The Shepherds
It was probably a normal night in the life of the shepherds. They were probably tired from a hard day of work, caring for animals that have become known as the livestock that needs the most attention from their caregivers. The shepherds had been dealing with the stubborn, fearful, stupid animals all day. They had to give them endless attention and meticulous care to keep them fed, watered, safe, content, free of parasites and disease. People have been compared to sheep, so do you find it interesting that the announcement of the birth of the Good Shepherd was to a group of shepherds who would be able to relate to the person who would be the Shepherd to mankind?
The angels could have appeared to anyone—the leaders of the church, the leaders of the Roman Empire, the wealthy, the famous or the beautiful, but they were sent to common poor shepherds. God chose to reveal Himself to ordinary people just like you and me.
On this particular evening they had gotten the sheep to a place of safety and had probably settled down for the night. Maybe they were around a campfire, talking about the events of the day or a past experience or their hopes and dreams for the future. Some of them may have been gazing up into the inky black sky filled with sparkling shining diamonds. They were just plain ole people going about their business, doing their ordinary things, nothing spectacular.
So why do you think God sent the angels to them? Maybe it was because He wanted us to be able to relate to them. Perhaps it was because they loved God and wanted to know Him more, maybe they had been praying for the long awaited Messiah and God wanted to reward them for their love. Or possibly He knew He could count on them for a very important job.
These shepherds were probably raising the sheep that would be used as sacrifices in the temple worship. Jesus was the not only the Good Shepherd, but the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
After the shepherds received the news of the birth of Jesus, they wasted no time; they hurried off not wanting to wait or let the opportunity pass. They quickly found Mary, Joseph and the baby because as shepherds they probably knew where to go to find every manger in town.
These men sought out the sought out the truth; they wanted to see for themselves what the angels had told them. We need to do the same; go to the Bible and let God teach you instead of just hearing it from someone else.
After confirming the news told to them by the angels, and seeing it for themselves, they couldn’t wait to tell others about what they had found. Who do you think they told? Friends, family, maybe even strangers.
When you have something special happen to you who do you tell? Do you keep it to yourself? No you want to tell everyone you know. After you have experienced the good news of Jesus you can’t keep it to yourself.
All who heard it were astounded—it is an amazing story that the world needs to hear; are you willing to tell others? Who do you know that needs to hear the message? Is it a friend at school? Is it a neighbor? Is it a co-worker? Or even a family member? Or perhaps even a stranger that you encounter?
Then the shepherds went back to tend their sheep, but I would venture to say that they would never be the same. Do you think their conversations at night would be about their experience on the special night? Do you think they trusted God in a new and different way? Do you think that as Jesus grew up they went to hear Him speak or watch Him perform miracles and maybe even told Him about their visit from the angels? Do you think that when they went to the temple they worshipped in a new and different way? We don’t know the answers to these questions, but we do know that that night they began glorifying and praising God for what they had seen and heard. Will you do the same?
Luke 2:17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.
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