September 25 – Jesus and the Shepherds

September 25 – Jesus and the Shepherds
Luke 2:1-20

The story that Luke tells from Mary’s perspective has quite a bit more detail regarding the days before and after the birth of Jesus.  Much of this is because Luke was interesting in the full realm of history, but some of it was because as a mother, Mary’s memory of those days was strong.  Luke 2:19 says that she treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  She didn’t want to forget any of those amazing moments.

She was a very pregnant young woman when Joseph and she traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem.  We don’t know how long before the birth they arrive in Bethlehem, but we know from Luke 1:56 that she had stayed with Elizabeth for three months. I suspect we can be certain Joseph was smart enough to arrive in Bethlehem long before the baby arrived, so they probably had time to find a room, even though it was not a great room.  Joseph was good with his hands, so I can’t imagine Mary wasn’t very comfortable when the time came for her to give birth.

Just after the child was born, the shepherds heard about it from an angel of the Lord. Those shepherds, who lived among their sheep, might not have been welcome in a fancy inn, but they would have felt comfortable entering the place where Jesus was in the manger.

The metaphors of the shepherd and the lamb would become part of the life of Jesus. He was the good shepherd and later would become like a lamb led to slaughter, but on the evening of his birth, he was a miracle announced by the angel to the shepherds and then by the shepherds to anyone who would listen.

The shepherds experienced a heavenly host praising God, saw the child who would change the world and when they returned to their sheep, they could do nothing other than glorify and praise God for everything they had heard and seen.

The birth of Jesus changed the world over two thousand years ago and when his life touches ours, it changes our world today.  We glorify and praise God for all that we hear, see and experience.