What Happened On Christmas Part Two
I don't blame us. It makes sense for us to imagine the only Divine-Human Baby ever born to have a super model mother. Wouldn't every strand of stable straw be alligned with the glory rays from hovering angels?! And our gooing Lord would never drool! Isn't it sacreligious to think of it!? But, our idyllic views of Christ's birth obliterate the memory of why He came, why he was born! It wasn't going to be pretty!
Everything in Christ's birth pointed ahead to His Cross!
HE WAS BORN TO DIE!!
Rejected By Men We know that on Crucifixion weekend, Jesus was rejected by men. In Pilate's judgment hall they shouted, "Crucify Him! We have no King but Caesar!" Have you ever considered the rejection of men at His birth?? The innkeeper's "No Vacancy" sign was a prophetic forecast of the jeering rejection at His trial!!
The Stable The Son of God was born in a stable, but it was no picturesque wooden barn! It was the typical Middle Eastern stable, a hollowed out stone cave in the side of a hill! The only difference between that cave and the tomb of a rich man was the size of the opening and
the size of its interior! HE WAS BORN IN A TOMB!! He was born to die.
Swaddling Cloths The King James version says the Savior Babe was wrapped IN SWADDLING CLOTHS. Modern mothers are beginning to use them again. They were strips of linen identical to the burial cloths in which a rich man would be buried in Death! CHRIST'S BIRTH FORETOLD HIS DEATH.
Jesus was born to die!
Surrounded by Animals In Bethlehem, our infant Savior was surrounded by animals. Since it was a Jewish stable, there were no unclean animals. Clean animals were used for only two purposes, for work, and for sacrifice. IN BIRTH, THE ONE WHO WOULD BE OUR SACRIFICE ON CALVARY WAS SURROUNDED BY ANIMALS OF SACRIFICE!!
The Manger On that blessed night we revere in old Isreal, Mary laid Jesus in a manger, a feeding trough. Do you know what First Century Israelis used for feeding troughs?? They used a hollowed stone. AT BIRTH, JESUS WAS PLACED IN A STONE! AT DEATH, THEY WOULD LAY
HIM BEHIND A STONE IN THE BORROWED TOMB OF JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA!!
The Josephs Jesus was watched over at His birth by a Joseph. He was watched over at His death by a Joseph.
EVERYTHING IN CHRIST'S BIRTH FORECASTED HIS DEATH!! That's what happened on Christmas! Love came down on Christmas!.... It was Love so deep it was willling to die!
FROM THE VIRGIN WOMB
TO THE VIRGIN TOMB,
LOVE CAME DOWN AT CHRISTMAS!!
There's a Painting in a European cathedral. The artist painted Mary at the foot of a hill, down on one knee, arms outstretched. At the top of the hill, the sun beams down the grassy grade. On the slope of the hill, the Boy Jesus races down the sun-soaked lawn with His arms spread wide. The sun at His back creates a huge shadow in front of the Toddler Christ!
AND DO YOU KNOW what that huge shadow is?!! It's the shadow of the cross!! That artist caught something important which the New Testament teaches about Jesus!! Christ's whole life was lived in the shadow of the Cross!!
WHAT HAPPENED ON CHRISTMAS???
LOVE CAME DOWN ON CHRISTMAS!!!
AND IT WAS LOVE DEEP ENOUGH TO DIE!
What a God! This is a good time to freshen our commitment to make Him Lord or Manager of our lives!
