THE MANGER
I am sure you would have witnessed a nativity scene at Christmas time. Usually, Joseph and Mary are seated behind the baby Jesus, who is sleeping on straw in a makeshift wooden crib, commonly called a manger. This is the next symbol of faith in our current series, which previously considered the cross and the shofar.
The term, manger, translates the Greek word, phatne, used only by Luke in the New Testament (Luke 2:7, 12, 16; 13:15), which referred to a feeding trough or bin. Manger comes from the Latin word for chew or eat, which expresses the action of animals being fed from this object, and fittingly labels this common item in biblical times.
Jesus’ crib is an adaptation of this food trough, which in biblical times, was usually carved from stone or may be constructed of wood. Most houses had an adjoining room for animals, either alongside or below the living quarters. Sometimes, animals were sheltered in a nearby cave and their feeding trough would be carved out of the cave wall.
The early church believed that Jesus was born in a cave and hence the construction of a church over the grotto in Bethlehem by Constantine in 330 AD. Today, it is the Church of the Nativity regularly visited by pilgrims and tourists to Israel, including participants in our FOI-A / NZ tours to Israel.
Luke records the birth of Jesus with reference to Him being “laid in a manger” by His mother, Mary (Luke 2:7 ESV). He also records the message of the angel to the shepherds, which refers to the manger as a specific sign identifying this unique child (Luke 2:12). Then, the narrative describes the shepherds finding “the baby lying in a manger” (Luke 2:16). Three times, Luke draws attention to this unusual circumstance of a baby in a manger.
The inclusion of “swaddling cloths” along with “lying in a manger” is not part of the sign, because babies were commonly wrapped in this manner at this time. The manger is the sign that “a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” has been born in the city of David (Luke 2:11), which is staggering to consider. Signs have significance and especially so when associated with divine action and in this case a divine person, God incarnate.
It was no accident that Jesus was born in these circumstances. The location of His birth was prophesised to occur in Bethlehem some 700 years before (Micah 5:2). An imperial census prompted Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem despite Mary’s advanced pregnancy (Luke 2:1-5). Further, the more specific lodging for Mary and Joseph was “because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7), which then required making use of a manger. The manger was not a random chance provision for the baby Jesus, rather it was an intentional one.
The sign of a manger as identifying the birth of a king must have perplexed the shepherds, who would be very familiar with this vessel for feeding animals. As if to allay such confusion, an additional multitude of angels join the angel of the Lord praising God. They declare, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased” (Luke 2:14). This newborn son brings glory to God and peace to humanity, such is the significance of his arrival.
One could not imagine a more humble context for the birth of a king and in this case, the King of kings. The manger proclaims the humility of our Saviour and the choice of the shepherds as the recipients of divine revelation reinforces this amazing quality. None of the religious elite or aristocratic nobility heard the angel’s message, only common shepherds, and yet how appropriate that they would be the first witnesses. Without realising it, they came to affirm one of their own, yet far greater, in that Jesus is further described as “the good shepherd” (John 10:11), “the great shepherd” (Hebrews 13:20) and “the chief shepherd” (1 Peter 5:4).
As shepherds, they cared for sheep and some scholars believe these sheep were prepared for the sacrificial system of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. If so, their visit has even more significance, considering that the baby Jesus would be introduced by John the Baptist as “the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). These shepherds visited the future sacrificial lamb, who would make good every lamb sacrificed in faith by the nation of Israel. Shedding animal blood cannot take away sin (Hebrews 10:4), only Jesus’ atoning sacrifice can do so and did so (Hebrews 9:26 cf. 10:12).
Later, “wise men from the east” would visit Jesus, but not as a baby and not because of an angelic visitation (Matthew 2:1-12). A star would guide them to a house, not a stable, and present their gifts to a “child with Mary his mother” (Matthew 2:11). No longer in a manger, Jesus, as a very young boy, is staying in a regular home, which is still not a palace, but is a step up from his birth. These additional wealthy visitors recognise the royal nature of this child with gifts fitting to his identity, which only reinforces the humility of his arrival on earth.
When the shepherds completed their visit, having communicated the angel’s message concerning the child (Luke 2:17), they glorify and praise God “for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them” (Luke 2:20). As surprising as the sign of a manger was, it proved effective in identifying the baby Jesus and provided those present with something to ponder, including his mother, Mary (Luke 2:18-19).
Likewise, we should ponder this remarkable sign, and even more, the remarkable gift of this child to whom it pointed. The God of creation, glorious beyond measure and infinite in power, becomes a fragile baby resting in a food trough so that he can be our Saviour. Perhaps, Paul best sums this up as he writes to the Philippians,
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 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 being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (2:5-8)
We should respond as the shepherds did, with glory and praise to God from humble hearts for such an amazing provision, and like them, make this known for all to ponder.
