator and no ice machine down the hall. The aroma was that of a barn, a shelter for animals, perhaps the smell of animal excrement, but perhaps the sweet smell of fresh hay and of course the sweet smell of a newborn child. But, it was a place of shelter. It was covered, quiet and really, probably not too much different that the homes that were built of mud brick and had dirt floors.
Jesus birth in such a lowly place reminds us that Jesus came, not to be served, but to serve. Jesus came, not to be crowned King, although He was King of Kings. Jesus came, humble, born in a stable, a cave, a barn. Our human nature might attempt to lessen the humility of Jesus birth, because in so doing we lessen our feelings of guilt, because it was for us and our sins that Jesus was born in such a place and at such a time. Yet, as Jesus Himself reminds us, in speaking to one of the Pharisees, to the one who has been forgiven little, he loves little, but to the one who has been forgiven much, he loves much. In other words, we can only understand the depths of God’s loves when we understand the depth of our sin, the magnitude of our part in putting Jesus on the cross and the depth of God’s love to be born in such a way, for us. Later, at the end of His ministry and as He was entering Jerusalem for the last time, Jesus rode, triumphant into Jerusalem and yet in His triumph He still rode humble and on a donkey.
The sign the angels gave to the shepherds of the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger was indeed the sign of Jesus. It was the sign of Jesus humbling Himself, giving up the glory of heaven, which was His as God, but He freely gave up the glory of heaven in order to take on human flesh and blood, to take on Himself, His perfect self, our sins, to suffer and die to pay the price for us in our place. The sign of the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger was indeed a sign to the shepherds who were out in the field keeping watch over their flocks by night, the shepherds to whom the angel announced the sign of this child, the Christ child, the Messiah, the one who was born to be the Savior of the world, of all people of all places of all times, yes, your Savior and mine.
As we continue getting ready for our Christmas celebration again this year, we might continue taking the time to review the events of Holy Scripture. Perhaps what we may find, rather, what we will find is that all the events of Holy Scripture have been worked out according to God’s perfect plan and timing, according to God’s perfect, good and gracious will. God is the prime mover. God started it all. God works out the best through any and all circumstances. God gives and does. We are given to and done to. God gives us faith, forgiveness and life. God even stirs in us to live lives of faith in response to His giving and to His glory. To Him be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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