The Birth of Jesus the Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God
Dearly beloved of God, when Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem to be enrolled in the Roman Empire wide registration decreed by Caesar Augustus, Mary went into labor, and gave birth to her firstborn son, Jesus.
Luke 2:7
And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.
The inn or lodging house was full when Mary and Joseph arrived. These inns were typically four sided surrounding an inner courtyard.
The animals were stabled in the rear, in stalls connected to the back wall. Each stall was equipped with a manger or feeding trough containing straw for the animals.
Mary wrapped her baby in swaddling clothes and laid him in a feeding trough.
According to Eastern culture when the son of a king was born, he was salted, and wrapped in swaddling clothes.
The newborn baby would be washed in water containing salt. This represented that as king he would be a man of his word; he would mean what he said and say what he meant. His words were salted.
After the baby was salted, he was wrapped in swaddling clothes. The swaddling clothes consisted of many feet of fine linen cloth, which were two or so inches wide.
The baby was wound round and round with these strips of cloth from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head, leaving only the breathing passages exposed. He was wrapped in an erect position which symbolized that his parents would raise their son to be upright and free from crookedness.
The ceremony was brief, lasting long enough for the parents to pray and make their vows to God to raise their son to be upright before God and man. The parents considered raising the future king as a sacred trust.
By salting and swaddling Jesus, Mary and Joseph demonstrated that they believed that he was the royal heir to King David’s throne, and God’s only begotten Son.
God’s Son, and King David’s heir to the throne was born in a stable, and placed in an animal’s feeding trough in the city of David. Even so, his parents salted and swaddled him, believing that he was indeed who God said he was.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of town….
Luke 2:8
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
These shepherds were in the nearby rural area of Bethlehem abiding in the field, and keeping watch over their flock by night. This only occurred after the harvest in the fall.
Farmers in the East would hire shepherds to bring their sheep into their fields for two or three nights to fertilize them with their manure.
The weather turned seasonally cold and wet in November and remained so through February. The shepherds would not stay in the fields with their sheep during this time of year.
Luke 2:9
And, lo, the angel of the LORD came upon them, and the glory of the LORD shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.
“Lo” calls our attention to note what follows by the use of the figure of speech asterismos, which marks what follows the same as an asterisk does.
“The angel of the LORD,” suddenly appeared to them surrounded by “the glory of the LORD.” The evening suddenly went from dark to stunning, brilliant light as they were surrounded by the glory of the LORD. God’s personal messenger stood before them. It is no wonder “they were sore afraid.”
Luke 2:10-12
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
What was the unmistakable sign that the angel gave these men? They would find the babe in the city of David, Bethlehem, in a manger during the swaddling ceremony of a king.
Luke 2:13 and 14
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
These humble shepherds went from watching their sheep manure the fields that evening to receiving a most privileged invitation by the angel of the LORD to attend the swaddling ceremony of the King of kings!
Suddenly, a great number of angels stood with the angel of the LORD praising God, saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
Luke 2:15 and 16
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the LORD hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
God invited these humble shepherds as His honored guests because they believed His Word, and were looking for the coming of their Messiah. They immediately went to Bethlehem and arrived during the brief swaddling ceremony only moments after Jesus’ birth.
Luke 2:17-20
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Although this event went unnoticed by the world, the purpose of the ages that God purposed in His Son miraculously unfolded by divine design according to His timetable.
The only begotten Son of God, the Savior, which is Christ the Lord, the King of kings was born in Bethlehem, the city of David.
Rejoice dearly beloved, the Lord has come…and in due time he is coming back to redeem and save those that believe on him.