Amazing Jesus
David W Palmer
Finally, Joseph and pregnant Mary arrived at Bethlehem:
(Luke 2:6–7 NKJV) So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. {7} 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.
This must have seemed so unfair; they had travelled a very long way. Mary was in a delicate condition, but “there was no room for them in the inn.” We may all be able to identify with the temptation for self-pity that they must have felt: “We have travelled so far. We are finally in the place prophesied for this birth. We have sacrificed so much to do God’s will, and now this! No room for us at the inn! Is anyone patting us on the back for making all this sacrifice? Where is Caesar now?—probably tucked up in his nice warm palace! And here we are, stuck out in this barn, with nothing to wrap the baby in apart from these swaddling cloths. And there’s nowhere to lay him except for this manger.”
What Joseph and Mary didn’t realize is that right at that time, a huge display of heavenly artistry was happening out on the nearby hills. Myriads of angelic beings appeared on God’s behalf, demonstrating his joy and celebration at the birth of his only begotten Son. Wow! God sure was in a festive mood. What’s more, not only had the inconvenient governmental decision brought them to the right town, but also the lack of vacancy in the inn had put them in exactly the right place to be a supernatural, divine sign to these true shepherds.
You see, the shepherds around Bethlehem were Levites, the tribe charged with temple duties and priesthood. These shepherds were responsible for raising the sacrificial lambs. Their responsibilities included scanning all lambs for the unblemished ones, taking them to the manger, and wrapping them in the “swaddling cloths” to keep them perfect until they could be offered as sacrifices.
Now that the one true sacrifice—God’s own unblemished sacrificial Lamb—had come, the need for the other lambs was over. To these particular shepherds, this was the sign of all signs. No wonder they became God’s publicists:
(Luke 2:17–18 NKJV) Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. {18} And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
Today, God is moving things around in your life to get you into the place to fulfill prophecy and his purpose in you. Much of it may be very inconvenient; some of it will involve great sacrifice, and it can be forced upon you by decisions made outside of your control. But have confidence; God is at work bringing you to the right place—the exact place he needs you to be. He has destined you to be a rescuer for many; and when in the right place at the right time, true shepherds will recognize it, and many of them will publicize it.
Your role right now is simply to trust; resist the temptation to whine and indulge in self-pity, because this is the most glorious thing God has done for you yet. You are ready; now is your time. Relax; amid the seeming crisis and turbulent circumstances, God is perfectly in control and on time to bring you into the center of your destiny in him.
Jesus’s destiny was to be the perfect sacrificial Lamb, given up for others. You may share in some of this same fate (See: 2 Cor. 5:14). But remember the true shepherds; they were out in the fields of ministry, watching over the flocks … by night! They didn’t merely have the title, Shepherd; they weren’t in the big city, sitting in the best seats at feasts, or climbing the ladder of comparative religious significance. Yet they were the ones who not only enjoyed the heavenly visitation and artistry, they were the ones qualified to recognize the move of God in Jesus. Why?—because they were familiar with sacrifice.
