One of the things about Jesus birth that often gets emphasized is that he was placed in a manger. That’s where animal food usually goes. The point is often made that Jesus arrived in the humble surroundings of a lowly barn. How humiliating.
Honestly, Jesus birth would have been a humiliating event no matter where it took place. The scripture tells us that prior to his arrival on Earth, he busied himself making the universe. We’re also told that he sustains the workings of the cosmos. That’s a pretty prestigious position. It’s certainly not a job that I’m qualified to do.
Is there any way to go from sustaining all the workings of the cosmos to lying in the place where they feed animals without losing prestige? There’s no royal palace grand enough to compensate for the drastic demotion Jesus took on his Earthly birthday. The nicest place on Earth doesn’t even qualify as ‘a dump’ in Heaven.
So Jesus wasn’t humble because he slept in a manger. Jesus was humble because he slept AT ALL. The everlasting Son of God who existed before time itself, reduced himself to a vulnerable infant who needed to sleep, eat, and have his diapers changed. And the humility was voluntary.
I would gain the approval of pagan intellectuals if I downplayed Jesus’ humiliating birth by pretending that humans are nothing special. It is very much in vogue to proclaim myself to be an insignificant collection of chemicals in the vastness of the cosmos. Self-proclaimed wise men reason that with so many galaxies whirling through space, it is almost certain that life exists elsewhere and therefore, life on Earth is not a miracle because it is ‘statistically likely.’
Maybe God made life somewhere else. The Bible doesn’t tell us anything about the situation on other planets. But even if there are millions of planets teeming with trillions of alien lifeforms, it doesn’t change the fact that God humbled Himself to live on THIS planet. That makes Earth indescribably special. And since humans are the only species that celebrates Christmas, people are more the most special thing on this special planet.
God willfully shed His glory to get in touch with you. Merry Christmas!
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”
Luke 2:8
