Read that scripture again. This is the New Century version of the most familiar pieces of scripture in the Bible. What’s that? Not quite the way you recall the story? You ask, “A feeding trough? What happened to the soft, swaddling clothes and the quaint little manger?” It’s easy for us to sanitize the reality of the situation, and thereby remove some of the irony. The fact is the Savior of Mankind, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, was wrapped in rags and set to rest in a dirty, nasty trough that was used to feed pigs and cows.

Why would a mother allow this for her child? Well, she had no choice, because there was no room for them anywhere else. Perhaps a better question would be, “Why would our Father permit His Child to be treated in this manner?” Well, in addition to prophecy being fulfilled, maybe God also knew that His Child had to experience humanity. He needed to know what it was like to be homeless, helpless, and in poverty. Later, He needed to understand hunger, the death of loved ones, persecution, and even death itself. Jesus needed to experience mankind – as He came to die for mankind.

And that, my friends, is the real, unvarnished Christmas story.

 

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