Have you ever got a good piece of gossip or witnessed something so beautiful that you couldn’t keep it to yourself? What do you do? Well, it is possible that you and the shepherds have something in common. Let’s hear it anew in Today’s Holy Nougat.
Luke 2:17-18 AMP
[17] And when they had seen this, they made known what had been told them about this Child,
[18] and all who heard it were astounded and wondered at what the shepherds told them.
They Told Everyone
There is a time to be silent and causes for same, but noising the Messiah’s birth abroad was not one of those. Whatever else we might say, there are no two ways about it – those shepherds shared about their experience with others, they did not keep that news to themselves. Based on what we have received of the story, we see that no details were spared.
Self-Check
Luke does not feature the actions of any particular shepherd. When we recount a story do we embellish it?
Digging Deeper
The angel was clear: the Good News was for all people. And all means all. That it began with the shepherds tells us no one is too lowly to access the Triune God. Not one of us!
Please note, the shepherds didn’t need to be told twice to share the news. Once they confirmed that the angel-song was legitimate, that there was truly a baby laying in a manger, and that the boy child was indeed wrapped in swaddling cloths, those shepherds went to share the news in their neighborhood.
We are not told that all who heard believed – that wasn’t the shepherds’ assignment – but enough curiosity was aroused that the hearers would seek further information.
Siblings, we who have experienced the resurrected Christ, we who also anticipate Christ’s return have a responsibility. As God’s specially called people, no matter our heritage, it is on us to be like the shepherds. We must respond to the Good News we’ve experienced in our lives. We must tell everyone. That’s the heart of the Great Commission.
The people’s response tells us that everyone might not act right away on our sharing of God and God’s word. But we must not get daunted by that. Rather, we must press on, sharing the Good News, even including our testimony as evidence.
We’ve visited the shepherds, heard what happened, and we have met the Saviour. The next step is ours – God is waiting on us.
