Look Who Turned Up

The romanticism of shepherds gracing the manger scene would have been lost on the shepherds. They were not on the A List for an invite—to anything. It is commonly accepted that shepherds were at, or very near, the bottom end of the social scale—lower class, if you will. Neither their job nor their charges were particularly glorious.

When it came to the announcement of the birth of the savior it would have taken a brave prophet indeed to suggest the shepherd’s inclusion, much less the appearance of the heavenly host to them. Royal worshippers from afar, maybe, but local shepherds—hardly. And, yet . . . the angels appeared to them on that cold starry night announcing, “good news of great joy.” They were made privy to the Lord’s counsel.

We don’t need to be someone to be in on God’s counsel and wisdom. God reveals himself to whom he wills, and it appears from scripture it is usually not the qualified or religiously privileged. An open and searching heart, a servant attitude, a humility of spirit. It is these, God looks for.

And it could be these very attributes that the Magi possessed, as theirs is an even stranger inclusion.  The Magi were most likely astrologers. This is uncomfortable for some of us, as astrology is at best a beggarly pseudo-science. But God isn’t bound by our dictates, and there are people in the most diverse of circumstance that, “believe that he is and that he rewards those that diligently seek him.” Great luminaries, such as C. S. Lewis, held that all cultures have signs, intimations, within them that pointed them to a knowledge of God and the themes of righteousness and judgment—albeit imperfectly and uncomplete. 

Something about a certain star pointed these men to the star of David, the bright and morning star. So, they travelled with great anticipation the long distance to Bethlehem. What sort of King would they meet? 

It is of note that we don’t know how many wise men actually came—it could have been three, but no mention is made of three—three gifts yes, three wise men no. Also, it is unlikely they came at the time of the birth. It was sometime later. It could have been up to two years after, if we take into account that Herod wanted all male children under two killed. 

That aside we see King Jesus being worshipped by these wise men from the east. The honor due came from people as far from the covenant as possible. They worshipped the boy, born King of the Jews, and gave him gifts befitting a King. They were filled with joy as they worshipped the true King. 

And this is where we finish these reflections—with worship and wonder. Like the wise men we worship the King God chose. It is to his star we should run in haste and present our lives as gifts to Him. We too can anticipate great joy. 

A Very Merry Christmas to you and your family as you gather and celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ’s birth. 

If you want to explore more on this topic or read more of Simon’s writing and Bible plans, head to www.simonmcintyre.net.