Q3. A Manger for His Bed

[WinstonY]

God  loves the poor. When God came to earth in human form and was born in a manger, he was born an an humble situation. His new family was poor and had to work hard. God in being born poor is showing solidarity with the poor, the oppressed and the outcasts. The message came to the shepherds because they were the low end of society - "There is no more disreputable occupation than that of a shepherd.". The news of Christ's birth was given only to the poor, the rich would have to find him themselves.  To these disreputable people the birth was announced. when Jesus preached and worked his mission it was mainly to the poor.when the announcement of the Resurrection Jesus appears to a woman another oppressed member of society. In his mission statement he quotes Isaiah

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
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    to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

 

These are consistent with the birth in a manger.

 

[Old Jerry]

I think that Jesus’ birth was announced to the shepherds first because they were a disrespected people. Jesus was put here on earth to save the lowly like us and He must have thought that the lowest of the lowest was the best place to start. Jesus was born in a stable so that he could relate to the people that He was sent to save from their sins. I think that God’s point was that Jesus was sent to save all people no matter their status in life.

[Rosesam]

Q3. (Luke 2:7-8) Why do you think the message of Jesus' birth comes to shepherds, of all people? Why is Jesus born in a stable with a manger for a bed? This has to be intentional. What point is God making?

Even though we romanticize shepherds, first century shepherds were considered unclean. It is believed that Bethlehem was the place where the sacrificial sheep for the temple in Jerusalem were raised. The shepherds who raised these sheep were actually Levitical shepherds. But because they were raising sheep, they couldn’t participate in the temple rituals themselves. It was to these shepherds that the message of Jesus’ birth comes first. God sent the message to these Levitical shepherds who supplied the sacrificial sheep to the temple that the Lamb of God that was to take away the sin of the whole world was born!!!

When Jesus was born He was covered with swaddling clothes and laid on a manger in the stable. Being covered in swaddling clothes is also symbolic of His death. For in death they cover the dead body with strips of linen. Stable is the place were animals are kept. One of the point that God is making is that He didn’t choose a palace for His Son but the lowliest place. More than that He wants the world to know the Lamb was born, to take away the sin of the whole world. Lambs are born not in houses but in manger. He was born in the perfect place for the world to comprehend who He was. For His birth in a manger was a pointer to who He was. In Isaiah 1:3 God says, “The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master’s crib: but Israel does not know, my people do not consider”. And this prophecy came true on His birth. The animals in the stable knew their Master. But Israel did not know, they could not comprehend His humble beginnings.

[Katy]

Q3. This is a question I have thought about for many years! I think that Jesus wanted to be identifiable with  all people from those who are considered the least in society to those who are in high positions. I think this is also the reason Jesus chose to be born in a stable. Contrary to what people thought about how the Messiah was going to come, He chose to come in simplicity and humility so that we could all identify with Him as a human being. Maybe it is also an example to us that we don’t need to have everything new or perfect, life goes on even when we don’t have ‘things’!