At the time of Jesus’ birth, outside Bethlehem an angel announced Jesus’ birth to shepherds. The angel declared to them that their Savior, the Christ/Messiah had been born. They would have a sign of a child lying in a feeding trough, wrapped in swaddling clothes. This sign to the shepherds enabled them to find Jesus, because how many babies would be lying in a feeding trough? The shepherds’ arrival also would have confirmed to Mary and Joseph the identity of Jesus, who had been revealed to them and Elizabeth, but now was being revealed to others, even strangers to them.
The fact that Mary and Joseph were outside with the livestock would have made it easier for the shepherds to find them. Under normal circumstances a child is born in privacy in a home or shelter. Had that been the case the shepherds would have had to find the exact house and room where Jesus was, which would have been much more difficult than locating the livestock in a village, which were probably placed in one location. Having located the livestock, finding a child sleeping in a feeding trough, a very unusual occurrence, would have been much more doable. All was outside and accessible to them. Even in Jesus’ birth, we see that Jesus was not hidden away, but accessible to all who sought him. What was likely a great inconvenience to Mary and Joseph, possibly even a disappointment that Jesus was not born at home in Nazareth or at least in a house, turned out to be a blessing to those who were seeking to honor him. In those difficult circumstances for Mary and Joseph, Jesus was accessible for others to find and worship. This was the purpose of Jesus’ coming, that he would be available to anyone who sought him out. What was true then is still true today.
David Freitag 