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Why was the King of Kings born in a manger? This Christmas reflection uncovers the divine meaning behind Jesus’ humble birth, the shepherds, and God’s plan of salvation.

It’s strange when you stop to think about it. Jesus, God incarnate, creator of the universe, King of Kings, born in a humble stable and laid in a manger.

Why?

He should have been born in a king’s palace. No fancy crib for Him. Instead, He arrives in a humble place with an animal trough for his bed.

Like with everything in Scripture, when you dig a bit deeper, there is so much more to learn about Jesus.

The Shepherd’s Field

On a visit to Bethlehem, I was thrilled to visit the Shepherd’s Field. This is the traditional place where angels first appeared to shepherds, heralding the birth of the long-awaited Messiah. In the beloved Christmas carol, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, we picture the whole of heaven rejoicing at the announcement of Jesus’ birth.

For most of us, this is probably almost like a fairytale. Did these events really happen? Why did they happen the way they did?

First of all, this is no ordinary field. This field once belonged to King David. He gave it for the place where the lambs for the sacrifice were to be raised. They needed to be without blemish, a spotless lamb as the perfect offering to a holy God.

But there’s more. David inherited this field from his great-grandfather, Boaz. Remember the beautiful story of Ruth? She came from Moab (hang on a minute, she wasn’t Jewish!).  So, Boaz graciously let Ruth gather grain left behind after the harvest. Then, by divine plan, Boaz fell in love with Ruth, they married, and their child was Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of King David. Amazing! The very same field. At the entrance to the field is a monumental fountain dedicated to Ruth and Jesus.

Why Announce to Shepherds?  

Though often misrepresented as poor (and ignorant?) shepherds, these were chosen men, appointed by the Temple leaders, privileged with the sacred task of raising the sacrificial lambs.

At the appointed time, the nominated Rabbi came to the field and, climbing a tower, picked which lamb was to be sacrificed. This perfect lamb could not walk the nine kilometres to the Temple as it might be injured. So, the chosen lamb was ‘wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger.’  Have we heard that somewhere before?

This rightly identifies Jesus as our Passover Lamb. Even as His birth was being announced, the significance of His death was fully anticipated. It was only fitting that the Lamb of God, who would bring salvation to the whole world, was first announced to humble shepherds, eagerly awaiting the Messiah.

Meticulously Ordered Events

Most Christmas cards show the wisemen at the stable with the shepherds, right after Jesus was born. This is highly unlikely for a number of reasons. The wisemen were likely from Babylon, maybe even descendants of Daniel, well-versed in holy scriptures and waiting for the sign of the promised Messiah’s birth. They saw the Star, and the Holy Spirit revealed to them that it was time to visit.

Preparation for the long journey of maybe over 1000 kms would have taken time, and the journey itself, probably 3-4 months. Scripture does not specify three kings; this tradition stems from the three named gifts. It is much more likely to have been wealthy merchants with an entire entourage of family, servants, camels and horses. They had to carry provisions for the long journey and avoid the desert.

They first came to Jerusalem and, being important foreign dignitaries, were welcomed by the King. They then followed the star to the house where Jesus was. By now, Jesus was a toddler, and although the holy family stayed in Bethlehem for the 40 days of Mary’s purification, it is most likely they then returned to Nazareth, Mary’s hometown.

Luke 2:11 tells us:

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary and they bowed down and worshipped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold [for a king], frankincense [for a priest] and myrrh [to anointing Him for burial].”

The wise men were warned by the Holy Spirit not to tell Herod where to find the ‘King of the Jews’. The dishonourable King Herod, who claimed to want to worship the newborn King, felt so threatened by Him that he ordered all boys in Bethlehem and surrounds — under two years old — to be slaughtered.  This is further confirmation that the wise men came quite some time after Jesus’ birth.

How Accessible is Jesus?

If Jesus had been born in a palace, how easily could ordinary people have visited Him? Instead, by divine orchestration, He was born in humble circumstances, so access to Him would be easy, safe and welcoming to everyone, from the humblest to the most royal.

It is often said there is no discrimination at the foot of the cross. There is also no discrimination at the manger. All are welcome. And Jesus says to each of us: ‘Come as you are!’ Jesus’ grace, mercy, forgiveness and kindness extends to all people of all races, ethnic backgrounds and cultures. He spoke in the same loving way to prostitutes and nobles.

This Christmas, we are invited to look beyond the glitzy depiction of Jesus’ birth and see the divine plan as it unfolds for each of us. Jesus, humbly born, lived on earth that we might know why we were born. Destined for worship of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who invites us to visit with Him today and every day.

Throughout Scripture, particularly in St Paul’s epistles, we are told:

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present, not the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ~ Romans 8:38-39

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Image courtesy of Adobe.