“And so it was
that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be
delivered. And she brought forth her
first-born son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.” –Luke 2:6-7 (KJV).
Prophecies made centuries before by Isaiah and Micah were
fulfilled one night in Bethlehem of Judea as a young virgin, Mary of Nazareth,
gave birth to her firstborn son. This
world-shaking event occurred in Bethlehem of Judea. We are so familiar with the story that we may
allow its importance, meaning and impact to escape us.
Let’s consider the birthday of the King. His birthplace was a stable and his first
resting place was a manger—a feeding trough.
Joseph, attentive to the needs of both Mary and the baby, no doubt found
some fresh hay for the manger and even for Mary to rest upon. Fresh hay in the manger: a fragrant bed upon which Mary lovingly laid
her firstborn. She had wrapped Him in
“swaddling clothes”—strips of cloth—that she no doubt had brought on the 70+
mile journey from Nazareth of Galilee to Bethlehem of Judea.
What do the circumstances of his birthplace point out to
us? They bespeak the poverty, humility
and humanity of Jesus. The poverty: “no crib for a bed”—we sing the words from
the carol “Away in a Manger.” Of lowly
parents and lowly beginnings, His birth identified Him with the lowliest of
humanity. He told his disciples later in
His ministry: “The Son of Man has no
place to lay his head.” On the night of
His birth, he was born where a lowly servant might have been born. In Philippians 2:6-7, Paul wrote about His
humility: “Who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God
a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of men.” And,
considering the humanity of the Babe: He
could cry, He felt heat and cold, He was subject in His body to all the
feelings, emotions and needs of any human.
But at the same time he was (and is) God. Later, the writer of Hebrews stated: “He was
tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin.” Jesus was wholly human, wholly divine,
born in a manger, born the King of glory!
Jeremiah the prophet wrote:
“I will raise up…a King who will
reign wisely” (Jeremiah 23:5 ) That
night long ago in Bethlehem, our King was born, the one who has a right
ordained by God to rule in the hearts of those whom He calls to follow
Him. Songwriter William Harold
Neidlinger wrote both lyrics and music for “The Birthday of a King.” His words express the awe and wonder of a
birth like none other:
“In the little village of Bethlehem, There lay a child one
day,
And the sky was bright with a holy light O’er the place
where Jesus lay.
Aleluia! O how the
angels sang! Aleluia, how it rang!
And the sky was bright with a holy light,
‘Twas the birthday of a King.
As we celebrate the King’s birthday, let us allow the depth
of truth of the blessed event draw us ever closer to Him. May we like the shepherds kneel and adore
Him, and rise and go out to serve Him in true allegiance, crowning Him in our
lives the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
–Ethelene
Dyer Jones 12.22.2013
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