This will be a Sign to You
Leif Holmes
LUKE 2:8-14
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
These were the words spoken by the angel of the Lord to the shepherds outside of Bethel. Doesn’t seem like much of a sign, does it? Think about it . . . a baby, wrapped up snug and tight, lying in a manger? A manger was basically a feeding trough for animals! What kind of a sign is that? Certainly NOT a sign that is worthy of the grandeur of an angelic appearance! Certainly also NOT a sign worthy of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! At least one would not think so, right?
And yet. It is the first of many signs that occur during Jesus’ life here on earth to demonstrate His glory (see John 2:11 for instance where He changes water into wine!) John goes on to say toward the end of His gospel that Jesus did many other signs that John didn’t even bother to write down! (John 20:30). As I thought about all this in light of the current events taking place in our world I couldn’t help but wonder if we might learn a thing or two from this first “sign” of Jesus’ birth.
For starters, it was not spectacular though it was supernatural. Yes, angels showed up and yes, the shepherds went to tell everyone what they had seen. But other than that, it was just another day in the little town of Bethlehem! Think of that. The most important event in human history had happened with the birth of Immanuel (God with us), fulfilling all kinds of Old Testament prophecies, yet no one outside of that stable knew anything about it! What’s up with that? Seems to me though that this is often the way God works as a rule of thumb – quietly and behind the scenes with little or no fanfare. The truth is, ANYTIME God does ANYTHING, it is supernatural – simply because by definition God IS supernatural! This is good to keep in mind in the daily grind of life when we are tempted to think that God is nowhere to be found amidst our daily struggles, as well as amidst the chaos and uncertainty we find going on around us.
The second thing that comes to mind is the vulnerability that is inherent with a newborn’s birth. For though it was not spectacular, it was definitely dangerous! I’ve had the privilege of being in the room with my wife during the birth of all three of our children. And in all three instances we were in a safe and sterile room, with expertly trained medicate professionals. But that wasn’t the case at Jesus’ birth! Think of all the animals, bugs, germs, humidity, along with the accompanying sights and smells! Yet God allowed His one and only Son, His Son whom He loves dearly (see Matt. 3:17) to be born amidst pig slop and cow dung! Yet once again, that seems to be the way God works – making Himself vulnerable, exposed, powerless. This, too, is good to keep in mind amidst the daily grind of our lives and the world we live in.
All this makes me think of what the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, speaking of the “foolishness” and “weakness” of the ultimate sign of Gods’ love – the cross. “Jews demand signs,” Paul writes, “but we preach Christ crucified. a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,” and then adds, “but to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one,” (1 Cor. 1:24).
Now how’s THAT for a sign?
MERRY CHRISTMAS!