We wrote yesterday about the baby in the manger being a sign to the shepherds.

You will recognize him by this miracle sign: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a feeding trough! (Luke 2.12, Passion Translation)

If you follow this blog regularly, you’ll notice that I quote from The Passion Translation (TPT) from time to time. Since not many folks are familiar with it, I don’t annotate it with TPT but with “Passion Translation.” Since I’ve been doing this for over a year now, I think I’ll start just calling it by its official abbreviation: TPT. I do recommend it, both for the text itself, and for the occasional very illuminating footnotes. If you want to warm up to it without buying it, check it out at www.biblegateway.com.

Anyway, I bring this up because there are two fabulous footnotes in Luke 2 about the shepherds and the manger or “feeding trough.”

That night, in a field near Bethlehem, there were shepherds watching over their flocks. (Luke 2.8, TPT)

Many scholars believe that these could be the same fields where sacrificial flocks were kept for temple worship. How fitting that these shepherds would hear the announcement of the birth of the Lamb of God… (Note on Luke 2.8, TPT)

So first, we have speculation that the shepherds, only about 6 miles outside Jerusalem would be tending the sheep used later for temple worship. But it gets better! Commenting on the sign of the baby in a feeding trough we read:

A baby lying in a feeding trough where animals were kept nearby, wrapped in strips of cloths, became a sign of the Man-Savior’s life on earth. He entered the world as a lowly baby, and though he is the mighty God, he lived his life on earth in gentleness before all. The shepherds that night were possibly near Bethlehem at Migdal Eder, “the [watch] tower of the flock.” This would fulfill both the prophecies of Mic. 5:2 and Mic. 4:8, which say, “to you it [he] will come, your dominion [kingdom] from old will arrive.” It was at the lower floor of the watchtower (Migdal Eder) that the birthing of the Passover lambs would take place. Selected ewes that were about to give birth would be brought there. After the birth of the lambs, the priestly shepherds would wrap the lambs in cloth and lay them in a manger lined with soft hay to prevent them from hurting themselves, for Passover lambs must be unblemished with no bruise or broken bone. The miracle sign for these priestly shepherds would be a baby boy lying where the Passover lamb should be—in a manger, wrapped in strips of cloth. It was at the cradle of Jesus Christ that the kingdom from ancient times arrived on earth. (Note on Luke 2.12, TPT)

I present the relevant texts without further comment except to observe we have the Passion and Christmas rolled together:

As for you, watchtower of the flock,
stronghold of Daughter Zion,
the former dominion will be restored to you;
kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.” (Micah 4.8, NIV)

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times. (Micah 5.2, NIV)

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1.29, NIV)

…Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. (1 Corinthians 5.7, NIV)