“And they went with
haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the
saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the
shepherds told them. But Mary treasured
up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and
praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” Luke 2:26-20. ESV. (Read Luke 2:8-20).
By the angels’ appearance to shepherds
on a Bethlehem hillside to tell them of the Savior’s birth, they were
announcing the news of the Messiah’s birth to the very lowliest of
citizens. Shepherds were considered
unclean because of the nature of their work with the sheep. They were not allowed to go into the Temple
to worship nor could they serve as a witness in court. Yet they were not prevented in being the very
first to go to visit the Babe, the Son of God.
And as they went from seeing Him back to their fields and everywhere
telling the marvels of what they had seen and experienced, they became the
first messengers (giving spoken witness) of the Savior’s birth. These actions of the shepherds show that the
Lord came to the lowliest and humblest among us. King of Kings, He still was sent to the lowly
and downtrodden. As the shepherds
returned “glorifying and praising God” they
were demonstrating that even the lowliest can bear the message of grace.
God’s grace was revealed to them through
angel song and announcement. We wonder
how much of the prophecies of the coming Messiah they might have known. Maybe as they watched their flocks on the
hillside, and endured some of the brunt of society’s disdain of their lowly
estate, they talked of the Messiah’s coming.
But imagine their surprise and wonder—yes, and fear—as the sky broke
open with a dazzling light and the angel said to them, “unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ
the Lord!” On that hillside, they
were available for the magnificent revelation.
But moreover, they accepted and believed what was told them and they
immediately acted upon the angels’ bidding:
“Let us go over to Bethlehem and
see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us! (v.
15). They didn’t say: “Wait until tomorrow” or “We must wait until we can clean ourselves
of the dust and grime of sheepherding.”
No. “They went with haste!” They
had been told what to look for: “a babe, wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying
in a manger” (v. 12). How many such sites
might have been in Bethlehem, even as crowded as it was with the crowds
registering for taxation? Once they
determined to go, He was easy to find. They had a sign to watch for, and
evidently they found the place and the Babe without difficulty. All of this gives us a sound principle of
coming to the Lord: When we turn our
attention to seeking Him, He can be readily found.
The shepherds found the Lord. They returned to Shepherd’s Field changed
persons. And Mary, too, had taken note,
for she kept all the adoration surrounding His birth and pondered it in her
heart. Shepherds returned, telling the
good news. Mary meditated upon the
wonder of the holy child. A pattern was
established that night for the spread of the gospel: God made known the good news; shepherds
sought and found Him and went praising God and telling abroad what they had
experienced. And Mary kept in her heart
the depth and meaning of it all.
Prayer.
Lord, we see in the shepherds’ finding Jesus a pattern for all who seek
Him to follow: Listen, decide to seek,
go to find Him, and having found Him, spread the good news to others. May each of us remember this means of
reception of the Truth and sharing.
Amen.
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