Luke 2:7 & 11-12 (NIV84)  Jesus Goes Underground 

 

(V.7)  “She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”  (V.11-12) [ The angel said to them ],  “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ  the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”   

    I have read or heard these verses for dozens of times.  I am so used to the  fact that the baby Jesus was laid in a manger.  But this is so upside down!  A Savior who is Christ the Lord- lying in a manger.  The bizarre plan of our God makes his identity totally hidden, and yet, to those in on the secret (the shepherds), finding the right baby was assured.  

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    This reads like an espionage novel, with the main character in deep cover.  It is as if, someone told you, “The one who is going to be President of the USA (we don’t have an office comparable to ‘Christ the Lord’), you will find in an alley near the railroad tracks, sleeping on the back seat of an old abandoned Ford.” 

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   I love you, Lord Jesus, for taking this route to invade and save the world, including me.  I thank you, Father, for inventing the most humble and yet unmistakable route to be among us.  And for setting a strategy in motion that is costly, risky and so full of your love.