THE SHEPHERD'S MESSAGE AND WITNESS
LUKE 2:10-11, 16-17 NKJV
10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
I am amazed at how God orchestrates things so perfectly. What the angel told the shepherds and what they shared with others began to establish Jesus' ministry 30 years before he began.
It's interesting to me that God chose a group of shepherds to begin the witness of the Messiah.
Good tidings of great joy for all people. Note that the good news was not just for Israel, but for all people. I wonder if the shepherds caught that subtle truth.
Unto you is born a Savior in the City of David who is Christ the Lord. The angels did not say that a little baby was born. No, a Savior was born, Christ the Lord. The sign to them was finding a baby, but this was a Savior.
So, the shepherds had a message. And they went to Bethlehem. They found the baby just as the angel said they would.
Quite a night for these men, and they were not quiet about it. They made widely known what they had seen and heard. They broadcasted to their area that angels showed up and the Messiah was born.
Maybe God chose to reveal His Son and His plans to these shepherds, knowing they would not be quiet about it.
But as a group of guys who watched sheep, blue collar workers out getting the job done were their words discounted? After all, if God was going to reveal His Son, wouldn't He have chosen the priests in Jerusalem? Who were these guys?
But the word was out. And 30 years later, Jesus appeared on the scene. I wonder how many would recall the words of the wild-eyed shepherds 30 years before. Just another reason to believe in Jesus.
APPLICATION:
God does not always do things the way we think. He does not always make the most logical sense. But God always has a plan.
And God's plan always works. The people He uses will not always seem to be the representatives we would use. But we tend to look on the outside. God looks at the heart.
So don't dismiss the idea that God can use you to bless people and be a witness for Him. God's ways are higher and better.