Key Verse: Luke 2:15
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” (NIV)
Well, of course they went to see, right? That would be the natural thing to do. But upon contemplating this a little more, why was it important for them to actually go see?
I have to admit that I’ve always wondered why the baby was referred to as a sign. After all, the baby was the actual Messiah. To me that would be like saying rain is a sign it is going to rain. But as I’ve been seeing in the Bible, those speaking on behalf of God frequently make a statement and then follow it up by specifying a sign. The recipient of the message can know that it is true because there is also going to be a sign to validate the message. So, in verse 10 they are told the message is going to be good, in verse 11 they are given the actual message (their Savior, Christ, is born) and in verse 12 they are told that the baby in a manger is the sign to validate the message. They were invited to go see the baby and know that the message was true. Which they did, and then proceeded to tell other people about what they had been told by the Lord.
Why was it important for this message and sign to be given at that time, and not when Jesus’s ministry began? And why were shepherds given a message directly to them? They weren’t the only ones, but it was important enough for Luke to include it, and they may have been the first people besides Joseph and Mary to see Jesus in the flesh and recognize Him as the Messiah. I think it was to mark the start of the implementation of God’s plan to reconnect with humankind, his creation, in a more intimate way. The Israelites had requested that Moses be their liaison with God because they were afraid. From that time, God’s communication to his people was through the priests and those he selected as prophets. But through time, the leaders tended to become gatekeepers and some even misled the nation. The Law of the Covenant, which was meant to bind the Israelites to their God, had been expanded to the point of being a burden and even a distraction or obstacle to a connection with God. Some probably gave up or were excluded from the congregation because they had failed and could not afford the sacrifices to maintain “good standing.” The nation that was supposed to reveal God to the rest of the world was itself struggling with that connection.
But now God was going to reveal himself to mankind again. He was going to be accessible at an individual level to all people who choose to follow him. And He was starting on that very day when the Son was born as a human. He would walk the earth and show and explain so much. His life would be filled with signs. It would start the path through time to another sign mentioned in Matthew 27:51. When the Son had made the ultimate sacrifice to pay the price for our sins, and then be raised from the grave to conquer death so that we can have eternal life with God, the temple curtain was torn, allowing access for all who believed and would follow the Lord. All of the obstacles that we could not remove ourselves were removed for us. The only one remaining is our very own choice, and whether we accept the gift that has been given to us.
That Night, by John Thompson
That night in all of heaven, there wasn’t a sound,
As God and the angels watched the earth.
For there in a stable, the Father’s only son
Chose to give himself through human birth.
And when the cry of a baby pierced the universe,
Once for all men were shown their worth.
Then the heavens exploded with music everywhere,
And the angels spilled over heaven’s edge and filled the air.
And the Father rejoiced, for he did not lose his son,
But he gained to himself forever those who’d come. Amen.
Lord, as we celebrate this Advent time, when we see the Christ as a baby, help us to remember the sacrifice that you made and the path of salvation that you gave us. Help us to not take for granted the love that you offer us every day. And help us to be like the shepherds on the night of Christ’s birth, so that we share the good news with those who do not yet know you, the One that can give them peace and joy. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment