Like most of us, I’ve read Christmas stories thousands of times. I have studied and translated his first two chapters of Matthew and Luke. I supplemented these readings by trying to understand how Israel’s understanding of the prophets’ description of the Messiah affected their reception of Jesus. Each time we read these verses we discover new insights and wonders about the glory of God’s great risk to our salvation in sending His Son into our world.
As you can imagine, I have some theories. For example, Luke tells us that when he was born, Mary wrapped him in swaddling clothes and put him in a manger.
actually? He is debating whether to buy this or not.
Have you ever seen a nativity scene? For those of us who grew up on a farm, the manger is just a poetic representation of the feeder. Have you ever seen a bait box? Do you know what’s in your feeder? The first is hay or animal feed, mainly grains such as corn and oats. So what does that mean if the outer container contains grain? Wrong. As you move the food inside the feeder, you can see all sorts of small creatures at the bottom of the feeder eating grains and trying to hide under the food.
If there are bugs, then there are rats. I’ve never been to a barn without rats. The dining options are too tempting.
stick to that thought The second part of my theory is this. In the ministry of the Church, the most demanding, critical, and imposing person we come across is the primiparous woman. A mother who takes her first child to kindergarten is one of the wildest creatures you’ll ever meet. She wants to know when the room was last cleaned. When was the last time the toy was sanitized? Is wall paint safe for babies? When was the last time you washed your baby sheets? When was the last time you wiped the crib?
(The same mother drops her child off at the nearest curb when the second or her third child arrives, but the first child is a whole new experience.)
Now let’s go back to Maria. she is a new mom She just gave birth to her first son, and besides, he is the Son of God. She doesn’t let baby Jesus anywhere, especially in the feeder.
Here’s what I think happened. Mary was tired after giving birth. she wanted to rest So she would have given the baby to Joseph. Joseph, being a new dad, would have held the baby for a while, but the baby would be heavy. Eventually Joseph got tired too, and when he looked around he would have seen the manger.
Joseph would have thought:
The hay is soft, the manger is the perfect size for baby Jesus, and he puts Jesus in the manger for a short time. He picks him up again before Mary wakes up.
what can I say? Joseph is a man. He would have seen the manger and then Jesus. He would have noticed that the manger and the baby were about the same size, making it the perfect place for Jesus in the manger to rest. Baby could rest. Mary could rest and so could he. What is the problem?
Mothers around the world are disgusted at the thought of their newborn babies sleeping in feeders. what did you do When did the exhausted Mary give you the baby? Did you draw him to your chest and hold him close to your heart? Or have you found a suitable spot to beat him?
Every decision in our life, everything we dream and hope for, depends on that decision. The Christmas scandal isn’t that Jesus was born. The scandal is that Jesus came to us. The transgression of Christmas is not that Jesus was put in a manger, but that God placed Christ in the filthy hearts of people like you and me.
God knew in His wisdom that we cannot reach Him. It’s not because you don’t try hard enough. It is beyond our capabilities. We don’t have the wisdom, the courage, or the compassion to do what we have to do. Just looking at today’s problems reminds me that most of them were solutions to yesterday’s problems. Coal burning met our energy needs yesterday. Burning coal today causes climate change. We repeat this unfortunate cycle in every aspect of our lives. When we fix one area of our life, we break it in another.
By entering the history of mankind, my father broke these chains of despair. That was God’s choice. Now, at Christmas, he’s waiting for us to decide – what will you do when God gives you a baby?