“In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.”- Luke 2:8
SHEPHERDS – Despised and considered lowly in society, yet it is to these that Heaven opens up and the Good NEWS OF GREAT Joy is made known. How wonderful the thought and comfort are that God is not a respecter of persons. It was not society’s estimation of them or their careers that drew them to Him. They had nothing, and were considered as nothing- yet Heaven would bring good news to these the “least” ones. To the “unlikely” ones, “…an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”-{Luke 2:18}
It was an ordinary night, doing what they normally do when an angel of the Lord broke through and intervened in their lives and things would never be the same. God was breaking into time and space with the announcement of “Good News” – “Behold I bring you good news of great joy…A Savior who is Christ the Lord.”- Mankind’s greatest need, a Savior- who is Lord!
Note their response to such truth;
1. THEY WERE PETRIFIED – ” …and they were terribly FRIGHTENED.”- Luke 2:9. They were terrified at the appearance of an angel of the Lord.
2. THEY PURSUED THE LORD- According to the Good news made known to them. They believed what they heard and acted upon it. They changed their plan for the evening! “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.” -Luke 2:15
With the information came a new direction- The pursuit of the Savior! Truth must be acted upon, and when it is -the Pursuit becomes a Person- the Lord Jesus. Compare to those who were religious of the day, they were learned and when Herod asked whether it was true regarding the birth of a new King, they were able to confirm, but they were indifferent. They knew facts, but their hearts were cold, calloused, and totally indifferent to the truth. They never Pursued Jesus Christ. Facts are not enough … indeed they can be damning, if not acted upon {Matt 7:23-25 } Truth is to be acted upon and truly is when the truth is embraced and believed and obeyed.
3. THEY PROCLAIMED What they Knew. -“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 Christ. And all who heard it WONDERED at the things which were told them by the Shepherds.”– {Luke 2:16-18.} Or as one other translation says “When they (shepherds) had seen Him, they spread the word...” Luke 2:17, 18
NOTE; They PROCLAIMED the Truth. They did not hide it, brush it off, relegate it, or be indifferent to it, but they declared it. “They SPREAD THE WORD” Why? They were captivated by it! Their PURSUIT of the Lord Jesus led them to find HIM- And as Scripture teaches “If you search for Me with all your heart you will find ME.”-{Jeremiah 29:13}. Others were now confronted with the truth and they “wondered.” “They came in a HURRY.” Note; the urgency they acted with, in their Pursuit of the Savior. He was not an afterthought but was forefront in their thinking and pursuit. What about the sheep? “What about our souls?” is the more appropriate question. Shepherding was their business, but the Savior was their Pursuit and ultimate need!
Our responsibility is not to “wonder” but to embrace and declare the SAVIOR- Christ the Lord., “TO SPREAD THE WORD…”We are not responsible for how others deal with the truth, we as followers of the Savior have but the privilege to share the “Good news,” news which is a source of “Great Joy” for those in need of the SAVIOR.
4. THEY PRAISED GOD- “The shepherds went back, GLORIFYING and PRAISING God for ALL they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.“- Luke 2:20
NOTE; “They went BACK.” They returned but they were not the same as when they left. This time conversation was changed and adoration was proclaimed of the God who had broken through into their lives and as a result of their PURSUIT of Jesus, they PROCLAIMED Him and they PRAISED Him. Truly an encounter with the SAVIOR- cannot leave us the same.
Has the Lord broken into your circumstances? When did He do so, and what effect has He had upon you? Perhaps not as dramatic as the Shepherds but like the religious before Herod, you too have heard the truth about the SAVIOR… but have you embraced the Truth and Pursued Jesus? Do you presently Proclaim Jesus? ARE YOU PRESENTLY PRAISING JESUS- The SAVIOR – who is Christ the LORD!” You may not have credibility in society’s eyes, {but perhaps you do!} but what you do have is “good news” delivered to you, “It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”-{1 Timothy 1:15}
YOU ARE NEITHER INSIGNIFICANT NOR INSUFFICIENT THIS CHRISTMAS… ON THAT NIGHT… THE SAVIOR WAS ENOUGH…. NO TREES, NO PRESENTS… BUT CHRIST HIMSELF– IS HE ENOUGH THIS CHRISTMAS- JUST “JESUS?”-
May He be, lest we sin and miss Him who has come for me and you, the “chief of sinners”- “Great News… ” the Savior HAS COME… and lived and died and is raised and Seated in Majesty upon High- BEHOLD YOUR GOD- JESUS… is still seeking to save His people from their sins.-{Matthew 1:21}
YOUR M-A-P- for Walking in His Presence today
M- MEDITATE– On the Wonder of the Coming of the Lord Jesus and to who He made the Good news known to.
A- APPLY – Pursue Him…Proclaim Him…Praise Him...In the circumstances you are in – let Him be YOUR ULTIMATE- Pursuit, Proclamation…Praise
P- PRAY – God to give you a heart like the Shepherds to place Him as the Priority for Living Life…THAT OTHERS too may hear and embrace Him