Christmas, Pt. 5: "Away in a Manger"

AWAY IN A MANGER (LUKE 2:1-21)
The second last day of our 2003 summer vacation in Canada was a disaster. Our plan was to visit Doris’ alma mater in Kingston and then head to Montreal and Quebec, but we had no hotel reservations beyond Toronto. My wife had said, “Let’s not plan. Let’s make it an adventure. Worse come to worst, we can stay at my best friend’s house in Toronto.” And what an adventure it was.

After staying in Toronto for a few days, we headed to Kingston where we bedded at Comfort Inn for $45. After Kingston, we headed to Montreal where we stayed in a local motel for $65. Everything was perfect up till then. The next day in the Quebec island we refused a motel for $120 but even that was gone when we returned after a futile search elsewhere; so we stay the night in a mainland motel for $120.

Our plan was to stop by at the same motel in Kingston on the return trip to Toronto, but the motel was full. So we decided to take the hour and a half drive to Toronto and find motels near Toronto, so that we can leave for the airport the next day. To our disappointment, the motels before and after reaching Toronto were occupied because of a convention in town that Thursday. When we were turned down even for suites, we realized that we have to call her best friend to end the saga. We were tired, hungry, and frustrated. That night I said to Doris, “Now I know how Joseph and Mary must have felt.”

The next day (8/16) the Toronto and East Coast blackout occurred and we had to lengthen our stay to another two more nights at the friend’s place.

Jesus’ birth was not a series of unfortunate events, but a series of unforeseen events. Jesus came on his own terms, in the right fashion, with a timeless message. The Jewish nation expected the arrival of a Conquering King, but He came as a Suffering Servant. People expected Him to testify of himself, but angels and shepherds testified to Him. Israel expected freedom from Rome, but not forgiveness of sins. They wanted prosperity, and not peace and pardon.

What kind of a Savior was He? What kind of gift did He offer? Who are the beneficiaries?

Jesus is Meek and Lowly
2:1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:1-7)

My wife has a Sunday school version of the first Christmas. She imagined the horses, the cows, the pigs, the sheep, the dogs, the cats, and the chickens all bending their limbs, belting a number and bowing in worship. The real version, however, was not as pleasant, peaceful or picturesque. Spiders, mice, lizards, flies, and other creepy crawlies were the real part and parcel of the barn experience.

The real story of Christmas is captured in the first two verses of the Christmas hymn “Away in a Manger”:
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky,
And stay by my side until morning is nigh.

Jesus was born of royalty, but he was born meek and lowly. Meekness is not weakness in response or failure to respond, but strength under control. A friend quipped that meekness means you are a tough person so you can afford to look soft (M Wu). Jesus was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth and he did not come from money. True, he was a descendant of King David, but he was born in a stable, and not a palace or a castle. His delivery was not in a hospital, but a barn. The parents needed to do a lot of work before the baby was born. Joseph and Mary had to sweep the floor, wipe the dust and clean the place. They had to do with what they had, including enduring the noise and smell of animals and coping without the benefit of a kitchen or a bathroom. Even our present-day garages are cleaner than the horse stable, pig-sty or chicken coop that was Jesus’ shelter. No disinfectant or deodorant could sanitize or freshen the place enough.

Doctors and midwives were not there to receive him. Lowly shepherds, and not dignitaries, guards, servants or maids greeted him. The unattractive barn, and not the local inn or clinic, was his delivery room and living quarters. His clothes were not tailor- or custom-made, but homemade.

Tradition has it that Jesus was placed in a trough after he was born, but three times the Bible stated that he was born in a stable or a manger (vv 7, 12, 16), with no mention of a trough for a crib. The only other occurrence of the Greek word “manger” was when Jesus scolded the synagogue ruler and others like him: “You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the ‘stall’ and lead it out to give it water?” (Luke 13:15) The trough makes for good object lessons and pop-up books but the truth is that lowly Jesus was born in a dirty and dusty shack. Matthew Henry said that a manger is a place for cattle to stand when being fed or during feeding time. I suggest that they could not even find an empty trough for him. His bed was solid ground or hard floor; rug, feathers or board was a luxury not afforded him. Mattresses, spring box and headrest were unheard of. Jesus said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). The only thing he had was straw, hay and blanket. His parents were unlikely to have a cradle, crib or cot prepared for him.

When Jesus was born, he was wrapped in swaddling clothes (v 7), and not in linen, silk or wool. His parents did not shop at the town version of Bed, Bath and Beyond, Linen and Things, or St. Michael’s. No fine fabric, fancy artwork or fashion design adorned his clothes. Leon Morris said that swaddling clothes were long strips that would wrap the child round and round. Baby Jesus wore but torn and ragged strips of cloth around the body, including the legs. His parents never made an expensive or exquisite robe for him.

Jesus is Majestic and Lord
9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 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. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. (Luke 2:9-18)

Christmas is the busiest shopping time of the year. The malls are crowded, parking is a nightmare and bargains are plenty. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in the United States, marks the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season. Many retailers open their doors very early that day (typically 5 A.M.) to shoppers camped overnight for the special deals.

Christmas is the biggest stimulus to shopping and spending in the year. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers every shopping mall has 8,758 Santa visits during the busy festive season. The busiest retail shopping day of the year in the United States (in terms of both sales and customer traffic) is usually the Saturday before Christmas. A florist claims that Christmas sales account for about 25 percent of annual sales. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4182/is_20061219/ai_n17073784

The first Christmas was just as busy. Caesar Augustus had ordered a census, sent everyone packing and made life miserable. Rich or poor, strong or weak, men and women had to return to their hometown to register. Included in the throng was Mary, who was with child. However, the birth of Jesus turned the first Christmas from a gloomy Christmas into a glorious one. He had an invited audience at his birthday party, but His audience was not royalty, diplomats or socialites, but angels, shepherds and the heavenly host (v 13), and what a breath-taking, spine-tingling and eyebrow-raising performance it was.

When the angel appeared before the shepherd (v 9), the glory of the lord “shone around” them. The single Greek word for “shone around” is perilampo, which means to illuminate all around or to shine round about. The Greek word peri is the root word for the English word perimeter, and lampo gives rise to the word lamp. The only other Scriptural record of this word is from Acts 26:13, where Paul testified how he was converted when he saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, “blazing around” him and his companions. Can you imagine the goosebumps, the chills and the pause the angel gave the shepherds? The exact Greek rendition was “they feared (a) great fear.” They were not only terrified; they were very scared. Their hearts were thumping, their hands were cold and their hairs were standing.

If that wasn’t enough, the heavenly host joined in chorus. The Greek record was “a multitude of heavenly host.” The angel was not just joined by a few good angels or a chorus of angels, but a swarm of armies. The word “host” already meant an “army” in Greek. So, “a multitude of heavenly host” is more than just an army, but a multitude or countless armies of celestial beings in dazzling array singing their stirring choruses in the night skies. The only other time the Greek word for “host” occurs describes the heavenly bodies in the skies that are uncountable (Acts 7:42). The birth of Jesus, without doubt, was the hottest ticket, the biggest blockbuster and the grandest premier the world has ever known.

Jesus is Merciful and Love
19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. 21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived. (Luke 2:19-21)

Peppermint Patty sat under a tree, with her crossed hands on her tummy, sorting out her unrequited feelings from the indifferent and naïve Charlie Brown: “Chuck just doesn't seem to understand a girl’s emotions. In fact, Chuck doesn’t seem to understand girls at all. Chuck is hard to talk to because he doesn’t understand life. He doesn’t understand laughing and crying.”

Then Peppermint Patty continued to mutter to herself as she walked away: “He doesn't understand love and silly talk and touching hands, and things like that. He plays a lot of baseball, but I doubt if he understands baseball.” Before too long, her walking had lead her to Charlie Brown’s house, where she promptly knocked at the door.

When Charlie Brown answered the door, Peppermint Patty barked at him: “I don’t think you understand anything, Chuck.” Getting that off her chest, she turned around and walked away before Charlie Brown had a chance to say anything. As Charlie Brown stood outside his front door by himself, he said, "I don’t even understand what it is I don’t understand.”

Mary treasured up all the things the shepherds said about the child and pondered them in her heart (v 19). The shepherds’ Jesus is Joshua or “salvation” in Hebrew, but He did not come to save His people from Caesar Augustus, the Roman world or the Greek civilization. He has come to save people from their sins (Matt 1:21).

The Bible says that we were dead in sins (Eph 2:1, 5, Col 2:13), darkened in reason (Eph 4:18) and doomed for destruction (1 Tim 6:9), but Jesus came to land a fatal blow to sin. What He had done to sin for our sake in theological terms included forgiving (Mt 9:2), bearing (Jn 1:29, Heb 9:28), erasing (Acts 3:19), purging (Heb 1:3) and canceling (Heb 9:26) the sins of men. He died for our sins (1 Cor 15:3), freed us from sins (Rom 6:22) and remembers them no more (Heb 10:17). Three times the Bible says that He is the atoning sacrifice (Heb 2:17, 1 John 2:2, 4:10) for our sins.

Unlike world powers and rulers, the power in His hands was not the power to coerce lives, but to change lives. He did not come to sentence people, but to save them. The prosperity He brought was not the prosperity of funds, but the prosperity of forgiveness. He brought peace on earth and goodwill to men (v 14) in the hearts of those who accepted Him.

The angel announced the good news of the birth of a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (v 11). The good news was for all the people (v 10), not just the Jews, but also the Gentiles. Jesus is the Savior; the deliverance or the destruction of the lost sinner is in His hands. He is the Christ; the rise and fall of the Jewish nation is in His hands (Lk 2:34). Jesus is Lord; the fate and destiny of the whole world is in His hands. Life and death are in His hands, justice and judgment are in His hands, redemption and retribution are in His hands.

The Greek phrase “great joy” occurs only four times in the Gospels, but only in Luke and Matthew. Both gospels agreed the presence of great joy were only found on two occasions - at his birth (Luke 2:10, Matt 2:10) and at His resurrection (Luke 24:52, Matt 28:8). One was his incarnation for our sins and the other His death for our sins.

Conclusion: The birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the two constants after the shopping is done, the sales are counted and the season is over. The greatest gift of all is the gift money cannot buy. It is what the Prince of Peace has given to the world: the forgiveness of sins and salvation of sinners. Our responsibility is to receive the free gift and to tell the lost world (vv 18, 20) of the Saviors’ birth, because one day the tiny babe will return as the conquering King.