On the night that Jesus was born, angels announced His birth to shepherds out in the fields, 12 "This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:12)
Now a 'sign' points to something and this is precisely the message the angels wanted the shepherds to have - that the baby can be found snugly tugged and lying (placed) in a manger. How many newborns are placed in mangers? I submit to you that baby Jesus was the only one to have that unique experience and it is for a reason as well.
Mangers in Israel are actually carved out of stone and not what we have been so used to seeing in nativity scenes of a wooden box with crossed legs. No, mangers are actually feeding troughs for domesticated animals - cattle, sheep, goats. Hay is usually placed in the manger and the animals are led there to feed. (see picture on left)
Now the shepherds, once they saw the baby lying in the manger, knew the significance of the scene - that the baby is meant to be fed on. Now I am not saying that the shepherds were to be turned into cannibals and start feeding on the helpless baby lying in the manger - far from it. What the Lord wanted to tell the shepherds was that the baby would grow up and one day would be placed in a tomb embalmed just as they saw the baby that evening.Now we witnessed that prophecy fulfilled on Good Friday when Jesus was crucified and laid in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (see picture on right). Because Jesus was a much taller man than Joseph, they had to cut a niche so as to place his corpse flat.
So, as we celebrate Christmas at this time, remember the purpose why Jesus was born and why He was given to us - as a Gift of Salvation and of Righteousness through faith - as we feed on Him and His finished work at the cross.
