If there ever was an opportunity for God to enact His plan with a majestic flourish, it was at Jesus’ birth. But God did not presume upon humanity when He stepped in to redeem it. There was no pretense in this arrival. Rather, God chose to identify in the humblest way with those made in His image.
The Humble Christmas Story of Luke 2
How? Let us re-look at the famous Christmas passage in Luke 2. Here, we see Joseph and Mary on a journey to Bethlehem in order to register for Rome’s tax collection. While it wasn’t common for the rest of the Roman Empire, it was common for Jews to travel to their hometown for such registrations. However, this trip was anything but ideal. Mary is in the third trimester of her pregnancy and they have to traverse 90ish miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem on foot. Can you imagine that? I don’t have categories for such a trip. Perhaps, they have a donkey to help. Nevertheless, that journey would not be enjoyable or easy.
Now, at some undisclosed time after arriving to Bethlehem, Mary begins to have contractions. We could speculate as to whether her contractions began immediately upon arriving. We could speculate whether Joseph searched frantically for a place for her to give birth. Most of our Christmas ideas of this passage tend to be more speculative than factual. We simply are not told how much time elapsed in Luke 2:6. At a minimum, we could at least say that Mary was in Bethlehem for at least a day before her contractions began.
As for the location of the birth, we easily misinterpret it because for us, an “inn” is a commercial lodging place. However, the term translated “inn” simply refers to a person’s guest room. In all likelihood, Joseph and Mary are probably staying with Joseph’s extended relatives. Since Bethlehem was his hometown, he certainly had close connections there.
In regard to the manger, our contemporary depictions are also off. A manger is not a crib from the ancient world. Rather, it is an animal feeding trough. The reason why it is present is because of how most ancient Near East homes were structured. For peasants at that time, both humans and animals lived in one enclosed space. Don’t visualize a two-story house in America. These stories are not tall at all. The top floor was for humans while the animals remained on the lower level. And if this cousin’s house was already crowded with out of town relatives, then it is not hard to fathom why Jesus is placed in a feed trough. A feeding trough is the closest thing to an enclosed space for an infant. That is why the Child is wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.
The Ordinariness of Jesus’ Birth
The sheer ordinariness of Jesus’ birth is found in the details of his birth scene. But we often miss the clues. Instead, here in the west, we are so wealthy that such a birth and living situation horrifies us. For rural peasants in the 1st century, on the other hand, this was normal. It is also normal for billions of people on this planet, including today. Don’t believe me? Travel to the rural areas of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. You will see similar scenes.
So, in the peasant context, Jesus’ birth is ordinary and common, and this is important for us to realize. In relation to who Jesus is, this birth couldn’t be any more unexpected. Jesus, who according to Isaiah 9, will be the One whose dominion and kingdom will never end, the One is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, the One who is called the Prince of peace, the One who will sit on the throne of David, this Jesus is not born in a palace. That is where one expects royalty to be born. Kings are born in castles, not stables. Princes are wrapped in expensive material, not in straps of linen lying on the stable floor. Princes are placed on expensive furniture, not in mangers. That is where royalty is born.
We know that. People back then knew that. But not Jesus. He is born among peasants. His first bed is a feed trough. His birth is a birth of poverty.
Do you see the stark contrast?
There could be no greater contrast between the glorious identity of the Child and His ordinary, peasant birth, and that is good news for us: for Jesus accepts us because of and in spite of our lowly estate.
The Ordinariness of Jesus’ First Witnesses
However, it doesn’t end there. The surprising commonness of this scene continues through the first witnesses to Jesus’ birth.
Who does heaven privilege with the news of the Son of God’s birth? Look at Luke 2:8. The answer is shepherds! The first people outside of Jesus’ immediate family to hear of His birth are shepherds. Let me say that again: the first people to hear that the Son of God entered time and space were ordinary peasants. It wasn’t the ruling elites. It wasn’t even the religious leaders. No, God privileges blue collar, poor shepherds. That is awesome!
You want to know why this is awesome? With the coming of Jesus, God turns the world systems on their heads. In other words, God is not impressed with money, with education, with who you know. That means nothing to God.
As Mary sang in her Magnificat, “God has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.” That is good news; for God does not accept you based upon how much you have or how much you know or even who you know. God does not accept you based upon how good you are and how clean your past is. No; rather, God accepts you based upon how you receive His Son, Jesus. That is all that matters.
The ordinariness of Jesus' birth is good news for us. It reminds us that Jesus accepts us because of and in spite of our lowly estate. Click To Tweet
