The Manger And The Heart

⁷And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
-Luke 2:7 (KJV)


With Christmas being over, I guess we'll put the words of Luke 2 away until this time next year. But before we do, let's take one last look at some things that I consider we need to decide. Look at these words in Luke 2:7.


The Son of God, the promised Messiah, the King of Kings, was born in a manger. What, exactly, was a manger?Look at what Wikipedia has to say about a manger.

A manger is a trough or box of carved stone or wood construction used  to hold food for animals (as in a stable). Mangers are mostly used in livestock raising. They are also used to feed wild animals, e.g., in nature reserves. The word comes from the French manger (meaning "to eat"), from Latinmanducare (meaning "to chew").

A manger is also a Christian symbol, associated with nativity scenes where Mary, forced by necessity to stay in a stable instead of an inn, placed the baby Jesus in a manger. (Luke 2:7). This is commonly misinterpreted as the manger being the stable.

Jesus was born in a feeding trough. Kind of interesting, don't you think? Jesus calls Himself the "bread of life" in John 6:35 and John 4:48. The "bread of life" was born in a feeding trough. That's cool. The swaddling clothes were simply strips of cloth held together with bandages. Search google for swaddling clothes.  

The verse also teaches us that there was no room at the inn. That is understood since there were probably thousands of people in town for the census. Yet, it is sad. Why? The world didn't have room in their lives for Jesus when He was born, and it still doesn't have room in their hearts now. That is the question I want you to decide this very minute. Do you have room in your life, in your heart, for Jesus? Think About It.