8. And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in
the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night.
9. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the
glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
10. And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold,
I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people;
11. for today in the city of David there has been born for you a
Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
12. "And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby
wrapped in cloths, and lying in a
manger."
13. And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14. "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men
with whom He is pleased."
15. And it came about when the angels had gone away from them into
heaven, that the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to
Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to
us."
16. And they came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph,
and the baby as He lay in the manger.
17. And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which
had been told them about this Child.
18. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them
by the shepherds.
19. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her
heart.
20. And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all
that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.”
1. Shepherds were not numbered among the elite in first century
Israel. They were dirty and smelly and were considered religiously unclean by the more
refined members of society. Yet the angels first announced to shepherds the news of
Jesus’ birth. Why do you think God made the announcement first to shepherds.
2. What descriptions of Jesus do you find in verse 11?
3. What did the shepherds do after their initial encounter with
Jesus?
Jesus came to the earth to rescue people who were “down and
out.” It was completely consistent with His overall lifestyle to be first introduced
to shepherds - men with bad reputations, dirty, smelly, men of the fields. His presence
filled those first shepherds with joy. They knew that when they looked at Jesus - even
though He was a baby - they were looking at a Savior, a Messiah, a Lord!
On this Christmas day, we at eXXit urge YOU to rejoice! Jesus is a
Savior. He saves all those who trust Him from the just penalty for their sin (to find out
how to become a Christian and experience Jesus’ forgiveness, click
here). AND, He also saves all who trust Him from the power of the sins that
shackle us - like continuing involvement with pornography.
Come to Jesus with the attitude of a shepherd today. Come to Him
expectantly. Come to Him reverently. Experience the freedom that the shepherds knew, that
of being all wrapped up in Jesus.