By Pastor John Brito
In the Christmas story, we see the following gospel truths: That God reveals his Son to those he chooses and that they must now share that experience with others. Here, the shepherds come to mind.
Consider this. Jesus was born without fanfare. Sure, an angel told Mary that she would become pregnant by an act of the Holy Spirit and, yes, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream to tell him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife because what she had conceived was from the Holy Spirit. But Jesus’ birth wasn’t announced to the world. The roman emperor, King Herod, the Jewish high priest and the religious leaders of Israel were all uninformed. The Gospel of Luke describes the birth of Jesus in only two verses (2:6-7): “And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.” (NLT)
But let’s look at the account of the shepherds in the field as found in Luke 2:8-20:
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. (NLT)
Three things happened as God unexpectedly interrupted the shepherds. First an angel appeared. Second, the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. God’s glory is the brilliance of God’s presence, which many times refers to the Holy Spirit. Third, the armies of heaven filled the sky “praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” I don’t know if the sheep saw anything and if their wool popped off out of fear, but the shepherds were terrified. And just as quickly as the angels had appeared they returned to heaven and everything was back to normal.
Of all the people in Israel, why did God choose to announce the birth of His Son to the shepherds? I don’t know. But it seems that God reveals His Son to those He chooses. Now look at what the shepherds did: 1) They ran to see what had happened. 2) They found Mary and Joseph and found Jesus lying in the manger. 3) They told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said. 4) They returned to their flocks praising and glorifying God.
God revealed the birth of His Son to them and they shared that experience with others. The same holds true today. God has revealed His Son to us, so we must share that experience with others. That’s how the gospel works. You see, the Kingdom is present among us, yet hidden, and only those to whom God reveals His Son can see it. And once they see it, they must decide what to do with it. This is what the parable in Matthew 13:44 is all about. Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.” (NLT) Once people find the treasure they must decide whether to give up everything to possess it. And if they do, they now have the obligation to share it with others.
Therefore, throughout this Christmas season we are to share what we have experienced concerning Jesus, just like the shepherds did. Merry Christmas.
