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Friday, December 24, 2004
Yesterday, we left off at the point where the angel had appeared on that dark, chilly hillside in the Middle East, telling the ragamuffin teenage shepherds that there was good news available for "all the people." Very good news indeed. The best of all possible news.
However, the angel continues in verse 11:
"For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
First of all, we learn that the baby was born TODAY. That puts us in late 5 or early 4 B.C.
The baby was born in the city of David: Bethlehem.
The baby was actually "born." We're not given any indication whatsoever that the baby was born under anything other than the "normal" way a baby is born. We're not given any hint of supernatural incarnations.
The baby was born "for you." Now, it's personal. First, the baby was born for "all the people." He was also born "for me." It's a situation in which "both/and" applies. He was born for everyone. I'm guessing that "everyone" includes me. I'm also guessing that the shepherds worked under the assumption that "everyone" included them as well.
The baby was "a Savior." This implies that we need to be saved from something...that we were in danger. Frankly, these shepherds who were ceremonially unclean almost on a continual basis probably got this in spades. Because they were so "unholy" I would imagine that they would go to the Temple and perform the rites required to make them ceremonially clean (albeit on a temporary basis) so often that they probably understood their inability to save themselves moreso than the average Israelite.
The Savior was "Christ the Lord." I'm intrigued by this as it seems to be an indication of the dual nature of the King: Fully God and fully man. Another case of "both/and." See Christ, which means "the annointed One" and refers to the Messiah, is a title that would highlight his human role on earth. Yahweh, the Hebrew word for Lord in this instance is YAHWEH, which means God. "Both/and." Christ was fully man and fully God.
So, there's an awful lot of information in that sentence...likely more than the shepherds would've been able to process given their state of terror/horror/shock but we can slow down and analyze it a bit.
Anyway, the angel then tells them that they will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a food trough. Isn't it interesting that the angel pretty much assumed this rag-tag bunch of teenagers would want to go see what he was telling them about? So, he handed them clues as to how they would know which particular baby to find: A baby wrapped in cloths and laying where a baby wasn't supposed to be laying.
And then we get a worship service to end all worship services. Can you imagine? A heavenly host suddenly appears to some already shocked teenagers giving them a glimpse of heaven? The volume? The sights, even if they could look at it, must've been blinding? Worship in it's truest sense, direct from what it would've looked like heaven, playing out right in front of them? The shock has now increased exponentially.
And then, utter silence. The angels went away. Back to darkness. Truly a silent night. I'd imagine silence like they've never experienced before given they just got volume like they'd never experienced before. I'd imagine there was a lot of looking at each other by the teenagers.
And, in another understatement of epic proportion in verse 15: "'Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.' And they came in haste..."
If you know anything about teenagers when they get excited, I would imagine that the scene was a bit more chaotic than "saying to one another." I would imagine there would've been back slaps and high fives and piggy backing each other and loudness and shouting over one another and forehead slapping and...well...chaos. Chaos with purpose, and controlled somewhat, but chaos nonetheless.
And they went in haste: That's code for an all out chaotic sprint. I'd imagine a lot of serpentine in the mix. Note there's nothing mentioned about the herd of sheep. Maybe they were scared off. Maybe they left one guy in charge and the rest came. That two mile run from that hillside to the city probably was covered in 15 minutes if not less. Young men, in the prime of life, with more adrenaline pumping through them than ever before, probably covered some ground in quick time. And I'm sure manners were forgotten when they hit the small town of Bethlehem too. The ruffians hit town, breathing heavy, asking the locals where to find a baby who had been born.
Getting directions, they come around the house to the stable out back (normal in that culture because so many people traveled with animals that there would be a stable out back--usually attached to the house) and they see a teenage peasant girl and her husband. And a baby in the food trough.
And it says they "made known" what just happened. Again, picture controlled chaos and talking over each other. And laughing by the on-lookers...it's always pretty funny listening to excited teenagers talking to each other. Some things are universal in scope, and I'd imagine formality between the shepherds and the teenage mother went right out the window.
Then we see three reactions:
First, from the on-lookers: They "wondered" at what was told to them.
Second, from Mary: She "treasured" and "pondered" these things. Frankly, I think she was grateful to God for the story. I mean, it'd been a tough nine months on her, with the public scorn of pre-marital pregnancy as well as the doubting by her fiance as well as the overwhelming nature of what she was going to do wearing on her constantly. Now her story had been publicly validated. She isn't crazy. She isn't "loose." She is the earthly mother of the Messiah...honored among all women, even if the message is reconfirmed by theives and vandals.
Finally, from the shepherds: They went back to their job "glorifying and praising God for what they had heard and seen." The only record we get is that they looked at the baby, told their story, stayed for a visit...and then left.
Life went on. But I think life went on deeper and more meaningful than ever before. They probably told this story to their grandchildren. Every time they went past that spot on the hillside with the sheep I feel sure the video went off in their brain of that worship service that Christmas night outside Bethlehem. Life went on, alright, simply with a deeper understanding of it.
Come to think of it, those are the three reactions we usually see at Christmas from people. There are people who wonder about all this hubbub...and that's where it stays. They exchange the gift, raise an eyebrow that says, "Maybe, just maybe, there's soemthing to all this story that ragamuffins tell." And they never make a decision.
Then there's the people who treasure these things and ponder them. Now, I'm not saying Mary did only that as I'm sure she was a woman of action and had a very intimate relationship with Jesus, but some people in our culture simply treasure the facts and think about them, but don't know anything about a relationship with Christ who was born. They fail to deepen in their understanding of Him and they live anemic and boring lives.
Finally, there's the shepherds. Their entire life changed because of a look. They looked upon Jesus and there's not a change anything was ever the same. Sure, there were still sheep and the day in day out work...but now it all had meaning. And I'd bet that they became salt and light among those who believed their story...they probably became the most revered shepherds in that area. "God spoke to THEM directly!" Their opinions were probably widely sought out by the curious and seeking.
And the application is obvious: Which one of these categories would describe you this Christmas?
My hope is that you all have a very shepherd-like Christmas in 2004, everyone. Merry Christmas!
Brent 4:32 AM
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