Luke 2:7 (ESV)
[7] And she gave birth to her
firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger,
because there was no place for them in the inn.
Given their culture, the inn was
likely not a motel or inn as we think. Hospitality was highly valued in their
day and any traveler could be expected to find a room in someone’s home to
stay. Remember when Jesus sent his disciples out two by two. He told them to
stay with whoever welcomed them in. That was common practice in their day. The fact
that Joseph could not find a home with a guest room is likely because of so
many people traveling for the governor’s registration.
It appears that they were given a
stable to stay in because of the lack of a guest room. That is no condemnation
of the homeowner. He apparently did what he could. The baby was swaddled, which
was normal practice. Some have suggested that because Mary was close to
delivery and on a treacherous journey, she would have carried burial cloths
with her in case of a tragedy. That is what she then swaddled Jesus in. Regardless,
swaddling was normal practice. But the fact that Jesus was laid in a manger or
feeding stall is significant.
The word manger is used in only
one other place in the New Testament beside the birth story. Jesus, in Luke 13,
chides the ruler of the synagogue when he is confronted about healing on the
Sabbath. He says, “Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his
donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it?” The manger is the stall
or feeding box for livestock.
Even in his birth Jesus identified
with the lowest of the low. Only the lowest of society would sleep in a barn
stall. Yet there was the Lord of all creation, the promised Messiah humbling
himself to become human in the form of a defenseless baby sleeping in a feeding
stall because no one had room for him. We turn it into a beautiful, restful
scene peaceful animals and soft light, but my guess is that it was a bit harsher
than that. Which causes me to think about my own life.
As a follower of Jesus, have I
bought into the American cultural expectation that if I follow Jesus, life will
be wonderful? Jesus said that we would have tribulation in this life. Peter wrote
that trials and difficulties are what God uses to build us in our faith. I
complain if the heat stops working, if I’m sick for a week, if the store doesn’t
have the particular brand of some product I want. And that’s not even what Jesus
and Peter were talking about. This Christmas maybe I need an attitude
adjustment. If I am to follow Jesus, I need to follow his example. I need to
humble myself and serve others. He lay in a manger. Can I do less?
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