A Journey Through The Stable Part 2 Series

A Journey Through the Stable II

Christmas really begins in the Old Testament. The promise of a coming Messiah

filled the pages of the Hebrew Bible. The Old Testament was the Bible of Jesus, and

he understood that he was the fulfillment of its prophesies. Jesus fulfilled these

prophesies by coming to earth, in human form, born as a baby in a stable.

On October 30, 1938, a science fiction story called The War of the Worlds was

heard. People heard about a supposed invasion of Martians. Some 2000 years ago

an invasion actually did take place but this invasion is not a work of fiction, it did

not take place from outer space, but according to the Bible, from heaven itself and,

unlike the fictional invaders in The War of the Worlds, he did not come announced

to millions of listeners, but silently, almost unnoticed, except to a few relatively

minor people of that day and a few animals.

How about the role of animals at Jesus’ birth?

Animals play a role in the greatest story ever told. Being animals, they could not

sing of it or talk of it. Nevertheless their role was very important. What would a

nativity scene be without stable animals?

One of the animals we always see in the stable is the donkey. Donkeys are humble

animals. People often make fun of them because of their long ears and criticize them

for being stubborn. A donkey had many uses back then: pack animal, riding animal,

even food. But the donkey was a beast of burden. It’s main job was to carry things

for people. Not a very glamorous job, but one that needs doing.

Jesus came to bear our griefs and carry our sorrows, like a beast of burden. He

carried them all the way to the cross. Not a very glamorous job, but one that needed

doing.

If we look around we would probably see a cow in the stable, as well. Whenever we

see a cow, naturally we think of milk. Milk is one of our most basic foods and it’s

one of the first foods that babies take.

You know, it’s hard to imagine Jesus, our Lord, who was there from the very

beginning of everything, coming down from his place in heaven to start life here on

earth at the beginning as a baby. But that’s exactly what he did. The cow reminds us

that Jesus started all over again, with baby food, like milk.

If you look around the stable at all the animals, I would guess you might find the

goat to be the most comical. Bouncing around, they seem to be having the fun. But

as with most animals in Jesus’ time, they had a variety of uses. They gave milk (like

cows), people ate them, their hair was used as tent material, their hides as bottles.

They also served as sacrifices during Passover.

I think one of their best uses, though, stems from their demeanor. They always seem

to get into mischief, which can be frustrating, but it usually makes people laugh.

Kind of like our own children, don’t you think? Do you think Mary and Joseph

shared a laugh or two in the stable watching the goat?

When you think about it, isn’t it nice that God gave us some things to make us

laugh. The goat is God’s invitation to laugh and rejoice.

Look up on the crossbeam. Some people think that the rooster is God’s alarm clock.

Roosters crow at dawn, kind of like telling the world to wake up, a new day is here!

Look at the season of Advent as God’s rooster, in a way. Advent tells us to wake up

- because God has something new for us, a gift of his perfect grace. The rooster

says, “Wake up and live like a child of God!”

How many of you have ever been in a stable or a barn? Or live anywhere within 5

miles of a farm? Then you all know about flies. Do you think there were flies in the

stable where Jesus was born? There probably were. I mean, animals were there,

(that’s what a stable is for) and where there are animals , you’ll find flies.

The Bible tells us in 2 Kings 1:2-3 that the inhabitants of Ekron worshipped the god

of flies, Baalzebub, to avert the evil done by flies . Flies may not be pleasant but

they serve a useful purpose in providing food for birds and other creatures. Flies

remind us that not everything in life is pleasant, but even unpleasant things have a

purpose.

In the Bible, the dove serves as different symbols. The psalmist uses the dove to

designate Israel, another symbol is one of innocence. The most common symbol of