Have you ever been in a barn? I have been in several over the years, and I’ve yet to find one that doesn’t smell bad… Yet, this is where we find an incredibly beautiful and world-changing event taking place.
You may have never thought about this (which would make you more normal than me) – it’s likely that the very first smell our Lord and Savior ever got wind of in His human flesh was manure. And considering what He knew about us and what He was coming here to do, it seems fitting for this to be so. After all, I think it stinks that the only Perfect and Righteous Man that ever lived was murdered for sins He did not commit - but I am also very glad and thankful that He did!
In fact, the entire scene in the famous Christmas story in the book of Luke takes place around bad smells.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. (Luke 2:8)
Ever been a shepherd? Yeah, I haven’t either... but I have been around sheep several times, and guess what? They stink, also!
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (Luke 2:16-20)
This entire beautiful, worship-filled scene takes place surrounded by filthy, stinking animals. So, is it not ironic that our Lord and Savior came down to this earth in human flesh to save us from our filthy, stinking selves? The prophet Isaiah said, “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags” - and he was speaking the words that our Lord gave him about our righteous acts! Jesus knows we stink – He loves us anyway...
I may be weird (don’t say it), but to me it’s somehow even more beautiful to think about the fact that our Lord came down and was born in a filthy barn. Jesus left the Glory of the Father – Perfection Himself – and came down to this stinking mess that we’ve made, so He could do what we could never do for ourselves… Turn us into something beautiful.
So I say with all my heart – Merry Stinkin’ Christmas!