shepherds – Fourth Day Adventures

The time approaches.

A woman who trusts God carries a baby conceived by the Holy Spirit. Her adventure is about to begin. But right now the very pregnant virgin girl is traveling from her home to the town of Bethlehem.

Matthew 1:

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Joseph agreed to marry the young girl even though she is pregnant because an angel speaks to him in a dream. Now, he travels by Mary’s side to the city of his ancestors, Bethlehem.

Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting

The timing could not be worse, but they have to go because of the Census.

Luke 2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

They trek for days to go from Nazareth to Bethlehem, 4 days maybe more. They would have had to take care to protect the baby.

Out in the fields near Bethlehem, shepherds watch over sheep. Shepherds near Bethlehem cared for the lambs which would be used for the Passover sacrifice.

And some where to the east of Jerusalem, the location is not stated, but some think Babylon where Daniel had lived and been a leader of the Kingdoms wise men. Where ever they were from, they were watching the sky and soon a star would appear to them. Since we have little information about when the star appeared, they may have already seen the star and been on their way or it may appear in a few days. The trip probably took a couple months to complete in a caravan.

In a temple in Jerusalem, two people wait to see the Messiah.

Everyone is in their position we are days away from a point in time when the world will never be the same.

Let’s zoom in on our nativity scene for a minute.

We have elite sages from some where in the East headed to Bethlehem. They represent nobility and the highest levels of knowledge for their times.

Mary, probably 15 or 16 years old, descended from the great King David lives a humble peasant’s life in the small village of Nazareth. A women described as favored by God. A teenage women God trusted with His only begotten son. Basically, you can say Mary is a small town teenager who loves God.

Joseph, we have no idea of his age, but we know he was also of the family of David. We know he was an craftsman. He worked with his hands to create the things needed by others. Many believe he was a carpenter though the word can be used for any of the crafts. This man knew he could have dealt harshly with Mary when he discovered she was pregnant, but he had compassion for her. Then the angel came in his dream and told Joseph the baby was from God and to take Mary as his wife. Joseph immediately did as God asked.

Shepherds leave their sheep in the fields after hearing from the angels.

Luke 2 ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

In this moment we have Angels, the highest of creation and who stand at the throne of God, announcing to Shepherds about the God of creation taking on flesh and being born a baby. The shepherds represented a strange group of people. These men live at the edges of society. But shepherd’s in the Bethlehem area were probably raising sheep for the Passover sacrifice. The feast of Passover required only perfect sheep be sacrificed; these shepherds raised the sheep and provided lambs with no blemish for the Passover. They also would be among the first to see Jesus our Passover Lamb.

1 Corinthians 5: 7B For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us

Journel Exercise

Who do you relate to in this crowd? Are you of the educated elite? Or are you a hard working crafts person? Do you work in an important profession that no one respects? I am assuming you are not an angel.

The last people to be a part of Jesus birth are a man named Simeon and a women named Anna. Simeon waits in the temple for the messiah. God has told Simeon that before his death he will see the Messiah. And he does.

Luke 2

²⁸Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

²⁹Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

³⁰For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

³¹Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

³²A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

Are you waiting for the second coming of Jesus? Really waiting in expectation?

Anna was an elderly woman who spent her days in the temple praying and fasting. She received the honor of also beholding the infant. Are you more like Anna? Do you spend your days in prayer?

Last question

Of our crowd, who do you wish you were like? Why?

Tag: shepherds

Setting the Stage

Sixth Day of Christmas: Reviewing the Nativity Characters