Born in a Stable

And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 

While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:4-7.

Have you ever thought about what that first Christmas was really like? A young couple is entering Bethlehem in traveling clothes on a beautiful, starry night with a donkey in tow. The woman is with child, just about ready to give birth. Her husband is desperately trying to find a place for them to spend the night, but to no avail. A kind innkeeper offers them a place to stay where his animals are kept. At least they will be out of the cold. Later that night, a baby is born, and his mother wraps him in a blanket and uses a feeding trough for his bed.

Many people might think that the place of Jesus’ birth was too lowly and not fitting for the “King of Kings.”  After all, why wasn’t he born in a lavish palace or a luxurious home? But his birth in the stable was a beautiful symbol for us all.

Imagine the fragrant earthly smell of the fresh hay. The calming sound of the donkeys chewing, the cows lowing, and the soft bleats of the sheep. There is warmth emanating from the animals’ furry bodies, and their sweet breath permeates the air. The bright stars pierced through the windows of the darkened stable, with the soft glow of a single lantern illuminating the silhouettes of the kindhearted beasts. This actually seems like a lovely and peaceful world to be born into. The first friends of Jesus were the lowly animals who shared their home with Him that blessed night.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:8-12

When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. Luke 2:15-16

The stable was also a place where the humble shepherds felt most at home. They were not richly dressed or well-groomed. They probably smelled like animals they were tending, and yet they became the first worshipers of the Newborn King. This too is fitting as these simple men, who took care of animals for a living, were the first people God chose to behold the baby Jesus. They later went on to glorify and praise God for all they had heard and seen without question, as their faith was childlike and pure.  

Our lesson is easy to understand yet hard to achieve. If we want to come to see the baby Jesus in all His glory this Christmastime, we must humble ourselves like the animals of the stable and the shepherds watching their flocks by night. For when the Savior of the World comes to us as a helpless infant, we need to meet Him with our own weakness, vulnerability, and humility. Only then will we be worthy of kneeling beside His manger and gazing upon His holy face.