Unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you … a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” Luke 2:11-12 KJV
For today in the city of David, there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. “This will be a sign for you … a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:11-12 NASB
Transpose yourself to the Judean hills outside Bethlehem. Place yourself amongst the small band of shepherds “keeping watch over their flocks by night.” Suddenly, for the first time in almost 600 years, the “glory of the Lord” was seen as it appeared to the shepherds that night. Luke 2 is the story of the Caesar, the census, the city, the Christ, and the chorus of angels.
You can only envision the startled faces of the shepherds as the angel of the Lord made his great announcement: “Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (v 18). Wonder, awe, amazement, excitement – these were undoubtedly some of the emotions which filled the hearts and minds of these labouring men. That such an event should happen after years of Roman oppression and that God should see fit to announce it to them, must have added to the thrill of the evening.
But then, there was a further declaration, one that must have thrown their minds into a state of perplexity. “And this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (v 19). The hungry and longing minds had fixated on the word “Savior” and “Christ the Lord.” But now, they were made aware that it was not a mighty conquering hero striding across the landscape of Judea, putting to rout the hated Romans. Instead, it was a Babe – the essence of vulnerability.
A Babe – the Essence of Vulnerability
The Christ of God came to this earth as a baby, the ultimate expression of weakness and vulnerability. If they had known that He actually had chosen to come in this manner and that the timing, place, and manner of His birth were all part of eternal counsels in the Godhead, their amazement would have been even greater.
In His incarnation, the Lord Jesus chose to come as a real man, the Last Adam, the Second Man. He was found in “fashion as a man,” meaning, at the very least, that He passed normally through all the stages involved in infancy, childhood, etc. While possessing omnipotence, He allowed Himself to be an infant of days, needing to be held and moved by His mother, Mary.
Wrapped in Swaddling Clothes – the Exhibition of His Humility
This is the Creator God Who swaddled the earth when it was born (Job 38:9), that swaddled the nation (Lam 2:22), Who is now Himself marked out by swaddling bands. “He humbled Himself” is the only fitting summary of such a change.
Lying in a Manger – the Expression of His Dependence
He is not sitting now on the circle of the earth or riding across the clouds of the heavens – but lying in a manger! At His birth, He was laid in a manger; at His death, He was laid in a tomb: “Come see the place where the Lord lay” (Matt 28:6). On both occasions, His posture is a manifestation of His dependence on His Father. He came as a dependent Man into our world.
“A Savior, Christ the Lord,” yet “a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
“Vailed in flesh the Godhead see, hail the incarnate Deity!”
Consider:
Why do you think the “sign” given to the wise men in Matthew differs from that given to shepherds in Luke?