Weekly Reflections: The manger and the Cross

By REV. LUNA DINGAYAN
www.nordis.net

“She gave birth to her first son, wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger – there was no room for them to stay in the inn. – Luke 2:7

Meaning of Jesus’ Birth
The meaning of Jesus’ birth can be found in his death on the cross. The manger cannot be separated from the cross. While the cross symbolizes Jesus’ death, the manger symbolizes Jesus’ birth. Out of the four canonized Gospels, only two have accounts of Jesus’ birth: the Gospel of Luke (Lk. 2) and the Gospel of Matthew (Mt. 2).  As regarded by Biblical scholars, the first gospel, the Gospel of Mark, doesn’t even have a nativity story, while the last gospel, the Gospel of John, pictures Jesus as one who has come from eternity like Adam without passing through the normal process of being born into this world (Jn.1) Perhaps, the writers of these two Gospels found no significance of Jesus’ birth in their respective historical context.

Moreover, the two Gospels with Jesus’ nativity stories have two different versions. While Matthew says that Jesus was born in a house and visited by Wise Men from the East (Mt. 2), Luke claims that Jesus was born in a manger and visited by shepherds from the fields. A portion of the Lukan narrative says, “She (Mary) gave birth to her first son, wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger – there was no room for them to stay in the inn.”(Lk. 2:7).

Obviously, the two different versions of the nativity story stem from the fact that the two writers have their own respective emphasis.  While Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah the Jewish people were waiting for, Luke claims that Jesus is the universal savior of both Jews and Gentiles, especially the poor even those who are born in the most miserable place like a manger.

Solidarity with the Poor
Being born in a manger represents a situation of poverty, and not only of poverty but also of being outcast of society. A manger is very much associated with the shepherds who use it for feeding their flock. Actually, the shepherds of the fields were social outcasts in Jesus’ time.

Hence, being born in a manger simply means being in solidarity with the poor and social outcasts. Jesus’ life manifests this kind of solidarity that defines concretely the direction of his mission and ministry. The Lukan version of Jesus’ mission statement says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people.”(Lk. 4:18-19).

Jesus taught about God’s Kingdom. Through his words and deeds Jesus made people realize what God’s Kingdom is all about. He healed the sick to show that there is wholeness of life in the Kingdom. He fed the hungry to make people understanding that there is daily bread in God’s Kingdom.

He forgave the sinners to show that in the Kingdom there is love and forgiveness of sins and new life. He casted out the demonic forces to manifest that in God’s Kingdom there is overcoming of the Evil One, for God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus’ Death on the Cross
It is the life Jesus lived that led him to the cross. Jesus’ death on the cross is, indeed, the consequence of his life of solidarity with the poor. Perhaps, Jesus would not be crucified if he did not empower the poor and oppressed to be active participants in the establishment of God’s reign on earth as it is in heaven. Perhaps, he would not be tortured to death if he did not forgive the sinners and challenge the moral and religious hypocrisies of the powers-that-be.

Perhaps, he would not be suffering a lot if he did not cure the sick even on Sabbath Day and cleanse the Temple from all sorts of corruption.

If Jesus did not do all these things, then his birth becomes meaningless. And there would be no Christmas to celebrate in the first place. It is the life of Jesus leading to his death on the cross that gives meaning to his birth. And so, the manger must always be understood from the perspective of the cross.# nordis.net