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THE CURIOUS SIGN OF THE MANGER
Review copy only—not for distribution.
to be placed in a feeding trough as a baby because
the church would later feed on him as a ‘holy
sacrament’.
Now, I love a nice touch of symbolism as
much as the next person… but please, PLEASE!
Let’s not get carried away with ourselves! I am
completely certain that Jesus being placed in
the feeding trough has absolutely nothing to do
with him actually being considered to be food
(symbolic or otherwise). Further, this is hardly
the first thing that would have popped into the
shepherds’ minds when they found the right
stable and saw the baby there in the feeding
trough. “Oh look lads, supper is on!” No.
I have no doubt that when the shepherds
were told that the “Christ” and “Lord” was
going to be born and placed in a feeding trough
(a manger), they would have been absolutely
astonished, and certainly no less amazed when
they found him exactly as described. No small
part of their amazement would have been
because this was a highly unusual place to find
someone who had been declared by angels from
heaven as “a newborn king”.
12/09/2016 1:02 PM