The Nativity scene in which the Christ child lies in a manger,
surrounded by animals, has come to represent the Christmas season for
believers. And because the circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus
are reported in Luke's Gospel, many people assume that Christmas has
always been celebrated this way.
But it was not always so. Although Luke's account makes the animals
and shepherds important witnesses to the birth of Jesus, it was not
until the time of St. Francis of Assisi that their pivotal role in
welcoming the Savior was recognized.
St. Francis understood that God cared for all creatures. He knew that
each glorified God in their own way. And because he understood this, he
realized the significance of the setting into which Jesus was born.
Francis knew from the scriptures that "the creature itself also shall be
delivered from the bondage of corruption...for the whole creation
groaneth and travaileth together." (Romans 8:12, 22) And he knew that
the "whole creation" meant the redemption of nonhuman, as well as human,
beings.
In the original creation account, animals were created first. Then,
Adam was placed in their midst and given dominion - responsibility for
their well-being. But when human beings fell from their high estate they
began to abuse one another, and all other creatures. The entire earth
needed to be redeemed, and the birth of Christ heralded a new beginning.
His birth was a restatement of the creation story; like Adam, Jesus
was born in a place that already sheltered animals. "The time came for
the baby to be born...She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a
manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2:6, 7)
"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping
watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to
them...'Do not be afraid... I bring you good news...This will be a sign
to you; you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
(Luke 2:8-10, 12)
So it was that those chosen to be first to know the good news of
Christ's coming, were men who cared for animals. They were the nurturing
caregivers that God meant man to be when Adam was given charge over
creation. These shepherds were living in a way that, in their time, most
closely approximated the peaceful accord between animals and men that
God had ordained and the prophets had described in their millennial
visions.
Both shepherds and sheep continued to play an important role in the
life of Christ. During his ministry he designated himself "the Good
Shepherd" and in so doing, was continuing the tradition of the prophet
Isaiah who used the same image to express God's loving concern for all
creation.
"Here is your God...He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers
the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently
leads those that have young." (Isaiah 40:9, 11)
Jesus used the shepherd image to represent divine care and
compassion, but he was also reminding people that an ideal relationship
with animals was one in which they were the object of man's concern and
care. The life of the shepherd was also a life of service to nonhuman
creatures. It was a lifestyle that Jesus consistently held up as a model
to his followers.
The work of the shepherds was the antithesis of those whose work
centered around the slaughter of animals in the Temple at Jerusalem. And
Jesus, who was welcomed into the world by men who protected and cared
for animals, did not participate in the sacrificial rites of the Temple.
Neither did his disciples. Just as the beginning of Judaism was marked
by the rejection of human sacrifice when Abraham substituted a ram for
his son Isaac, so the beginning of Christianity was marked by the
rejection of animal sacrifice.
The infant who was born in a stable surrounded by domesticated
animals, grew up to become a man who suffered the same fate as the
gentle lambs who were endlessly slain on the altars of sacrifice. Men
said that the slaughter of those sheep was pleasing to God. So, also,
Jesus Christ - said to be a blasphemer - was killed because men thought
this would be pleasing to God.
The babe in the manger who grew up to become the Good Shepherd,
ultimately became the Lamb of God who went to his death "like a sheep
that is led to the slaughterhouse." (Acts 8:32)
For more information on "Humane Religion" visit:
http://www.all-creatures.org/hr/hra.htm
or contact [email protected]
Contributed by: [email protected]
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