“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger’.”
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’ So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.”
The Shepherds ran to Bethlehem to behold the newborn King; but what did they see when they arrived? They saw the baby Jesus lying in a manger, because there was no room at the inn (2:7). A manger was “the feeding-trough for animals in a stall or stable . . . In Palestine the stable or stall was attached to the owner’s house and was furnished with a manger. The stables at Megiddo [for example] . . . had hollowed-out limestone blocks for feed boxes. [One] Christian tradition holds that Jesus was born in a cave in the neighborhood of Bethlehem. In that case the manger may have been cut out of the rock walls.”
The shepherds were told ahead of time that Jesus would be found lying in a manger; nevertheless words could not prepare them for what they beheld. Can you imagine what must have run through their minds when they arrived at a dusty stable, or even a dark and muddy cave? They ran with haste in search of a King, and they found Him lying in a feeding trough. They could have turned right around and went the other way, but there was something special and majestic about this display. At that very moment, the shepherds did not see with their eyes, but with their hearts.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:28-29, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” Even the fine clothing and luxurious house of Solomon could not compare to the glory displayed in the simplicity of the swaddling cloth and drafty stable that sheltered God’s one and only Son.
Many years ago, the contemporary Christian group 4-Him sang in a popular Christmas song, “To think of how it could have been if Jesus had come as He deserved. There would have been no Bethlehem; no lowly shepherds at His birth . . . This is such a strange way to save the world.” To some individuals, it appears so strange that they fail to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Some people will say, “I can’t believe that a baby born in a feeding trough was God’s Son and the King of Kings.” The reason why this story seems so unbelievable is not that someone made it up, but that God wanted the account to be unbelievable. 1 Corinthians 3:18-19 says, “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their own craftiness’.”
Don’t pride yourself in your own understanding. Don’t let the foolishness of a King born in a manger keep you from entering into eternal life and salvation. If you refuse to accept Jesus Christ or believe in the virgin birth then you will indeed be snared by your own wisdom; which is a deadly trap leading to condemnation and eternal separation from God. I encourage you this Christmas season to believe the unbelievable.