Response To The News

As I read the story of the birth of Jesus Christ, one thing I find  interesting is the responses to the news about the birth of the King of the Jews, the long-awaited Messiah.

The shepherds received the news from the angel and went with “haste” to find the Messiah. (Luke 2:15-16) My guess is that it wasn’t exactly an easy task with all the people in Bethlehem because of the taxation.  As we know the only place for Joseph and Mary to stay was in a stable.  All other accommodations were full.  But the shepherds searched until they found the baby that the angel told them about. They were told they would find the baby in a manger, but I would guess there were more than a few mangers in stables in Bethlehem.  After they found the baby they shared the good news.  The lowly shepherds were the first to be informed and the first to spread the good news concerning the Messiah being born.  They returned to their sheep “glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen.”  (Luke 2:20)

Then there is the Magi that evidently traveled a long distance because they saw the star that indicated to them that this King of the Jews had been born.  (By the way, there were not just three kings/Magi.  We don’t really know how many there were.  And they probably had a large entourage with them. Something about their entrance in to Jerusalem was noticeable enough to get the attention of King Herod and the people of Jerusalem.)  These men had persisted in their search for the King and came bearing precious gifts fit for a King.  Once they found the baby King Jesus, they gave Him gifts and worshiped Him.

King Herod was troubled by the news of a king of the Jews being born.  It was seen by him as a threat to his political position.  He chose to let the Magi do the work of finding for him so he could kill the new born king.  Herod pretended to want to go worship the new born king.  The Magi heeded the warning of the angel of the Lord and did not return to Herod to tell him exactly where the baby was.  But Herod still sought to kill the child that he thought may be a threat to his political position.

King Herod had contacted the religious leaders of the Jews to find out what they knew about where their King was to be born.  They told him what the Scriptures said, but there is no indication that they even had any interest in going to find this King, their long-awaited Messiah. 

I would hope that my response to the news of the birth of King Jesus would be one of immediately going to search Him out and worship Him, as the shepherds did. Or that my response to the indication of the birth of this great King would be one of persistence, traveling whatever distance I needed to in order to find and worship this great King with gifts. 

I would hope my response would not be one of seeking to destroy the King to protect my position  or of lack of interest as seems to be the case with the political and religious leaders of the day. 

(Luke 2:8-20; Matthew 2:1-18)

Why the Shepherds?

In Luke 2:8-20, we are told who the first recipients of the news of the birth of the Messiah were.  Of all the people on earth in places of “importance” and authority that the revelation could have been made to, it was made to a small group of lowly shepherds out in the fields near Bethlehem. Who would I have first announced the birth of the Messiah to? It probably would not have been to some lowly shepherds, men despised by many, an occupation that was not well thought of. 

Fortunately, I am not God. He knows best. God revealed it to these men, who without question went in search of the baby and spread abroad the message shared by the angel about who this baby really was. Perhaps if God had revealed the true identity to more reputable or educated people, they would have been too afraid of their reputation to risk making such a declaration. Would a more “cultured” person have considered going to a smelly stable? Perhaps a more educated person would have had to consult with scholars first to make sure that this could be the case. 

God’s ways are not our ways. God chooses the foolish things to confound the wise.

1 Corinthians 1:25-31 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.