FROM THE WOMB TO THE TOMB Marcella Ward December 22, 2021

 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger

 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”  When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child  and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.  Luke 2:8-20 NIV

 “The baby Jesus was laid, not in a nice wooden cradle built by His carpenter father, but on stone. No wonder Mary wanted to wrap her son in strips of cloth. Though probably lined with clean straw, this stone had been slobbered on by cattle. From the moment of His birth Christ was wrapped in rock, emerging from a womb of flesh into a womb of stone, prefiguring the tomb in which this king who was born to die would be buried. Yet even His stone tomb would open for yet another birth beyond all conception.”  (Posted in Blog and tagged Bethlehem, Christmas, Jesus: His Story In Stone, Manger)

“Somewhere deep in Jewish tradition (revealed in writings called the Mishnah), a belief had arisen that the Messiah would be revealed from the Migdal Eder ("the tower of the flock"). This tower stood close to Bethlehem on the road to Jerusalem, and the sheep that pastured there were not the type used for ordinary purposes. The shepherds working there, in fact, took care of the temple-flocks, the sheep meant for sacrifice.

We can trust that God had a specific purpose for this shepherd audience, and the work they performed suggests the reason. These men who watched the sheep meant for the slaughter received a divine message about the ultimate Lamb who would take away the sins of the world through His death and resurrection.”  (Adapted from The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim (Book II, Chapter VI).

“The Christmas story takes on added meaning when we consider that the shepherds who were abiding by their flocks in the fields were perhaps watching over temple sheep, sheep that were being bred and protected to be sacrificed at the temple in Jerusalem.  The noted information relies heavily on the research of Cooper P. Abrams III in his article Where was the Birth Place of the Lord Jesus?

“These shepherds may have been men who were accustomed to preparing lambs which symbolically represented the Messiah in their cleanliness, perfection, and their sacrifice on the altar of the temple.  This gives added depth of meaning, if true, to these scriptures which tell of the angels who came to these shepherds to proclaim the birth of the Lamb of God, the Savior of mankind, who would offer the last and ultimate sacrifice.” Why Did the Angels Announce Jesus’s Birth to Shepherds?

But there are more interesting details.  The place where the angels appeared to the shepherds is traditionally known as the Tower of the Flock, or Migdal Edar, which is very near Bethlehem.  One commentator notes: “This watch tower from ancient times was used by the shepherds for protection from their enemies and wild beasts. It was the place ewes were brought to give birth to the lambs. In this sheltered building/cave, the priests would bring in the ewes which were about to lamb for protection. These special lambs came from a unique flock which was designated for sacrifice at the temple in Jerusalem.”  (Posted on December 30, 2016 by RoseMarie  WHO WERE THE SHEPHERDS IN THE CHRISTMAS STORY? … The Answer May Surprise You!   –  By Luke 

Jesus was wrapped in the amniotic sac which is the fluid-filled sac that contains and protects a fetus in the womb.  He was protected in the womb as well as in the stone trough.  After His birth, Mary wrapped him in cloth, swaddling clothes, to keep Him safe and warm from the elements.  Just as the perfect lambs were being protected in the stone trough in preparation to be sacrificed in the Temple, so was Jesus’ birth, a foreshadowing of the perfect Lamb of God.

Jesus came as the perfect Lamb of God.  Brought forth from His mother’s womb and then laid at death in a stone tomb in which He was covered with a shroud which is “a length of cloth or an enveloping garment in which a dead person is wrapped for burial” and on the Third Day He Resurrected from the dead.

At this Christmas time, let us reflect on His birth, which has forever changed the world.  He was protected in His mother’s womb, swaddled in an animal trough and covered in a shroud in a tomb.  He came as a child and died on a cross to forgive us of our sins.   From the womb to the tomb, Jesus is always with us.  Jesus, the Bread of Life, will sustain us on our journey throughout our life. 

These are words that I believe I received from the Lord on December 8, 2021

“What is a Christmas miracle?  It is the miracle of a new life, a new life in Christ.  You cannot say Christmas without saying Christ.  What is My Christmas miracle to you?  My Christmas miracle is a clean slate, a clean heart and a clean mind. 

Jesus wiped the slate clean at the Cross.  From manger to cross, a living testimony of life infiltrated by God Himself.  From birth to death, from cross to grave you live in the miracle of life---eternal life!  So at this Christmas time lay your burdens, your fears, your anxieties, your dreams, your pain, your loss----everything at the manger for it is at His birth that the miracle began and it was at His Resurrection that our true life in Him begins.  So be cheerful, look up and receive your Christmas miracle/s today.  For every day is a Christmas miracle if you follow His way!!”

Go to this link to listen to a song about God’s loving presence with us always on our journey through life.

All Our Life's a Journey © 2004 Marty Ward