The Tapestry of Christmas: A Woman's Storyናሙና

A Shepherd’s Wife: The Thread of Faithfulness in the Swaddling Cloth

As early as the nomadic period, the Israelites understood how to spin the hair of goats, camels, and even the wool of sheep. This skill seemed valuable for the creation of the tent for the tabernacle.  This artistry and skill, notably led by ​​Bezalel of the tribe of Judah, must have been passed down the generations.  Follow the thread with me.  By the first century A.D., we see a census happening in Bethlehem, the city of David, with the Tribe of Judah.  In this city, a shepherd’s wife, anonymous and unmentioned in the scriptures, is likely the hospitality source necessary for Jesus’ safe entrance into the world. Whether her or a different homemaker, the fact remains that the women of this era were the primary weavers for the home, having the Proverbs 31 skills to faithfully care for a family.  A meager manger was wiped of its leftovers with animals in the stable. A swaddling cloth, used to wrap newborn lambs, held the Lamb of God tight.

As shepherds tended their flock in a field nearby, angels appeared to them, announcing that a child was born. With the announcement came the promise of a ‘sign’ that they would find a baby lying in a manger with ‘swaddling clothes.’ Because these Shepherds were ‘Levitical Shepherds,’ tending to a flock of sheep that would be sacrificial lambs at the temple, they knew what ‘swaddling clothes’ looked like. These were the garments they wrapped newborn lambs that were kept without blemish. Have you ever wondered how the Shepherds knew which distinct stable to enter in a crowded city beyond the star of Bethlehem hovering miles above? In those days, a special stable cave was set aside for the safekeeping of newborn sacrificial lambs, and the Shepherds knew exactly where to go to discover this promised baby. They immediately comprehended: Go where their sacrificial lambs were born and wrapped in ‘swaddling clothes.’

And as they arrived, there He was. The swaddling cloth for sacrificial lambs became, as promised, a sign for them this baby truly was the Savior of the world.  Years later, John the Baptist would see Jesus and confess, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’ The swaddling cloth magnifies who He is, and an anonymous Shepherd’s wife is now in Heaven rejoicing for her faithfully small yet vital role in the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Reflection:  

• Even though the woman who wove the swaddling cloth is unnamed and unmentioned in scripture, does that make her role any less important? How so? 
• What is something you feel you are currently doing that is seemingly small yet significant in the eyes of God? 

Prayer: 

Thank you, Father, for telling such beautiful stories down to the finest detail.  I pray that You would help me stay faithful in the seemingly little things that honor you. Give me the grace to have a life of faithfulness towards You, even in the mundane tasks. I love You. Let me love You more.

-Featured Author: Alicia Louise

                               Illinois, U.S.A.