“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”
Luke 2:16-20
After the angels finished sharing their news, they returned to heaven, leaving the shepherds free to head to Bethlehem, which they did with haste. For those who have visited the city, it is easy to see that their journey would not have been a long one; but trying to find the infant Jesus would be another thing. The city would have been bursting with visitors registering for the census and there would have been many babies wrapped in cloths; graciously there would have only been one lying in a manger.
Upon discovering Jesus in a manger, the truthfulness of the angel’s revelation was confirmed. The shepherds were convinced that God had shared a special revelation with them and immediately they shared the good news with those present at the manger. In other words, the shepherds were the first human evangelists, sharing the gospel with all that were there, which left all the hearers amazed (though Mary already had an inkling at what was happening, 1:26-56). Discovering Jesus in the manger validated the words of the angels and energized the shepherds to spread the news. As the angels had passed on the blessings of God to the shepherds, the latter did the same to those gathered around. But there is another similarity between the angels and shepherds.
As the shepherds returned to their flocks, they praised God and glorified Him, as had the angels. From the earlier encounter with the shepherds, the angels offered praise and glory, as found in (2:13-14), a passage named the Gloria in Excelsis Deo (“glory to God in the highest”). The birth of Jesus—signified by the manger—initiates God’s plan of salvation; and how this holy moment is connected to what happened in Jesus’ life can be summed up in a simple but succinct description of God’s will for Jesus: “from the cradle to the cross to the crown.” Working backwards, the crown was intended only for Jesus because of His death on the cross (Philippians 2:6-11) and the events leading to the cross were set in motion when the infant Jesus was placed in the manger, the clear indicator that the King, who would be crowned Lord of the universe, would live the humble and lowly existence planned for Him before the world began.
To summarize our look at the manger, we must not let its familiarity lead us into complacency, an attitude that loses appreciation for what Luke wanted to remind us of. So, when we set up our nativity sets or help arrange the furniture in the Christmas play at church or listen to Linus recite Luke 2:8-14 in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” may we not fail to see the importance and the necessity of the manger in the plan for our salvation; instead may we take to heart that the manger—no matter where we encounter it this Advent season—points to one thing: The presence of God.
Submitted by Dr. Rich Menninger
Prayer
O Immanuel, Your birth in Bethlehem revealed Your desire to dwell with Your people. This truth is confirmed in the last verse of Matthew when You promised Your disciples You would be with them “always, to the very end of the age” (28:20). May the manger remind us now and forever that the Lord’s promise still holds true, a blessing that is ours for eternity. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.