Somethin's Cookin' in the Cave

By Charles Scott
One of the ignominies of history involves the improper pictures that have been given to us surrounding the birth of Jesus. We have church play concepts of Jesus being born in a barn, and our concept of a barn comes from "Hee Haw" or "Green Acres." Jesus was not born in a stable or a barn; the fact is, Jesus was born in a cave. The Bible Exposition Commentary says that most scholars believe Jesus was born in a cave where animals were kept, and not in a wooden shed as depicted in modern manger scenes.

We see these pictures of Jesus with permed, Paul Mitchell-treated hair, but those are improper pictures – we need to see the right picture. When Jesus was born He was hidden. He was born in a cave, this dichotomy of Deity, God and human in a body of bone and tissue wrapped in flesh. He was born to a middle-class family. His step-father was a carpenter, yet He could not be born in the hotel because there was no room for Him. He is the King of kings, yet there was no room – He is the Alpha and the Omega, yet there was no room – He is the Resurrection and the Life, yet there was no room – there has never been another like Him, yet there was no room. He is majestic, royal, divine, holy, perfect and transcendent, yet there was no room. His name is Wonderful, Counselor, Creator and Prince of Peace, yet there was no room. He is immortal, invincible, incredible, indescribable and irresistible, yet there was no room for Him at the inn.

Jesus is the regal Royalty of eternity, yet He could not be birthed in a palace; He had to be born in a cave. Why birth such dignity in obscurity? Why does God want us to pause and look in this cave? When I look in this cave I see Jesus in a way that I can relate to – I can relate to being in a cave. I can relate to there being no room for me. I can relate to the obscurity, the darkness, the shadows and the anonymity. When I look in the cave, I see why God would put the Light of the world in a cave. God would put the Bread of Life in a feeding trough. I look in the cave and see God in a position everyone can relate to, in a place everyone can understand. We talk often of the Christ of the Cross, but he did not being on the cross; He was birthed in a cave.

Tomorrow, I will post the first of three things you should know about your own cave.