Hope Awakening: Jesus’ First Visitors
“When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.”
Luke 2:15-20
My church is doing a sermon series going through the book of Luke called “Good News of Great Joy.” Our pastor asked the congregation to share some good news they’d received over the past year, and we rejoiced with them. When you hear good news, you can’t wait to share it with others. I love how we see this in the shepherds!
The shepherds wasted no time to go and see with their own eyes what had been declared to them. My Bible used the words “with haste” to describe both Mary’s journey to Elizabeth and the shepherd’s journey to find the Messiah. The Greek words used, however, aren’t the same. In this verse (2:16), the Greek word is speusantes, meaning to desire earnestly or to urge on. There is a greater sense of expediency with this word. The shepherds didn’t talk it over and get their things in order before going out (which is likely what Mary did); they left their sheep behind and hurried to find the sign the angel spoke to them!
Lean into that for a minute. Shepherding is their job, their livelihood. The spent their days caring for the sheep, feeding the sheep, and protecting their sheep. In this moment, they didn’t question leaving the sheep behind. They dropped everything and rushed into Bethlehem to find this baby!
Let’s use our imagination for a minute. Picture the shepherds, filthy and smelly by nature of their occupation, weaving through the streets of Bethlehem. They search all of the feeding troughs, encountering various animals on their search for the scene described to them. All of a sudden, they see her: a young woman sitting beside a manger, gazing with eyes full of love and adoration at a tiny babe wrapped snugly in cloth. Joseph rises at the sight of the shepherds. The shepherds stop in their tracks, amazed and in awe at this child who lies before them. Joseph approaches the shepherds, being protective of his young fiancee and newborn son. The shepherds, seeing Joseph is questioning their presence, joyfully share their supernatural encounter with the host of heavenly angels singing God’s praises for the miracle of Jesus’ birth.
The shepherds, having confirmed the message from the Lord, go and spread the good news! The first evangelists! They encountered God in the form of this tiny, sweet, dependent baby boy and they could not wait to share the news. I picture them retracing their steps into Bethlehem, but this time leaping and shouting with a joy that cannot be contained. “He’s here! The Savior of the world has arrived!” We are told all who hear their message are amazed.
Later, after Jesus was crucified, died, resurrected, and ascended into heaven, his apostles would do a similar thing. Though they faced persecution, they proclaimed they couldn’t NOT talk about the wonderful things God had done (Acts 4:20).
I wonder if Mary shared with Luke some of the intimate details of her first days as Jesus’ mother. He tells us that she kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. All mothers relate to the ups and downs of parenting. Memories of joy and laughter pull us through difficult seasons. Mary kept these moments close. I can’t help but wonder if later, watching as the Roman soldiers nailed pegs into her son’s hands and feet, as her son struggled to breathe, as she saw the blood trailing down his face from the crown of thorns, she didn’t lean back into some of these memories. The shepherds confirmed what the Lord spoke to her, and in his last moments, perhaps she held on to that while she witnessed her son die.
He came down from heaven and humbled himself to become a baby who is born to die. For you, and for me.
All praise and glory be to God, forever and ever!
Reflection: The good news shared by the shepherds all those years ago is the same good news of today: the Savior is HERE. As we close out the year and head into a new one, spend some time in prayer with the Lord. Remember, we are all called to share the good news with others! Ask God to show you ways to share the good news with others who desperately need to hear it over the coming year.