12/27/2022
This is so awesome!!!
Open your bible to Luke 2:1-7.
“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son,” her first born son conceived by the Holy Spirit, “and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger”—highlight swaddling clothes and manger—“because there was no room for them in the inn.”
This is a story of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. It’s a very familiar story. Most Christian people, if not all, have read these verses or the verses that are similar in Matthew chapter 1. Mary was about ready to give birth after nine months of pregnancy. She and Joseph traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register for the census. When they finally did arrive in Bethlehem, they tried to locate a place to stay but couldn’t find any. It just happens Mary goes into labor, and it’s no coincidence. This is the location God picked, Bethlehem, for a reason, and this is the time for a reason. She goes into labor, and after delivery, she places the baby Jesus in a manger.
Our modern conception of a manger is different than what it was 2000 years ago. It wasn’t some little wood manger as we are familiar with seeing at Christmastime in a nativity scene. Sure, it looks cute, but it’s not accurate. A manger, especially where they were located—location is very important—was none other than a feeding trough, and they were always carved out of stone. It wasn’t a wooden manger. It is not anything else but a carved-out slab of stone.
The photo is what they would have looked like. This has been repeatedly proven through archeological digs to be accurate, particularly around Bethlehem. It’s quite different from the everyday run-of-the-mill nativity decorations we see. This manger is not made out of wood. It was made out of stone, a stone that was carved out.
Now what I’m about to say could be nothing, but I think it’s something. Without going into all the details, the following picture is the sarcophagus or stone coffer in the Great Pyramid of Giza in the King’s Chamber.
They kind of look alike. Remember, the stone coffer in the Great Pyramid is unique, one of a kind. You don’t find this type of setup in any other pyramid. First of all, this is above ground. Every other pyramid that has burial chambers has them below ground. Another thing unique about this stone coffer in the King’s Chamber in the Great Pyramid is there are no designs on its side, no lid, and no inscriptions. It has nothing that would relay any particular purpose whatsoever. It’s just another stone slab, a very heavy one. Obviously, it was placed because of its weight and size, and then the Great Pyramid’s King’s Chamber was built around it. Every other stone coffer has designs and inscriptions on them, as I said. This was not a king’s chamber tomb. There is no physical evidence to support that theory, and most know this. There is nothing written on the walls, no funerary text, no hieroglyphics in this King’s Chamber, nor artifacts that were used quite heavily in other burial sites. Nothing supports that this chamber was a tomb. It doesn’t have a lid. The chipped corner is from people seeking to take home souvenirs by chipping off pieces from the corner. It wasn’t like that originally. Policing put a stop to those practices, but who knows how much would have been left if they hadn’t put a stop to it. Some people believe this is Cheops’ or Kufu’s tomb, but when you study Egyptian history, it makes no sense that someone as important as Cheops would have had a tomb completely void of physical evidence that would support its royal purpose. Now other tombs demonstrate quite the opposite. Is the message in this King’s Chamber something more than what some of you have been taught? And if you haven’t been taught, I’m not going to get into it. It isn’t the purpose of this message. I just wanted to throw this out there to stimulate your thoughts on the subject. I will do a series on the significance of the Great Pyramid and the Bible in the future. But back to Luke 2:7.
Now you see these stone feeding troughs all over Israel, but there was one location that was unique. These were carved out stone mangers. They didn’t make them out of wood. If they did, the food and water would cause it to rot. So they made it out of stone.
Luke 2:8, “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.”
When most people read through these verses, they mistakenly think the sign is finding a child wrapped in swaddling clothes. That’s the sign, and that’s it, nothing more.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem about a thousand paces out in the middle of a bunch of sheep. Sheep that were born and raised in that area were for the Jewish Temple sacrifices. Isn’t that something? The Lamb of God. Even John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the Lamb of God. Remember, they were cousins. John the Baptist was six months older. If Jesus was born in the middle of where they were raising sheep for the Temple sacrifices, can you imagine the humor behind John the Baptist possibly saying, “Hey Jesus, you’re the Lamb of God; You were born among the sheep”? Now it has a more significant meaning than that, but boys being boys growing up, what a nickname, Lamb of God.
Now, this verse alone is quite a statement, especially to the Jews who lived around that area that raised, cared for, shepherded, and the priests that were involved for the purpose of sacrificing tens of thousands of lambs each year to cover their sins. This is a story no one talks about in this context, but for those shepherds we read about in verse 8 who were in the field, “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night” this has meaning.
Why did the angel of the Lord say this baby would be wrapped in clothes, and that would be a sign? What sign? Just a baby? But they also mention clothing. What kind of sign is that? When you analyze this as a biblical detective, this is not just a sign; it’s a huge sign.
Now in the time of Christ’s birth, during the birthing season, Levitical priests would be sent up from Jerusalem, traveling a thousand paces or so to Bethlehem to watch over the birthing process. They had to be sure that the sheep born and the ones they would choose would have no defects because if one were defective in some way, it would be eliminated as a sheep separated for the Temple sacrifices.
On the edge of the field surrounding Bethlehem, where most of the sheep were born and being raised, in this general area that scripture references, there is a two-story stone tower called Migdal Eder. Not too long ago, Israeli archeologists found this tower. This photo isn’t the actual tower, but it is what it would have looked like in those days.
What was the purpose of these towers? Especially a tower that was just outside Bethlehem? A tower is not just something we can connect here in this story. It’s also something prophesied in the book of Micah 4:8
“And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.”
What does this mean?. It is saying the Messiah would be revealed from the Migdal Eder or the Tower of the Flock.
Let me read you some brief history.
This Migdal Eder was not the watchtower for the ordinary flocks which pastured on the barren sheep-ground beyond Bethlehem but lay close to the town, on the road to Jerusalem. A passage in the Mishnah (Shek.7:4) leads to the conclusion that the flocks, which pastured there, were destined for Temple-sacrifices. In addition, Migdal Eder is also mentioned by the Targums. What is someone to make out of all the information if they read those historical accounts of what these towers mean according to the rabbis? We know that Migdal Eder was the watch tower that guarded the temple flocks, those who were being raised to serve as sacrificial animals in the Temple. This is the same area Jesus was born, the Lamb of God.
This is the same area Jesus was born
These were not just any flock and herd. The shepherds who kept them were men who were specifically trained for this royal task. They were educated in what an animal that was to be sacrificed had to be, and it was their job to make sure that none of the animals were hurt, damaged, or blemished.
Migdol Eder as it was known, was only about a thousand paces from Bethlehem and was a place of elevation where shepherds would go to watch over their sheep that graze in the meadow valley below. It was a good vantage point and ideal for watching over the sheep and keeping an eye on what might come down the road from Jerusalem. It became the place where they raised the unblemished unspotted sheep used for the Temple sacrifices.
Another source.
The fields around Bethlehem were powerful grazing lands. The priestly shepherds still watched over the flock both day and night. They were diligent to protect them from their natural enemies, the robber, the wolf, the bear, and the lion. Migdal Eder (or “Tower of the Flock”) was constructed to watch over the sheep. On the ground floor, the room is designated for the delivery and protection of these special lambs. Here they kept for the sacred little lambs with a holy role a manger similarly clean.
At the Migdal Eder, the priest that would come up from Jerusalem would climb the tower at an elevated vantage point, and they would look over the flocks in the field. The purpose was to see if there were any signs among the sheep about ready to give birth. Now sheep, when they are almost ready to give birth, become very fidgety. They start pawing the ground, and they start separating themselves from the flock just before birthing a lamb. If the priests who kept an attentive eye on these sheep noticed any of those signs, they would bring the sheep into the Migdal Eder tower’s ground floor, and the lamb would give birth in a ceremonially clean area. After the lamb was born, if it was without blemish, it was immediately wrapped in strips of cloth.
Remember I told you to highlight in Luke, swaddling clothes, and also in verse 12, “And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
Swaddling clothes is part of the sign. After it was born, the lamb was immediately wrapped in strips of cloth made from old priestly underwear. The purpose behind that was to make sure the lamb would stay unblemished. The priest would then take that lamb and put it in the manger to keep it safe from getting trampled by other sheep that were about ready to give birth. When the angel of the Lord told the shepherds in the field that the Savior had been born, the sign in the record of Luke was that a child would be wrapped in the same clothes as the sacrificial sheep and placed in a manger. See, those shepherds in the field knew exactly what that angel was saying. They would have immediately understood the significance of that sign.
And of course, we read on in verse 13, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory [honor, praise, and worship] to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste...”
I like how they heard that good news; they didn’t put it off until the next day. They didn’t even put it off for an hour. They made haste!
“...and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.”
In other words, when the angels had gone away, the shepherds talked among themselves and decided not to waste any time and went straight to the Migdal Eder to see this, which the angels had made known unto them. They rushed there, making their way to Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus who was lying in that stone manger, in a location where the sheep were temporarily located after birth, separated and clothed with priestly garments. Set apart for a sacrifice.
Right from the beginning of his birth, he was set apart for a sacrifice for our benefit. There is no doubt about it. The shepherds knew precisely where to go. All we know is they had limited information, but they headed to the birthing tower, the Migdal Eder, where they would find Joseph, Mary, and Jesus lying there where sacrificial sheep would lie.
Jesus wore the clothes of a priest from birth. That’s the sign. These shepherds knew exactly what this meant, not just that a child was born but that he was in swaddling clothes, in priestly clothes lying in a manger. Migdal Eder was just on the horizon where these shepherds were. They knew exactly where to go, my friends. Our Messiah, the sacrificial Lamb of God, was born where all unspotted lambs designated for the Temple sacrifices were born.
John 1:29, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him,”—they were grown men now— “and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
Hopefully, you’ll have a different understanding of this early chapter in Luke and Matthew from this day forward. That is why I want to end this year by going to the Table of the Lord. Our focus in this ministry is always to look unto Jesus. Look unto our Messiah, our Savior, how his sacrifice being the Lamb of God has benefitted us. He took away the sin of the world by removing it. Those who look unto Jesus as their Savior are now part of his family. Scripture says we are joint-heirs, and he takes care of his family. I’ve preached that many times over. And by taking care of us, He looks after us. Sometimes we feel like, “why?” Because we let the world and even the Christian world bring us down into a place of condemnation. Well, He lifted all that off of us. We don’t have to be in a state of condemnation anymore. I’ve said it repeatedly. You’re going to sin. I’m going to sin. I don’t like it. I try to resist it, but there are times I fall short. I’ve made that quite clear. And I’ve made it quite clear that if you think you don’t sin anymore, then you, according to First John, have made God a liar. I try to live my life pleasing unto the Lord, but there are failures related to sin, yet He picks me up. Remember, He died for us. And when someone is willing to die for you, that tells me He cares for you. He loves you. He was willing to sacrifice his life for you. And more than just His life. He left the throne of heaven to come down and place himself in a container of flesh, to fulfill what He promised, to reconcile us back to the Father. That’s what He did, my friend. The message is there right from his birthing experience. The message was right there that even the shepherds knew, “Behold the lamb of God. The promised Savior has arrived.”
And I’ve got news for you, not only will you remember Jesus, but according to Paul in the Corinthian letter, we are to remember He will come back again. And not only remember what He did for us this yearif this is when you were saved and rescued by him, for many of us it was way before that—but that it is not the finishing story. That isn’t the finished story; there is more to come. He is coming back, and we will rule and reign with Him forever, praising, honoring, and worshipping our Savior and God the Father.
So as we close out this year, as we started this year, let’s put our focus on Jesus and say, Thank you, Lord, for saving a wretch like me, for being that Lamb of God who sacrificed himself. And if it were only me, He would have done it for only me, but He did it for the world, and it is our responsibility as ambassadors of Jesus Christ to point the world toward what He did for them so they can enjoy the same benefits we have.
That is what our mission here is, and it will continue.
Look unto Jesus, thank Him for His precious blood and broken body for a wretch like me. It is truly amazing grace. The kids of this world would say it’s mind-blowing. What He has done is beyond that. Thank you, Jesus, for your Amazing Grace.
Take the elements.
Pastor Joseph Cortes - Faith Cometh By Hearing Ministry
