Why Shepherds?

“And there were Shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” Luke 2:8 (NIV)

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem the only ones who were told about His birth were the lowly shepherds. The angel did not appear to the mayor or the rulers of the town. He did not appear to the wealthy land owners or the business men. The angel appeared to shepherds, the lowest of all citizens of Bethlehem.

I think that the shepherds were the first to know because the baby that was born would be the Lamb of God. Jesus came into the world to die a sacrificial death. No longer would people have to bring a lamb for a sacrifice. Jesus was the final sacrificial lamb. Shepherds had experienced the birth of a lamb many times. The normal rough outdoor men became tender when they were confronted with the birth of a helpless lamb.

I think the shepherds were the first to know because Jesus would be the Chief Shepherd. The leaders in the church are called under shepherds because they are under the One who is King and Head of the church. This helpless baby would one day rule the world. I think that these shepherds knew that the baby was to be one of them caring for the helpless sheep.

The shepherds did a most unusual thing when they heard from the angels. They left their sheep in the field and went to the Bethlehem. They knew that a lamb would be born in a stable so they went directly to the stable to find the baby. I don’t think that they discussed what would happen to the sheep if they left them. As unusual as it was for shepherds, they left the sheep on the hillside where they were vulnerable to the predators. In their hearts they knew that this baby was more important than the sheep and if what the angel had told them was true then the angels would protect their sheep.

One day Jesus taught His disciples about the Good Shepherd who would give his life for the sheep. I am sure that these shepherds were good shepherds who would risk their very lives for the sheep but the message from the angel compelled them to act in the most unusual manner. They were like the hirelings that Jesus described. They were like the hirelings in that they left their sheep but unlike the hirelings they left their sheep for a very different reason. The hirelings left the sheep because they valued their lives more than those of the sheep. These shepherds left their sheep because they valued the Lamb of God more than their sheep and their jobs.

And so it came to pass that the shepherds were the first to know about the Saviour’s birth. God does not do things in the expected ways. He is a God of surprises. We can learn that we do not have to have some noble standing or be wise in the eyes of the world to come to the Saviour. We can come as these shepherds came so many years ago.

Why a Stable?

“She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” – Luke 2:7 (NIV)

When God chose to have his son born somewhere other than the inn have you ever wondered why He chose a stable instead of somewhere else? Why not a store or a carpenter’s shop? Maybe He could have been born in a private house or in a tent on the hillside among the shepherds. Instead of any of those places He was born in a stable.

Today we have a way of romancing the place of Jesus’ birth. We build crèches in our yards to hold the holy family. We have a trough with some hay and the baby lying in the hay. But the stable that Jesus was born in was just a barn. Cows, donkeys, sheep, horses, and chickens all lived in the barn. Barns are not very romantic. They smell of animal dung and usually they are very dirty. I imagine that it took Joseph time to clean a space for his wife to lie down to have the baby and then he cleaned out the manger so that she could place the baby in a makeshift bed. There was nothing romantic about the stable. If we visited the stable we would be careful where we stepped. We would be careful about breathing the foul air and we would not stay longer than we had to.

So why was He born in a stable? Why was His first bed a manger? Why were His first companions the farm animals?

First it showed the humble way that our God chose to enter the human race. He came as one of us. No one would accuse Him of taking advantage of His position. No one would say that they would trade birth places with Him. He came as a lowly human; the poorest of the poor.

Second His birth was unnoticed by others. No one expected a baby to be born in a barn. Calves and colts are born in barns but not babies. He came into the world and no one even suspected that the King and Creator of the universe was lying in a manger in a barn in Bethlehem.

But it also shows how His birth fulfilled prophecy. John tells us in his gospel that He came unto His own but His own didn’t receive Him. Isaiah tells us there was nothing beautiful about His birth and if we had seen Him we would have despised Him. He was just another poor baby born to poor parents. Probably He would remain a peasant like His parents. Why should anyone care about another peasant baby born into this world?

That stable was more than a barn. That stable was the birth place of a King. That stable was a birth place of the Saviour. God can take the humblest of places and make it a royal place when He comes to stay. The stable was just a stable until Jesus made it His birth place.

Why No Room?

“She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” – Luke 2:7 (NIV)

He was the creator of the universe. Everything that existed was made by Him and for Him and yet when it came time for Him to be born into the human race there was no room to be found for Him. He could have been born in a castle but instead when the time came for Him to be born His parents couldn't’t even find a room in a simple hotel.

Why would God allow this to happen to His Son? Why did Mary have to suffer through the birth of her first child in such bleak surroundings? Was Joseph ashamed that he could not arrange better accommodation for his wife? I am sure that Joseph did the best he could but I am sure that the question of why ran through his mind as he went from door to door looking for a place to stay.

I am sure that as they traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem they had talked about where to stay. Joseph probably was confident that God would have gone before them to arrange a place for His Son to be born. What a surprise when they arrived in Bethlehem. I am sure he had some questions why God would allow such a thing to happen.

However, the picture that is given us is one that has been painted over and over again down through the generations that followed that first Christmas day. How often Jesus would come to a heart’s door only to be told that there was no room for Him. How often have homes, churches, governments, etc. had that same message, “Sorry, we have no room for you right now”. Jesus created us and by that simple act He owns us yet He will not barge into our lives uninvited. He patiently waits at the door of our hearts waiting for that invitation. We can invite Him in or like the innkeeper so long ago turn Him away with the message, “Sorry, we have no room for you right now”.

What if Herod had been the one that had knocked on that innkeeper’s door that night, do you think they would have found room for him? I am sure that the innkeeper would have made any adjustments possible so that the king would have a place to stay. He could then hang a sign over his door which proudly states, “King Herod stayed here!”

I wonder if the innkeeper ever knew who it was he turned away that day. I don’t think he would have done it because he was being malicious. I think he just didn’t know that he turned away the King and Creator of the universe. Even today many people don’t realize who they are turning away when they don’t invite Jesus into their lives. Like the innkeeper it isn’t done deliberately but rather carelessly. Our excuses may be many but on the day of reckoning all our excuses will not matter. Do you have room in your heart for Him today?

Why a Census?

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken on the entire Roman world.” Luke 2:1 (NIV)

Have you ever wondered why God allowed this census to take place? When He wanted Zachariah or Mary to know about the birth of their children He had sent the Angel Gabriel to give them the message. When He wanted Joseph to know that it was proper for him to take Mary as his wife or when he was to take the child to Egypt God spoke to Joseph in a dream. When Joseph had a dream he obeyed the message without a question. However, when God wanted His Son to be born in Bethlehem He did not use dreams or angels but rather He played musical fruit basket with the entire world.

Can you imagine the turmoil it caused when the Roman Emperor made such a decree? Families from all over the world had to pack up and travel to another part of the country so that they could register because they had been from there originally. They may not have lived there for years or maybe they had never lived there but the decree was the law and to disobey would mean fines or imprisonment. It was decreed and they had to obey.

Christians are quick to quote Romans 8:28 which tells us that we can know that all things work together for the good of God’s people. When the Scripture says that we can know it does not mean that we will necessary know the details but rather that we can have the confidence that it is in the sovereign plan of God.

All things did work for good. God had His Son born in Bethlehem as it was prophesied by Micah the prophet, but how many people knew that it was God’s intention to do it that way? Most of the people probably grumbled and complained about the government and the lack of concern for the people of the land. Most people endured the ordeal without thinking about a higher purpose.

Suppose there was a couple, maybe even an elderly couple, who had been originally from Galilee and had settled in Bethany. When the decree came they had to pack up their belongings and travel north to Galilee. It could have been a very difficult time for the elderly couple; one of them if not both could have been crippled and found the trip extremely painful. The wife may have said something like this, “Judah, why would God allow such a thing to happen? Surely He knows that we cannot afford to travel at this time. Surely He knows that we are not well. I do not understand why God would allow such a decree.”

Judah may have replied, “I know Esther but God is in control, He has all things in His hand. I am sure He has a purpose and if He wanted us to know He would have told us.”

We too need to understand that “all things do work together for good” but we may have to accept it by faith. Our faith is our knowing. God does not have to explain His actions to us. Someday we may understand but perhaps we will not understand until we get to heaven and then it will not matter any more.

Books, books and more books

Someone said that the Postmodern age is a time of images and not reading but you would never know that by the number of books that are being printed. Today it is more difficult than ever to find the right reading material. You cannot trust the publishers. Once publishers such as Word or Zondervan were solid evangelical publishers but today you cannot be sure.
Though the years from Malachi to Matthew are called silent years there was much writing going on. There are the twelve books of the Apocrypha but there were many others as well. Many of these writings are good historical sources but others have a great deal of error. Much like today.

Why Dreams?

Why Dreams?

“An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.” Matthew 1:20; 2:12, 13, 19, 24 (NIV)

Why did the Lord communicate with Joseph and the Magi in dreams? Instead of sending an angel to speak to them directly as He did with Zachariah and Mary he chose to speak to Joseph and the Magi in dreams. When the Lord spoke to Zachariah he was ministering in the Temple. When the Lord spoke to Mary she was sitting in her house but when He spoke to Joseph he was asleep.

I think that one of the reasons why God spoke to Joseph through dreams was because Joseph was a very hard working and busy man. He did not have time for interruptions by people who claimed to be angels. He worked hard and slept deeply and he was not use to having dreams. He went to bed tired and slept too deeply to dream. When he dreamed he knew it was something special. In his dream he knew that it was an angel and he was quick to obey the Word of the Lord by the angel.

Today we often dream about things that are loosely connected with the activities of the day. Our dreams are usually foolish versions of those activities. However, in Joseph’s time dreams were different. Men did not dream very often and when they did they knew that it was something significant. Remember Joseph’s dreams concerning his brothers and Jacob’s dream about the staircase to heaven. Daniel also had dreams that had major significance. Dreams were to be regarded seriously. Joseph may have been able to say that the visitor to his shop was just another person but he could not deny that the one in his dream was really an angel.

We need to remember that God is not tied to any set method. Sometimes He may speak to us through His Word, other times through one of His servants and at other times through dreams and visions. However, one thing is certain; if God speaks to us through dreams or other people He will never contradict His Word. We can always check the validity of the message with the Word of God. Joseph knew the Word and he knew that the angel’s message in the dream was in keeping with the Word.

The Magi were different. They were used to having dreams and having them interrupted for them by the wise men in their country. They knew the significance of dreams so when they had the dream about not returning to Herod they knew that it was a message from the Lord.

God will speak to us through His Word but He also speaks to us through others. If we are to know the truth of their message then we have to be students of the Word. After all, God will not contradict His Word.

Why Joseph?

“Joseph her husband was a righteous man.” Matthew 1:19a (NIV)

Joseph had a problem. The girl he was to marry was pregnant and he knew that it was not his child. They had never had sexual relations. His only conclusion was that she had been with another man and in the eyes of the Jewish law she was an adulterer and the law says that she should be stoned.

As he thought about what to do he came to only one conclusion. To be fair to Mary and to be obedient to the law he would do the honourable thing and “put her away quietly”. To be betrothed was more than what we called being engaged. It was as binding as the marriage itself.

Joseph is described as a righteous man. He obeyed the law but he had a compassionate heart. He was righteous but he was not a mystic. He was a hard working carpenter who often went to bed tired and slept very soundly. He wasn’t given to dreams and he never put much stock in people who claimed that God had spoken to them either audibly or by a dream. God had revealed Himself through His Word and that was sufficient for him.

That night he had a dream. It was no usual dream. In his dream an angel stood before him and gave him assurance that Mary’s pregnancy was not due to immorality but because God Himself had placed the seed within her. Joseph accepted this dream as coming from God Himself, he may have had fears but the angel had told him not to be afraid. The angel told him that the baby would be a son and His name would be Jesus because He would be the Saviour of the world. When Joseph woke up he did everything that the angel had told him in the dream. What he didn’t know was that in the next few months the Lord would often speak to him in dreams.

Why did God choose Joseph to be the guardian of His Son? I believe it was because Joseph was a righteous man who would obey the law meticulously but he was also a compassionate man. He did not want to bring shame upon the law of God but he also wanted to treat Mary with kindness and compassion. His heart for God and his heart for others made him the man that would be able to teach the child Jesus. I often wonder what he thought as he looked upon the child and knew that this child that was learning from him was actually the One that had created the universe. He was the one that Joseph worshipped yet here He was learning obedience from Joseph, a simple carpenter.

Why did God choose Joseph? It was because God could trust Joseph with the most precious gift of all, His One and Only Son.