Day 15 – Laying in a manger
“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7
“Inn” in Greek is “𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘢” and actually means an upstairs level of a home where guests would stay. Bethlehem was too small a town to have an inn (like those we would imagine today), and residents would host visitors to stay “inn” their house. The downstairs area of the house was an all-purpose room that served as a workspace during the day. Because Bethlehem was a shepherding village, it was common practice to shelter the frail and young animals inside the house at night. This space was not a full-fledged barn or stable like we might imagine today, but rather a secure, integrated area for their precious livestock. In fact, archaeological findings reveal drinking troughs, or mangers, carved directly into the bedrock in these types of homes.
Many scholars believe the fields where the shepherds were watching their flocks could be the very same fields where sacrificial animals were kept for Temple worship. These precious flocks were kept close to town to protect them from harm. Newborn lambs would be “swaddled” in strips of cloth and placed safely in a feeding trough (manger) within the shelter to ensure they did not injure themselves during the first 24 hours of life. This was critical because, according to the sacrificial laws in Exodus 12:5, a sacrificial lamb had to be completely unblemished.
The miraculous sign the shepherds were told to look for (and one they would immediately identify with) was that they would find baby Jesus wrapped just like one of the sacrificial lambs they spent their lives tending. Upon seeing Jesus, they would instinctively know that He was the Savior: the ultimate Lamb of God, born to be the sacrifice for all sin.
Pray with me: Father, thank You for giving us Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Even at His birth, it was made clear that He is the perfect and unblemished Lamb to atone for our sins. Thank You that we can learn more about Jesus through these little details in Your Word. You are the author of divine detail. Amen. ©
Love, Pastor Iriza
