By Tanja
Have you ever got a text message or seen an update about the birth of a new baby? The new parents are so excited and can’t wait to tell the news of the arrival of their child, and they even send the first photograph of the baby. When Jesus was born, there was a big announcement, too, but this message came from the heavens as an angel appeared to shepherds in the fields. Here’s what the angel said:
Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.
Luke 2:10-12
Not only did the angel make this grand announcement, but a host of angels also joined, and they all sang a praise song about Jesus, this is the words they sang:
Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.
Luke 2:14
The shepherds were the first ones to hear about the exciting news of the birth of Jesus. Have you wondered why? The shepherd symbolizes ordinary people, that Jesus came for all people regardless of their status.[1]To be a shepherd at the time of Jesus’ birth was not a desired career but was easy to do, and someone needed to get the job done.[2] “Life among sheep lent itself to tired feet, long work shifts, and unwanted aromas. Bears and lions roamed the wilderness.”[3] Yet, from the humdrum fields of Bethlehem, the shepherds heard the most significant news that would ever be given to people of the world, about the Saviour- Messiah-King who came for us. The One who would conquer the powers of evil and die for our sins.[4]
The birth of Jesus marks a humble entrance for Jesus into our world. He wasn’t even born into a hospital or a special birthing place or taken home to a grand palace, a fancy hotel, or a luxurious mansion house. It wasn’t comfort that Jesus was born into, but the last place available for Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem. I’m sure Jesus was crying in the manger, unlike the Christmas carol that sings, “But little Lord Jesus, No crying He makes..” Jesus was the one who emptied Himself, Jesus had the glory of heaven, yet He came as a humble servant. As the following verse communicates:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Philippians 2:6-7
Jesus came as love to us and to reveal who God is and be the lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. It was humbling for Jesus to be wrapped in cloth. Imagine he didn’t have the finest baby clothes to start with, and no baby brand names either. However, one author claims that the “swaddling cloth” that Mary wrapped baby Jesus in could have been ‘burial’ cloths that people would customarily take with them on long journeys just in case there was a death,[5] nothing too glamorous. But Jesus wrapped up in those cloths was a sign to the shepherds of what to look for when they went looking for Jesus’ location at the manger.
He is our good news today, it is good news that Jesus came to our world to reconnect God to man. Jesus is good news to all peoples of the world, and to all nations.
Christmas is a time to rejoice, sing God’s praise, and celebrate Jesus, just like the angels were praising God from the heavens for the shepherds to view. Let’s raise our voices this Christmas to the King of Kings who came for us.
[1] Darrell L. Bock, Luke: The NIV Application Commentary from Biblical Text–to Contemporary Life, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan Pub. House, 1996), 87.
[2] David Jeremiah, Why the Nativity? 25 Compelling Reasons We Celebrate the Birth of Jesus, Special edition (Carol Stream: Tyndale Momentum, 2021), 57.
[3] Jeremiah, 57.
[4] Bock, Luke, 85.
[5] Joe Amaral, Understanding Jesus: Cultural Insights into the Words and Deeds of Christ, 1st ed (New York: FaithWords, 2011), 29.