Migdal Eder Tower of the Flock
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, (house of Bread) when his parents had to go to “their own town” ie their ancestral home.
Both Joseph and Mary were of the House of David, and Bethlehem was as we know the hometown of David. See Luke chapter 2.
Sadly, there is no mention of a donkey in any of the biblical accounts, but that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t one!
All of the Christmas cards and nativity scenes show Jesus in a beautiful clean and shiny straw filled manger surrounded by sheep, goats, and cows, but this may not be the true story.
Let’s look a little more closely at the situation. Micah 5:2 says
“But you Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small amongst the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old & ancient times”
So, God promises that Messiah will be born in Bethlehem, which thanks to the decree of governor Quirinius and Caesar Augustus, Jesus was born exactly as God promised. But was Jesus born in a stable which is what we are taught – not necessarily.
Bethlehem is located just 5 miles south of Jerusalem. It was far from an unimportant dot on the map as it was here that the lambs were specifically bred under Kosher law for sacrifice at the Temple. The shepherds who had this responsibility were unique in this role and trained and set aside to perform this holy duty.
Lambs for Temple sacrifice had to be perfect and without blemish – see Leviticus & Numbers. The job of these special shepherds was to ensure that the lambs were exactly that – Kosher if you will.
The sheep were grazed on pastureland around 1 mile east of the town which were King David’s ancestral fields. Lambing took place between June and November each year. When a ewe went into labour, the shepherds took her to the Tower of the Flock – in Hebrew Migdal Eder – to give birth.
This tower was kept ritually clean under kosher laws and was specifically for this purpose. When the lamb was born, it was inspected by the specially trained shepherds to ensure that there was no blemish, or broken bones or deformity. Once it had passed inspection, the lamb was “swaddled” in white linen and placed in a manger to ensure it would come to no harm. Later, when being carried to the Temple, the lamb was again wrapped in this way to protect it on the journey.
Could it be that Mary & Joseph, who both had the lineage of David, and therefore were able to enter, went to the Tower of the Flock when the time came for Mary to give birth? Remember, contrary to the nativity plays we all enjoy, there is nothing in scripture to say that Mary arrived in Bethlehem already in labour.
Could it be that Jesus, our sacrificial Lamb of God was born in the place where the sacrificial lambs were born?
Could that be why He was wrapped in swaddling cloths?
Could this be why the shepherds knew EXACTLY where to go to see him? The angel certainly gave no directions.
There is also a lot more regarding the reasoning of washing in water and then rubbing the body of a new born with a mix of salt and olive oil- also part of the ritual offering for the sacrificial lambs.
Mangers were made of stone and not wood- wood was too scarce a product while stone was plentiful.
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