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 2:17-20 ESV)
Yesterday we saw the joyful, glorious angelic choirs on the plains of Bethlehem as the good news of the arrival of God’s promised One was announced. The shepherds, an unlikely audience for this incredible news, received the good news that would lead to great joy for all people. It was to these ordinary, humble men and not the religious elite or Israel’s high priest, that the good news was first proclaimed.
If you keep reading in the Gospels, you’ll find that the very ones who should have known who Jesus was, didn’t. The upper class and the elite by-in-large rejected Jesus and the Gospel. It is a beautiful thing that the birth of Christ was first proclaimed to the very types of men that Jesus came to save. Concerning His ministry, Jesus would later quote Isaiah 61:1: The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. Notice it is the poor, brokenhearted, the captive, and the bound whom the Messiah came to rescue.
Although it isn’t the point of this devotion, it is a heart wrenching reality that those who refuse to acknowledge they are sinners will most likely never seek the Savior. I hope you’ll pause today and consider this question: Has there ever been a time in your life where you’ve placed your faith, trust, and hope in Jesus? Or, are you trusting in yourself, your good works, and what you can do? Spoiler alert: Apart from Christ there is no righteousness available.
As the angel chorus faded away and the angels departed, notice what the shepherds did. They didn’t simply go back to business as usual. They didn’t think “what in the world was that?” and then just continue on like nothing had happened. They didn’t convene a council or committee, they didn’t turn to the rabbis or the leaders of the Sanhedrin, they immediately made the decision to go and see for themselves! This is still a correct response to the Gospel today… don’t take my word for it, study the Scripture, humbly seek God, and watch as the Word and the Spirit of God do something incredible.
The shepherds didn’t miss sight of an important truth. It wasn’t the angels who had made “this thing” known to them, it was the Lord Himself. Let us never forget that salvation is a free gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast (see Ephesians 2:8-9). The shepherds didn’t wait or hesitate, the Scripture says they went with “haste.” Sometimes I fear that we as the people of God fail to act with the same sense of urgency today. Today it is time to stop putting off doing what God has told you to do or experiencing the life God has called you to, and to follow Jesus.
As the shepherds went to Bethlehem, they found it just as the angel had proclaimed it. When the shepherds arrived they immediately proclaimed the incredible proclamation they had heard from the angel. They didn’t go to seminary, a Bible study, or read any books about evangelism (those are all wonderful things). What they did do was share exactly what they knew with anyone and everyone who would listen. These humble shepherds have much to teach us today about proclaiming the Good News of Jesus.
As the men returned to their sheep, they didn’t do so quietly. As they departed the presence of Jesus that night they were forever changed. They glorified and praised God for both what they had heard and what they had seen. This Christmas season I hope you’ll spend some time thinking about these men and how they responded to God’s work both in the world and in their lives personally. May we act with the same urgency, conviction, gratitude, and wonder as did the very first evangelist in the New Testament era.
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us an up close, intimate look at how the good news of Jesus impacted first century believers. Lord Jesus, help us to learn from the humble shepherds and their response to the good news that was proclaimed to them. We have greater knowledge and insights than those men ever did, help our response to be even greater than theirs. Please give us hearts for evangelism and help us act with haste, conviction, gratitude, and wonder. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
