“Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said therefore among themselves, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,’ that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: ‘They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing th ...
Why was Jesus born in a stable and laid in a manger?
“For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:11-12)
Luke 2:1-7 describes the scene where the virgin Mary was pregnant with Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, and Joseph went to Bethlehem along with Mary to register, and she gave birth to Jesus there. At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. The Jews had to go to their hometown to register. Joseph, a descendant of David, went to the city of David called ‘Bethlehem’ along with his betrothed Mary who was already pregnant with Jesus by the Holy Spirit. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. So many people gathered and there was no room for them in the inn. Mary delivered in a stable and they wrapped the Baby in cloths and laid him in a manger. God is the Creator, so He could have let His only begotten Son Jesus born in a luxurious place. In a spiritual sense, a multitude of angels and heavenly host appeared there and surrounded Baby Jesus with a glorious light. And good shepherds and the Magi came and worshiped Him. Jesus was born in great glory. In a fleshly sense, however, God allowed Jesus the Savior of all mankind to be born in a shabby stable and laid in a manger. This has a deep spiritual meaning. Ecclesiastes 3:18 says, “I said to myself concerning the sons of men, ‘God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts.’” It means that God tested humans, and they were found to be no better than beasts. It may not be easy to understand humans are but beasts, but evils committed by some people are even worse than beasts. Humans are called ‘the lord of all creatures’ but some wage wars and kill countless people to satisfy their greed. Some others fight and sue against each other, and even kill the other because of the greed for money. The first man was created in the image of God. Since the first man Adam sinned, however, they lost His image because their spirit died as the result of sin and became no different from an animal. Their heart became increasingly stained with sin and evil, and they committed all kinds of sins as they sought the lust of the world according to their greed. Sinners cannot enter the kingdom of heaven as they are but beasts which are without spirit and composed of soul and flesh. They cannot call God, “Abba, Father.” Therefore, anyone should recover the lost image of God and do the duty of men to enter heaven. How can then we be released from an animal-like life and perform the duty of men? Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.” Fearing God means getting rid of every form of evil, and performing the duty of men refers to keeping His commandments by obeying as the Bible tells us to do, not to do, keep and to throw away. Our loving God didn’t give us the commandments not to burden us. As parents love their children and give them many instructions including “study hard” to teach them the duty of men, so God teaches His children to fulfill the duty of men so that they can lead a blessed life in Him. The commandments are a delicate expression of His love for all in which He desires all men to be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven. In this plan of God, Jesus was born in a stable and laid in a manger to redeem humans who are but beasts and to become the bread of truth and spirit for them.
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“For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:11-12)
