“Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night. The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you, wonderful, joyous news for all people. Your Savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord. This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said,

“Glory to God in

heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.”

When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go right now to Bethlehem and see what’s happened. Let’s confirm what the Lord has revealed to

us.” When they saw this, they reported what they had been told about this child. Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them. Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully. The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told.”

Luke 2:8-15, 17-20

What if God had chosen to bring the Good News to the Pharisees instead of the

Shepherds? 

I picture it would be something like this:

“And there were Pharisees hanging out in a mansion nearby, keeping watch over their money at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were annoyed. But the angel said to them, “Do not be annoyed, I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the Pharisees said to one another, “Let’s go to bed. We can get up in the morning and go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off to bed. The next morning they found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.” When they had seen him, they huddled together and discussed how they could use the knowledge concerning what had been told them about this child to benefit themselves. 

Of course, this didn’t happen. God’s wisdom was to reach out to a common man, men from a profession that He had called on for hundreds of years. Abraham, Moses, David are examples that are all found in the Shepherd Hall of Fame. God also likened the shepherd to Himself and us to His sheep. 

The shepherds were scared, terrified. I can only imagine how I would have reacted. The

angel said, “Do not be afraid.” Really? I’d  probably still be shaking in my boots!  I’m scared but I’m excited about what this angel is telling me. My Savior, my Hope has been born. All of a sudden, there’s a whole bunch of angels giving glory to God! Now, I’m humbled. What do I do now? I must go see this for myself! But wait, what about my sheep? It’s dark and Bethlehem is a long walk. Ok, I gotta go!  I get there and am in awe of what all I have seen. Now what? Who do I call? Who do I tell? I probably call my family and friends, put it on Facebook, tell my buddy at work, give a praise during small group. But everyone? 

The shepherds heard the good news; they looked at each other and they HURRIED to

go see what the angel had told them about. After they had seen it, they told everyone who would listen  about the child. Everyone that heard it was amazed! Then what did they do? They returned home, “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told.”

What would you have done? We hear the Good News every Sunday. We have Bibles on our phones and in our bedroom and living room. There are devotionals and books that we read that tell us about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. They tell us about salvation, love, joy and peace. There is no shortage of opportunities to hear God’s message!  It’s not a “company of heavenly host, but it’s God’s message just the same! 

Who do you tell? Are you more like the Pharisees, me, or the shepherds? We need to be more like the Shepherds. We need to tell everyone. 

“(Jesus) said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to every

creature.” Mark 16:15 

This Christmas season and beyond, let’s tell “EVERYONE” about Jesus!

Jay & Audra Hearn