A truly happy time; Jesus in a manger!
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. (Luke 2:12)
Should we feel sorry for Jesus for
being born in a stable? A baby lives in a very, very small world indeed. It
consists of the senses and sensations of its own body. So the question should
perhaps be divided into five sub-questions:
- Was Jesus cold or freezing?
- Was his make-shift bed
uncomfortable?
- Were the sounds in the stable
frightening?
- Was the smell unbearable?
- Was Jesus in physical pain?
- Were Jesus' visual
impressions hard to bear?
- Was Jesus cold or freezing? Jesus was not born
in December, when we celebrate his birth, but rather in April, so instead
of cold winter nights, Joseph and Mary only had to find sufficient warmth
for the newborn babe during, probably, fairly comfortable spring night.
Babies have a layer of brown fat, which protects them from cold and
freezing a lot better than the white fat of adults, so if anyone were
freezing, it would have been Joseph and Mary. And if there would be a
chilly morning, you can be quite sure that a woman who had found favor
with God would hold the little Jesus close to her body to give of her body
warmth.
- Was his make-shift bed uncomfortable? A newborn child
would not know the difference between straw made soft and a down mattress,
as long as there was a layer of fabric to protect its delicate skin from
the straw-endings and bends. Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and
surely, Mary would not let her God rest his head directly on the straw
bed. His bed was excellent!
- Were the sounds of the stable frightening? Let's hope Joseph
kept the donkey out of the stable, for the sound of a donkey can wake the
dead! Let's suppose that Joseph could arrange that only cats, dogs, sheep,
goats and chicken were in the stable, then it would have been absolutely
ideal for a baby to sleep, with some shuffling, scratching, baaing, and clucking.
- Was the smell unbearable? Ask Joseph and he
would have said "No". Ask Mary and she would have said
"Yes". Ask Jesus and he probably wouldn't know what the
commotion was all about. He would be pleased as long as he could sniff the
fragrance of his dear, soft mother from time to time.
- Was Jesus in physical pain? If he was, it had
nothing to do with the stable or the manger.
- Was Jesus' visual impressions hard to bear? A newborn baby
can only focus about a foot or two. So his visual world would have
consisted of Mary, Joseph, the odd shepherd and relative, whatever object
people in his presence would hold up to him, and his own hands. If a cat
or sheep were to come close enough to be seen, he would only get excited. No
problem here.
Millions
and millions of children have been born in worse conditions than Jesus was, and
have slept in worse beds than a manger. That was not the magic of the night.
That was not the sacrifice of Jesus. The greatness of the stable birth is
something called "the Condescension".
Jehovah had all power in heaven
and on earth. He was, and is, the owner of all things. We merely borrow all the
substance that we call ours. Why is it his? Because he organized it! He created
it! He was given it as his stewardship from The Father, due to his obedience
and perfection. Jehovah even created all men, and gave them commandment to
govern them to live good and righteous lives. And then, it was time for him to
leave the courts on high, to live on earth as a man. It was time for the
condescension.
Jehovah left his royal courts to
be born in a stable. He had the right to be born in the mightiest castles, by
the richest parents, in the most favorable of times etc, but for the purpose of
showing the perfect example, and among a spiteful people teach pure truth, in
order to sacrifice himself in order to save man, Jehovah condescended in all
humility, to be born and known as 'Jesus in a manger'.
But don't feel sorry for Jesus in a manger. That
was the part of his life when everything was absolutely wonderful. He had a
wonderful and loving mother. He had a wonderful and loving step-father. He had
peace of mind. For the first time ever, Jehovah/Jesus was absolutely unaware of the awful things that awaited him in the future. Jesus in a manger was a truly happy child in his stable with his mother and step-father.
