The Night Jesus Was Born: Behind the ScenesSample

THE SHEPHERDS

On the night Jesus was born, it was a group of shepherds that God chose to spread the word that the long-awaited Savior had come.

You know the story, how these shepherds were just minding their own business, watching their sheep, when an angel appeared and told them a Savior was born -- they would find Him wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a feeding trough. Then a huge choir of angels appeared in the clear night sky and began singing to them. What an amazing event!

Shepherds, of course, were not in the upper echelon of society. They were usually poor, manual-labor workers without much education who lived among the sheep. They probably wore the same clothes for weeks at a time, didn’t exactly bathe every day, and, let’s be real – they probably smelled like sheep.

In that country, the sheep they were raising were broad-tailed sheep, which often had lambs in the autumn or winter rather than spring-like most sheep we’re used to. So behind the scenes, these shepherds may well have been delivering their own babies when the angel(s) appeared to them.

These are the men God chose to see the His Son first and to begin spreading the news of His arrival. This is such a glimpse into the love and inclusiveness of Father God! This Savior had not just come for the privileged – He’d come for us all, for “whosoever” would receive Him (John 3:16). It’s appropriate that God chose men of low standing in the world’s eyes – not kings or presidents -- to be the first to hear and spread the news.

After the shepherds saw Jesus that night, they set out for town. They most likely first told people they knew – friends and relatives, the middle-class people they sold sheep to, and maybe the priests in the Jewish Temple, where they took their best lambs to be sold as sacrifices.

I imagine people’s reactions varied due in part to the messengers. Why would these guys, lowly shepherds, bring this amazing news? But what a testimony that the Gospel is for all people, not just Jews, not just the rich or important. The Bible says God shows no partiality (Acts 10:34). He gives every person the chance to receive Jesus and all His blessings.

That’s the best news ever from behind the scenes, the night Jesus was born.

Was this plan helpful to you? For more information, encouragement, teachings, and materials, check out Karen’s website at www.karenjensen.org.