When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds…The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
~Luke 2:15-18; 20
Don’t you love reading the second chapter of Luke’s gospel? Particularly on Christmas morning—especially when it’s carefully sounded out through the mouth of an excited jammie-clad child, hot cocoa in hand. (It also makes me think of that beautiful soliloquy of Linus, but that’s another story.)
Something new and interesting struck me this year in meditating on these events—which is what the Living Word does, am I right? The Lord sent His mighty, bright, glorious angels to a group of shepherd boys to declare the Gospel for the very first time in the earthly ministry of Jesus. He was maybe just hours old when the angel told them that a Savior, Christ the Lord (God Himself) was born. Then they experienced a heavenly concert of a multitude of angels singing of the glory of it all.
The Bible then says, once they heard the Good News, the hurried to see for themselves. But then I noticed for the first time in verses 17-18 that they told others—to which the response of those people was wonderment. Makes me wonder: Who’d they tell? Did they believe those excited, smelly kids? Did those people go see for themselves the manger holding the King of kings? We don’t know. We’re just told the shepherds went back to work, glorifying and praising God.
Lesson one: Once we hear the Good News, we need to discover and accept it for ourselves. Lesson two: Tell others what you know, what you’ve seen, and how meeting Jesus has impacted you. Lesson three: Walk in awe and wonder of Jesus. No matter how tedious, stressful, or exhausting the day of work or parenting might be, glorify and praise God in all of it.
But what’s the rest of the story for these boys? See, as we learn in Matthew 2, when the magi came from the East to worship Jesus, they stopped by to let Herod know what was happening: a King was born in Bethlehem. Herod was not a good guy and certainly didn’t want to be unseated as king. Because some time had gone by since Jesus’ birth (likely over a year), Herod had all boys in Bethlehem “and all its vicinity” under two years old killed. Let that terror sink in for a minute. The entire town—including the surrounding hills where the sheep grazed under the watch of shepherds—was no doubt in absolute horror and grief. We don’t have any idea if the townspeople knew why Herod did this. But we can speculate that there were a few guys that knew exactly what was going on—they’d seen King Jesus. What was the shepherds’ reaction to this evil response to Jesus? Did they keep their mouths shut? Did it motivate then to stand firm in their knowledge and belief in the Savior, and maybe even share this hope with a grieving town?
So, another lesson for us is one based on totally unknown information and simply begs some questions that must be asked of every believer: When persecution comes—because it will—what will we do? Will we hide in our basements and keep quiet about the glorious Gospel that has changed our lives? Or will we stand courageously against the evil coming against us, no matter the consequences?
Times are dark. Evil is escalating. More Christians around the world are being persecuted and murdered right now than in any other time in history. Currently, it’s still safe in our country to be a follower of Christ…but how bold are we right now to share the Gospel, when it won’t cost our lives? Sweet friend, let’s put our courage muscles to work, starting now, to grow in strength and endurance for when the burden gets heavier. Let’s look upon those shepherds at the first Christmas, and be inspired by their hurrying after Jesus, their awe and wonder, and their praise and glory of Him. And let’s boldly proclaim the Good News of Jesus, our Savior and Lord, to those around us—despite the cost.
Lord, You are Lord of lords, King of kings. May I be bold today—and tomorrow—to tell others of the salvation found only in You. May my words and actions give You glory, no matter the expense.
encouraged by grace 