Who Is Jesus? Part 1:The Humble King

Jesus is our Lord and Savior, who frees us from sin and death. Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah. Jesus in the only son of God and the second member of trinity. We feel Him in our hearts, He answers our prayers, guides us and protects us daily. But, I want to take an in depth look at the character of Jesus during His short physical time on Earth.

“Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.” (1 John 4:15)

Let us first take a look at the birth of Jesus in the small town of Bethlehem. “And she (Mary) 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)

The newborn baby Jesus was placed in a stable’s feeding trough because the guest rooms of Bethlehem had all been taken. What a humble beginning. Couldn’t God have enabled His only Son to be born in a luxurious palace and swaddled in silk and placed in a basinet of gold inlayed with jewels? Well, yes, He could  have, but He didn’t. Why? Why was the only Son of God born in a dirty, dingy stable and placed in a manger? It was not an accident. God does not make mistakes. God chose this. The humble beginning of Jesus was to show His humble nature. God had humbled Himself for us.

Above is a recreation of an First Century Israelite home. The family that lived in the home, would have slept upstairs, the animals would have been kept in the downstairs portion. The manger was a feeding trough for the animals. Oftentimes, these first century homes had guest rooms located around the back of the main home. Because of the Roman census of the time when Jesus was born, the city of Bethlehem had many people from “out of town” and all the guest rooms or “inns” were taken.

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye, shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:8-12)

The first people that God chose to announce the arrival of His Son and the Savior of the world to were shepherds out in the fields. I do not know how many of us have spent time around flocks of sheep before, but sheep stink and so do the shepherds. First century shepherds were not thought of very highly in society. They were outcasts. But the Almighty God chose to announce the arrival of the Son of God, the Messiah, to a group of lowly shepherds. The angels told the shepherds, that they would know when they find the correct the baby because he will be lying in a manger. It is safe to say that other first century newborn babies were not lying in mangers.

Jesus was born into this world as the humble king. He will return as the all powerful king, defeating evil and death forever. Jesus humbled Himself to save us, He also humbled himself as an example of how we should live our lives. We should not live our lives full of pride, rather humble ourselves to all we meet. Our reward in heaven will be great.

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” (1 Peter 5:6)