Summary

The Nativity scenes on Christmas cards often portray a nice, cozy setting with clean hay, bathed in a warm, yellow glow. In reality, however, Jesus entered the world as a baby who didn’t even have a proper place in which to be birthed. In Luke 2:4-7, we read a description of the conditions of the birth of Jesus. Not being able to find a place fit for human birth, they had to go to an animal stable, and the trough on which animals ate their slop had to be quickly emptied to receive the new baby. This was how Jesus chose to come to us – in a dirty, lowly manger. 

We find it odd that the debut of the Savior of the world would be so obscure. We find it natural to look for him in the halls of power, in the courts of kings, in the places where most of us would like to operate. We think that if God wants our attention, he should do something grand or impressive. But unless we understand why Jesus was born in such a lowly place, we will never understand the heart of God.