Scripture References: Matthew 2:1-11; Luke 2:8-12

How shall we know Him? That was the question they were asking on that first Christmas.

There were two ways given by which they could know Him. The angel said to the shepherds: “And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12). When the shepherds got to where the child was they had no trouble identifying Him.

The wise men were given another sign, that of a star. For approximately two years, they had followed a star to Jerusalem and there, not trusting its leading, went to the palace, believing a future king had been born. They did not find Him, and, picking up the guidance of the star again, were led to where the child was. “And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was” (Matthew 2:9). They found Him in much humbler surroundings than a palace.

We have here two ways of knowing Jesus Christ which are as applicable to us as they were to those who sought to identify Him on those first Christmas’. The shepherds would know Him by simple, elemental things of earth while the wise men would identify Him by a sign from the heavens.

Simple Things

Swaddling clothes and a manger. What simple things. They were signs that plain and unsophisticated men could know and follow. Swaddling clothes were coarse garments used by the poor. The shepherds had been wrapped in swaddling clothes when they were babies, and they had wrapped their own in them. The shepherds could not mistake a manger.

The shepherds were unlearned men in a formal sense. They were not university graduates with diplomas hanging upon their walls. They were not sophisticated, urban men. They were rustic, simple, village people who lived close to the earth with its soil, winds, and rain. Yet, this does not mean they were not wise. They were indeed wise about the simple, basic, elemental things of life. They knew about the rhythm of the seasons, the signs of earth and sky, sheep and sheepfolds, cattle and mangers. They knew about honest work, the secret of friendship, and the care of family. They knew about truth, honor, faith, and love. They knew about those things that are the real undergirding of life.

These simple things, falling within the experience of these shepherds, helped identify Him whose life, speech, and manner were unbelievably simple.

If the first sign was of earth most earthy, the second sign was from beyond earth. The wise men were guided by a light from the heavens to the Christ child, a toddler by then. He was a child under a star, a child with the light of heaven in His face. This is how they would know Him.

These two ways of identifying the child those first Christmas’ told two fundamental things about Him. The swaddling clothes and manger told how human He was. The star told of a light that shone in His face, a light not of earth but from beyond earth. The light of God was in His face and shone in His eyes. He was both human and divine.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
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