The Adventures of Jesus Christ
Episodes from the Life of Jesus for Young Readers
by Vincent Cheung
[ Contents ]

Chapter 4. Jesus and the Manger
THE HERO IS HERE, BUT HE’S A BABY

God had promised to send a hero, a Savior, to make everything right between himself and humanity. The time had finally come. The Word of God was going to be born into the world as a man, and his name would be Jesus. Although he was the Son of God, the Word who created everything, his birth would not happen in the temple. And although as Jesus he would become the king of all nations, he would not be born in a palace.

God delights to use the small, weak, and unimportant to accomplish great things. People are often impressed with expensive things, big places, educated people and wealthy people. Of course, God can use them to do great things too! If you are educated and wealthy, and if you believe God and humble yourself, then your education and wealth will not be a problem. In the hands of God, these are good things, not bad things.

But God will often start something great with broken things and in unimportant places. He will often choose uneducated people and unwealthy people to speak truths and work miracles. As these people follow God, his teachings and his blessings can make them educated, wealthy, and successful in every way. There are many examples in the Bible.

One reason God does this is to surprise the people who are proud of what they have. But what do you have that does not come from God in the first place? No one should brag that his education or his wealth was the thing that helped God spread his message. No one should claim that he brought something to God that made God successful. Every person needs God, but God does not need any person. God wants to work with us because he loves us and honors us.

Mary would soon have her baby. Meanwhile, she had to take a long trip with her husband, Joseph. They traveled to a town called Bethlehem because the king wanted to count all the people in his kingdom. Bethlehem was far away, and it took them many days to get there.

When they reached Bethlehem, they needed a place to stay. But because so many people had come to the town for the counting, all the inns were full. Every place they went, there was no room.

Finally, they were told that there was a stable where they could stay. A stable is a place where animals like donkeys and cows are kept. It was not a fancy place, but it was warm and quiet.

Mary and Joseph settled down in the stable, and Jesus was born that night. The baby’s first bed was a manger, a box that animals eat from. Mary wrapped him up in cloths and laid him there.

People would have expected the Word in human body to be born in a temple or a palace, but he was born in a stable. Jesus had arrived. God had sent his Son into the world, just as he promised.

In a nearby area, some shepherds were out in the fields, watching over their flocks of sheep. An angel appeared to them and the light of God shone all round them. The shepherds became very nervous, but the angel said, “Do not be afraid. I have come with good news that will bring joy to people everywhere! Today, the Savior has been born in Bethlehem. He is Christ the Lord. You will find him wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

“Christ” is the title for the hero that God promised to send. The word “Messiah” means the same thing. The word “Lord” means king and ruler, and in some situations, it means God. At this time, the people saw Jesus as only a human baby. But many people will see that he was much more. Soon, he would become the Lord Jesus Christ – the God-King Jesus Christ.

But let us not get too far ahead. After the shepherds were told to visit the baby in the manger, the sky was filled with a large group of angels, singing and praising God. They were celebrating the birth of Jesus. The angels knew that Jesus was the Word, the one who created them and rule over them. He was greater than all of them. They must have been in awe that the Word has come to earth as a baby.

The shepherds were probably filled with curiosity and excitement. They hurried to Bethlehem to see this baby the angels had spoken about. When they arrived, they found Mary, Joseph, and the newborn Jesus, just like the angel told them.

The shepherds were so happy that they ran to tell everyone about the wonderful thing God had done. Then they told many other people about what had happened and what the angel said about this child.

God always carries out his plans. He always keeps his promises. That night, what God said long ago, and what God repeated many times for hundreds of years, finally happened. And the world would never be the same.