And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:6-12
This familiar passage narrating Christ’s birth contains crucial details that are often taken for granted. We are told that, when Mary gave birth to Jesus, she “wrapped Him in swaddling cloths” and “laid Him in a manger.” Why does Luke tell us this? Why are these two particular details worth mentioning? Certainly, there were many other things were said and done that weren’t recorded. When Luke’s narrative is so concise it compels me to ask, “Why these particular details and not others?” I don’t believe these are arbitrary facts included to simply make the story more interesting. God is not primarily concerned with telling an entertaining story. There’s nothing superfluous in God’s Word. The Scripture is God-breathed. Not one stroke of the pen will pass away. What’s more, if God works all things according to the counsel of His will, then everything, down to the smallest detail, serves His divine purpose. We may not always be able to see how each thread of detail fits together to form the grand tapestry of God’s purpose. But it is there, nonetheless. Everything is penned for a reason.
So why did Luke, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, choose to emphasize these particular facts? The angel provides some insight. He tells the shepherds that these two features were given as a sign confirming the babe’s identity as Messiah. In Scripture, a sign is something that not only identifies; it points to an even greater reality beyond the event itself. In other words, there is far more than meets the eye. For example, when Jesus fed the 5000, it was a sign that not only confirmed His messianic identity but, as the Messiah, He is the bread from heaven. He is the fulfillment of what was foreshadowed long ago when God sustained His people in the wilderness with manna. In the account of Christ’s birth, the sign itself is simple and straightforward. In Bethlehem, the shepherds would find the infant “wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
For the people of that day, the so-called “sign” was nothing extraordinary. Every newborn was swaddled. The infant was washed, rubbed with finely ground salt as an antiseptic, oil was applied and then wrapped tightly with strips of cloth. When they were finished, the babe looked like a mummy, with only a portion of his face exposed. This comforted and calmed the baby while making it easier for the mother to care for him.
As for laying him in a manger, it might seem to be a simple necessity. After all, there was no room for them in the inn. Whether it was a stable in a cave or the lower floor of a house where animals were kept, one thing is clear – there was no room for Jesus among humanity. He had no palette for a bed. He was laid in a feeding trough in a place reserved for animals. This was surely a sign of His humility. Such details are evident to anyone with a basic knowledge of the mannerisms and customs of the day. But I believe there is more – perhaps much more to this sign.
These were most likely shepherds over the Temple flocks. These men were charged with watching over lambs earmarked for sacrifice. The Temple flocks were tended in the fields outside of Jerusalem near Bethlehem. Animal sacrifices were offered daily at the Temple. The first and last sacrifice of each day was a lamb without spot or blemish. The demand required tending flocks year-round. When a lamb was born, it was often tightly swaddled and kept off the ground by laying it in a feeding trough. This protected the lamb from injury until it could be inspected by the priests and confirmed as a worthy sacrifice.
When the angel told the shepherds they would find the babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger, it surely held special significance for them. Every baby was wrapped in swaddling cloths – but among the lambs, only those marked for sacrifice were swaddled. And babies weren’t typically laid in a manger. These are peculiar circumstances of obvious significance for the shepherds. The Messiah was born to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. It all fit. He was born in Bethlehem, the place where the sacrificial lambs were born. He was wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger, treated the same way as the sacrificial lambs.
He was wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger, treated the same way as the sacrificial lambs.
It is possible that these shepherds lived long enough to see Jesus crucified and laid in the tomb. If they did, they may have reflected back on the significance of this sign. The Messiah, the Savior of God’s people, was born to die. Later, Luke tells us that, when Christ was taken down from the cross, He was wrapped with burial cloth. Luke seems to be connecting Christ’s birth with His death and burial. Jesus was swaddled when He came into this world and swaddled when He died.
There may be an even more profound connection. Some scholars believe the infant Jesus was likely swaddled with Joseph’s burial cloths. In those days, journeys were difficult and often perilous. Deaths along the way were common. It was customary for people to wrap a long strip of linen cloth around their waste before putting on their outer layers. This would serve as their burial clothes in case they perished on the journey. In other words, they traveled with their grave clothes. Since Luke’s account indicates that Mary went into labor soon after their arrival in Bethlehem, and they had to take refuge in a shelter for animals, the couple had to make do with whatever was available. Birthing supplies would have been in short supply. Joseph’s burial cloth would have been the logical choice for swaddling the newborn.
What about laying Him in the manger? The oldest tradition says Jesus was born in a cave used as a stable. If that is the case, the connection is even stronger. The newborn Jesus was laid in a cave people did not occupy and, at His death, He was laid in a new tomb, a cave where no man had ever been lain before. The imagery holds true even if the manger wasn’t in a cave. In that region, feeding troughs were often hewn from stone. In similar fashion, the sepulchers of that day were caves where burial beds were hewn from stone. At very least, Jesus was likely laid on a stone bed at His birth and at His death.
Without doubt, the circumstances surrounding Christ’s birth pointed forward to His death. The Savior was born to die. The sign given to the shepherds not only identified Jesus as the Messiah and sacrificial Lamb; the day of His birth also prefigured the day of His death. He came into this world swaddled and laid on a bed of stone. In His death He was swaddled and laid on a bed of stone.
This is how pitifully the world welcomed our Lord and how shamefully they said goodbye. As A.W. Tozer said:
All that the world gave the Savior was a manger, a cross on which to die, and a borrowed grave to receive His murdered body.
However, this was God’s purpose from the very beginning. Jesus neither needed nor desired the world’s hospitality. He wasn’t dependent upon their generosity. They relegated Him to swaddling cloth and a bed of stone. They put Him to death that they might bind Him in burial cloth and hide Him away in a cave on a bed of stone. Thanks be to God, that is not where the story ends. Luke isn’t through with the imagery. He draws our attention to the linen cloths and stone bed once more. When Peter heard the news that Jesus had risen, he couldn’t believe it. He ran to the tomb to see for himself. Peering in, he found no one on the bed of stone and the strips of cloth were loose and empty. Jesus was no longer lying on a bed of stone. He was no longer bound by swaddling cloths.
What a wondrous reality. Christ came into this world, subjecting Himself to the poverty and bondage of our existence. He died in our stead and subjected Himself to the poverty and bondage of death. But He rose from the dead, freed from the constraints of His humiliation, the poverty of this world, and the bondage of this present evil age. He fulfilled His role as the sacrificial Lamb. And when He broke free from those grave clothes and rose from that bed of stone, He rescued us from that same fate. While the sign given the shepherds pointed to Christ’s humiliation and atoning work on our behalf, only after the resurrection would they see that our Savior was born, not just to die, but to rise again! The grave could be seen from the manger. But the message of Christmas goes far beyond. He came, not only to die, but to vanquish the power of death forever. This is the glorious Good News of our Savior’s birth. This is the wondrous reality of His coming.
