Have you ever really wondered why Jesus was born in a stable?? To tell you the truth, I never really gave it much thought, other than that’s just how it was suppose to be. But Uncle Pastor Randy had a message about this very topic in Dec. 2007. He explained it to us, and here is my recap. I hope I do it justice…
Why was Jesus born in a stable?? The simple answer: Because He was a sacrifice. But to understand it better, you have to go back in time, way back, before Jesus was born on earth. All the way back to, you guessed it, Adam and Eve. Is it just me, or does it seem that they always get blamed for stuff?? :)
When Adam and Eve were in the garden, God told them they could eat whatever they wanted as long as they did NOT eat the fruit from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. If they did, they would surely die. Well, we all know they both ate the forbidden fruit, realizing that they weren’t wearing any clothes. So like any modest human being, they ran and hid… from God?!? That fact is pretty funny to me, because you can’t hide from God. Anyhow, even though Adam and Eve didn’t die a physical death, they died a spiritual death. And God, being the loving and caring God that He is, sacrificed an animal to make clothing for them, and then in His great kindness and mercy, kicked them out of the Garden of Eden. A sacrifice was used to “cover” Adam’s and Eve’s sin…
Okay, fast forward a little; We’ve all heard the story of when God told Abraham to take his son, his only son Isaac up on the top of a mountain to sacrifice him. With Abraham being the obedient man of God that he was, he obeyed though he didn’t want to kill his son. He loved God so much that he was willing to do whatever God asked of him, including sacrificing his son. So, Abraham took Isaac up on the mountain, bound his hands and feet together, laid him on the alter he’d made and as he was about to kill him there was a rustle in some nearby bushes. Abraham went over to the bushes to find a ram tangled within them, this became Abraham’s and Isaac’s sacrifice to God. Once again, God provided an animal for the sacrifice…
Fast forward again, as you know Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem; but did you know that the city of Bethlehem was where all the lambs that were to be made a sacrifice were kept? All the lambs were born in regular stables, just like any other animal, but only the PERFECT ones were taken to a pin to be used as a sacrifice. Did you catch that?? I’ll say it again, only the PERFECT lambs would become a sacrifice. And as you and I both know Jesus is THE PERFECT LAMB! And 33 years after His birth, in a stable, He became the ultimate sacrifice, and died to cover all our sins. Amazing, huh?!?
So as Christmas quickly approaches, I hope that you all take some time to really think about how truly amazing the birth of Christ really is. Jesus may be the “Reason for the season.” BUT remember, We are the Reason for Jesus.
