Friday, December 23, 2011

Food for Thought: Away in a Manger


This time of year many Christians contemplate the birth of Jesus. The details, like the angel’s song to the shepherds or the gifts of the wise men, are familiar from childhood. Even the apparent minute details of the Bible have significance.

From His lowly birth to his shameful death, Jesus lived a life of rejection. We all know that Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room at the inn. But why in a manger? I assume the feeding trough was a better option than a dirt floor, but surely there is some significance to this small point; God isn’t One to waste words.


A manger is a feeding trough for animals. This implies that Jesus came to us as food! God doesn’t just want to be the Creator in heaven but our content within us.

Furthermore, Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem. This fulfills the prophesy in Micah 5:2 concerning the Lord’s birth, but it also points us back to the Lord’s purpose. Bethlehem means “House of Bread”. Why is that significant? In John 6:48, 57 the Lord says:
                  “I am the bread of life.”
                  “…so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.”

Jesus was born in a feeding trough, in the “House of Bread” because he came to be nourishment to man.

The Lord did not stop as a loaf of bread, but went smaller still in Matthew 15. In verse 27 the gentile woman likened the Lord to crumbs that have fallen from the table. The God of this universe came as a crumb, small enough for anyone to take in. This means regardless of our status we are qualified to partake of Christ and enjoy Him for all that He is. Eating is something normal and necessary for our physical life. Our spiritual life also must consist of eating and feasting on the Lord.

I hope you’ll remember this as you take time to honor and celebrate the Lord this week.

Bible references: Luke 2:7, Micah 5:2, John 6:48, 57, 15:27

3 comments:

  1. Wow, I love this post. Where does John 15:27 fit in?

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  2. Whoops. That's supposed to be Matthew 15:27 which says,

    "And she said, Yes, Lord, for even the little dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."

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  3. That's really cool! I never thought of the significance of the Lord being born in a manger before, but you are right, there are no wasted words in the Bible! Thank You Lord that You came to earth to be our food! :)

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