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Luke 2:12, 15-17, 20<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n 12<\/span><\/sup><\/strong>And this<\/span> will be<\/span><\/em> the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.<\/span><\/p>\n 15<\/span><\/sup><\/strong>So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” <\/span>16<\/span><\/sup><\/strong>And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. <\/span>17<\/span><\/sup><\/strong>Now when they had seen <\/span>Him,<\/span><\/em> they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. <\/span><\/p>\n 20<\/span><\/sup><\/strong>Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Seasonal Blessing<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018Tis the season to simply believe God and give Him the glory.<\/p>\n Behind the Words<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The words \u201cwrapped in swaddling cloths<\/span>\u201d are translated from a single verb, spargano\u014d<\/span><\/em>, meaning \u201cto swath\u201d or \u201cto swaddle.\u201d Now, that wasn\u2019t much help, was it? Spargano\u014d<\/span><\/em>, is from the noun sparganon<\/span><\/em> which refers to \u201ca swath, or strip, of cloth.\u201d Long strips of cloth were used in those days to snugly wrap a new born child to keep the infant warm and to provide security. So this part of the verse could have been translated, \u201cYou will find the infant swaddled, lying in a manger.\u201d<\/p>\n The word translated \u201cmanger<\/span>\u201d is phatn\u0113<\/span><\/em>, from pateomai<\/span><\/em>, meaning \u201cto eat.\u201d It refers to the crib, or manger that hay was placed in for animals to eat, thus keeping it clean and dry. Not the place we would think of putting a newborn baby, and certainly not the Son of God!<\/p>\n Meaning Explained<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n As mentioned in the explanation of the previous verses, the annunciation of the birth of the Messiah was made to shepherds, not to the rich, the religious leaders, or the civil rulers. It was made to shepherds. And, after receiving the message from the angels, the shepherds did not waste any time finding Jesus, Joseph, and Mary. One has to wonder how many stables they had to look in before they found one with people in it. There they found the One proclaimed by the angels to be the Messiah, the Savior, the King of the Jews.<\/p>\n To most Jews, who were expecting the arrival of their Messiah, the notion of Him being laid in a feeding trough would have convinced then that the angels didn\u2019t know what they were talking about. That just wouldn\u2019t have made sense. God doesn\u2019t work that way. So, they probably would have reasoned away the angelic message because it didn\u2019t fit their own image of God. The shepherds, on the other hand, simply took the message at face value and assumed that it must be true.<\/p>\n And once they had acted in faith and had searched to see whether these things were true, they found Him. Then they proclaimed the message widely; they told everyone who would listen, they praised God, and gave Him the glory.<\/p>\n Application <\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Some messages in the Bible seem impossible or at least improbable, yet we must accept them on faith. How can God possibly be one God, but be three persons? It\u2019s impossible, but it\u2019s what the Bible proclaims. How can salvation be all God\u2019s doing and none of our own. That\u2019s improbable, but it\u2019s what the Word proclaims. Instead of questioning the truth, let\u2019s praise God for it as the shepherds did, and give Him the glory. Someday we\u2019ll understand!<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2008 Will Krause. All rights reserved.<\/span><\/p>\n – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –<\/p>\n <\/span>If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, you can call the church phone (618) 614-3070 and leave a message telling us your name and e-mail address or you can send an e-mail to:![\"signature\"](\"..\/..\/signature.gif\")
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