Good News Of Great Joy: Lessons From The Gospel Of LukeSample

"Fourth Sunday of Advent: The Lesson of the Manger"

As Luke tells the true story of the nativity, he shows the contrast between the worldly power of Caesar and the apparent weakness of the baby Jesus. But there is another contrast we ought to notice—the one between the welcome Jesus deserved and the one he was actually given. Although he was the son of David and the true King of Israel, Jesus hardly received a royal welcome. 

Jesus deserved to have every person from every nation come and worship him. He deserved to have the creation itself offer him worship, with the rocks crying glory and galaxies dancing for joy. But what kind of welcome did he receive? Luke tells us, “[Mary] gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:6-7). Here is a profound irony of the incarnation: when the Son of God came to earth—the Maker of the universe in all its vast immensity—he couldn’t even get a room! 

In short, everything we know about the birth of Jesus points to obscurity, indignity, pain, and rejection. One of the great mysteries of our universe is that when God the Son became a man he spent his first night in a barn. 

Why was Jesus born like this? What does the crude and unwelcome poverty of his birth tell us about the way of salvation and the Good News of Great Joy? First, the birth of Christ shows us the depravity of our sin. Second, it reveals the humanity of our Savior. And third, Christ’s lowly beginnings show us his humility in our salvation. 

The humility of Christ’s birth was the whole pattern of his life. Jesus humbled himself to the very death, and there are rumors of this already in his birth. The sufferings that commenced with his incarnation culminated with his crucifixion. The same body that was wrapped in swaddling cloths was also wrapped in a burial shroud. The manger points us to the cross and to the grave. Together, you and I are called to live according to the pattern of his humble birth and saving death. 

Meditate on the irony and implications of the Christ Child’s humble beginnings: a King worthy of the praise of the galaxies spends his first night in a ramshackle barn.