Christmas in a Cave

One of the things I will never forget about my travels in the land of Israel is the day I visited Bethlehem, just six miles southwest of Jerusalem.  There is very little about this community that resembles the images most of us have in our minds of the place where Christ was born — except those hillsides.  Yes, there really are hillsides where even today, shepherds “…watch over their flocks by night.”  It was a visit to a simple shepherd’s cave just outside the city that changed forever what Christmas means to me.

I had just visited the Grotto of the Nativity.  That’s where tradition places the birth of our Savior.  It’s a place venerated by millions.  The Grotto is below ground now due to the passage of time and civilizations.  Above it, two church buildings have been built side by side with each one having its own stairway leading down to the Grotto.  Above ground and directly in front of the churches, is a massive open square where throngs of people complete a pilgrimage to this “holy site” each Christmas.

The Grotto of the Nativity is nothing more than a cave, which is what the Bethlehem stable really was.  However, this particular cave has had its rough-hewn walls covered with marble and fine draperies.

The focus of attention in the Grotto is a bowl-shaped depression in a slab of stone at one end of the cave, which appeared to me to be covered with gold.  I was told by the guide that this spot marked the location of the manger which cradled Jesus.

As I was leaving there, I felt disappointed. And I wasn’t sure why.  I didn’t appreciate the gaudy ornamentation and the heavy “religious” atmosphere, but I had expected all that.

I boarded our tour bus and as we began to make our way through Bethlehem, I stared out the window perplexed.  Then, we stopped just outside town and were invited to follow our tour leader down a short footpath to a shepherd’s cave.  Upon arriving, I stepped inside and was told this was probably very similar to what the Grotto of the Nativity was like when Joseph and Mary were forced to take shelter in a Bethlehem stable that special night so long ago.

My heart leaped within me.  It was like someone had opened the windows of my soul and the stale air of “religion” was being replaced by the fresh breezes of the Holy Spirit.  I wanted to shout.  Instead, I took pictures so I would never forget that my Savior left the splendor of His heavenly home to be born in such a simple setting.  There was no gold, marble, or draperies — just the weather-worn walls of a hillside cave, the livestock that resided there, and a starlit sky.  There were no crowds to greet Him — just Joseph, Mary and a few shepherds.  Christmas is about a Savior not a celebrity.

I could have stayed there for hours, but soon it was time to leave.  As I stepped outside, I saw a large rough-hewn bowl chiseled out of a piece of rock lying on the ground.  I asked the guide about it and he told me it was used as a feed bowl for animals.  I said, “You mean a manger?”  He answered, “Yes.”

Words cannot express the gratitude that filled my heart for my Redeemer in that moment.  I could hardly move.  I was in the embrace of a love so awesome that nothing else mattered.  I was overcome with the revelation that Jesus came to rescue this hardhearted race from the destructive destiny of its sin-paved pathway even though the best bed we could offer Him on the night of His birth was as a feeding trough.  We didn’t make room for Him, but He came anyway so He could make a place for us in His kingdom (John 14:1-3).

My experience at the shepherd’s cave stirred a deep desire to make my heart a place of welcome to the Prince of Peace continually.  Christmas provides a precious opportunity to reaffirm that commitment and I invite you to join me.  Let’s make each holiday season a time of warm welcome to the presence of our gracious Lord.