Labor And Delivery

Labor and Delivery

Reading the Word

He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. 6And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them (Luke 2:5–7).

Setting the Scene

Countless tellings of the story have compressed the time between the couple’s journey and Jesus’ arrival. We usually picture the weary soon-to-be-parents wandering into Bethlehem in the evening, with Mary already feeling contractions, and the “No Vacancy” signs posted in the inn. Jesus was born in a little town, perhaps only large enough to have one inn. Necessity forced the couple to take shelter in some kind of alternative housing that had a manger. Since the “manger” indicates a place where animals were housed, Jesus was likely born in a cave. This ironically means that Jesus spent both his arrival night and his departure night (following his death on the Cross) in a cave.

Regardless of exact location, Jesus’ birth went largely unnoticed by the world. The scant details point to the simplicity and commonness of his birth. God, taking on flesh, entered life in the same messy, painful, and wonder-filled way that every human does. The King of kings didn’t get royal treatment at birth. Right from the start, only a few really understood and welcomed the Savior.

Getting Personal

Familiarity with the story sometimes causes us to relive the events of Jesus’ birth with mild indifference. But what would be our fate if the Savior had never been born? The wonder doesn’t come from trying to imagine all the ways God might have arranged to rescue us; the wonder comes in realizing that this was, in fact, the way God fulfilled his promises.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, many people “found” him: Mary, Joseph, the innkeeper, the shepherds. And later he was found by wise men, Simeon, and Anna. In reality, Jesus found them . . . and us in his birth. “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6–8).

• What is your favorite part of the Christmas story?
• What aspects of this story affect you most profoundly? Why?

Talking to God

“Amazing love, how can it be, that Thou my God should die for me”!

God, make the story of his incarnation fresh for me as I study your Word. Help me understand and appreciate the amazing truth of the Incarnation—God’s glory and love, a baby, our Savior.

“I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see!”

Adapted from Life Application Study Bible Devotional by Dave Veerman and Neil Wilson (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2011), used by permission.