Day 23: The Shepherds and Angels

On one starry night long ago, a baby was born in a manger. The angel describes this infant to the cowering shepherds as their “Savior... Christ the Lord!”

I imagine these Jewish men did not expect the King of Kings to come as a baby. But after seeing a host of angels praising God and declaring that the Savior Israel had been waiting hundreds and hundreds of years for had been born, these frightened shepherds went to see if this was true. And they found Jesus, lying in a manger.

What must those Jewish men have felt that night! As far as professions go in those days, shepherds were thought of as lowly. They were dirty, smelly, and spent all their time with sheep. And yet, the first to know about the Messiah coming were these humble shepherds. As they looked into the face of the newborn King, I wonder what emotions they felt at seeing their Messiah in the flesh. The Bible doesn’t tell us what they thought, but Luke did recount what was happening in Mary’s heart as well as the actions of the shepherds in Luke 2:19-20, “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

The shepherds’ natural response to what happened was to go and tell everyone that the Savior had come! How much more should our response be when we have seen the fulfillment of why Jesus came! This Christmastime, let us share the Good News of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection. Let’s declare it wherever we go. May all know that the Savior has been born, and He is Christ, the Lord!

“While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
all seated on the ground,
the angel of the Lord came down
and glory shone around.
‘Fear not,’ said he – for mighty dread
had seized their troubled mind –
‘Glad tidings of great joy I bring
to you and all mankind:
To you in David’s town this day
is born of David’s line
a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be the sign:
‘The heavenly babe you there shall find
to human view displayed,
all meanly wrapped in swathing bands
and in a manger laid.’”
- Nahum Tate
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks