Humble Beginnings
Keaton Washburn
When I think of the angels coming to the shepherds, I think of it as a story. To most people, this event is just that though, a story. However, a story, by definition, is an account, true or imaginary, told for entertainment. Jesus coming as a baby, born of a virgin, is much more than a story. It is a historical event that begins the life of the most important person to ever live! Luke, telling us of this, conveys it using multiple paradoxes to point out the message that the Holy Spirit inspired him to write.
Read Luke 2:8-14.
The first paradox that we see in this section is in Luke 2:10 which says, “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.’” Verse 9 tells us that when the angel appeared to the shepherds they were “filled with great fear.” The angel specifically told them not to fear because his message was of great joy. The shepherds were fearful, but the message was joyful. Those are two contrasting emotions that are rarely felt at the same time.
The second paradox is in verses 13 and 14. A multitude of angels suddenly appeared with the original angel. The word that Luke uses for the multitude is synonymous with an army. He is conveying that an army of angels just appeared out of nowhere. However, the message the angels brought is a message of peace, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
I am often quick to breeze past this phrase because I have heard and sung it so many times. The message is that because of this Jesus (the Messiah) that the shepherds will find in a manger, there can be peace between God and man. Luke writes this to show the paradox of an army that brought peace.
Read Luke 2:15-20.
The shepherds urgently left their flocks to find this Savior. After finding Him, they told many people how the angels appeared to them. Luke tells us in verse 18, “All who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.” Immediately following this, we read, “But Mary treasured up all these things.” When reading Scripture, it is always important to notice when the writer uses the contraction “but.” Luke contrasts the difference in the response between all who heard and Mary. While many were amazed, Mary treasured all these things and pondered them.
The message of the Good News of Jesus Christ is by nature paradoxical. It is sinful people being saved by a perfect God. The same God who uses the weaknesses and shortcomings of humans shows His strength. He sent His son as an infant, to save all people. Luke, inspired by the Holy Spirit, does a marvelous job drawing out these paradoxes in his telling of the shepherds receiving the Good News. This is not just a story. It is an earth-shattering event that changed the course of all history, which begins with an infant in a manger, found by lowly shepherds, exactly as the angels told them.
Keaton Washburn
When I think of the angels coming to the shepherds, I think of it as a story. To most people, this event is just that though, a story. However, a story, by definition, is an account, true or imaginary, told for entertainment. Jesus coming as a baby, born of a virgin, is much more than a story. It is a historical event that begins the life of the most important person to ever live! Luke, telling us of this, conveys it using multiple paradoxes to point out the message that the Holy Spirit inspired him to write.
Read Luke 2:8-14.
The first paradox that we see in this section is in Luke 2:10 which says, “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.’” Verse 9 tells us that when the angel appeared to the shepherds they were “filled with great fear.” The angel specifically told them not to fear because his message was of great joy. The shepherds were fearful, but the message was joyful. Those are two contrasting emotions that are rarely felt at the same time.
The second paradox is in verses 13 and 14. A multitude of angels suddenly appeared with the original angel. The word that Luke uses for the multitude is synonymous with an army. He is conveying that an army of angels just appeared out of nowhere. However, the message the angels brought is a message of peace, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
I am often quick to breeze past this phrase because I have heard and sung it so many times. The message is that because of this Jesus (the Messiah) that the shepherds will find in a manger, there can be peace between God and man. Luke writes this to show the paradox of an army that brought peace.
Read Luke 2:15-20.
The shepherds urgently left their flocks to find this Savior. After finding Him, they told many people how the angels appeared to them. Luke tells us in verse 18, “All who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.” Immediately following this, we read, “But Mary treasured up all these things.” When reading Scripture, it is always important to notice when the writer uses the contraction “but.” Luke contrasts the difference in the response between all who heard and Mary. While many were amazed, Mary treasured all these things and pondered them.
The message of the Good News of Jesus Christ is by nature paradoxical. It is sinful people being saved by a perfect God. The same God who uses the weaknesses and shortcomings of humans shows His strength. He sent His son as an infant, to save all people. Luke, inspired by the Holy Spirit, does a marvelous job drawing out these paradoxes in his telling of the shepherds receiving the Good News. This is not just a story. It is an earth-shattering event that changed the course of all history, which begins with an infant in a manger, found by lowly shepherds, exactly as the angels told them.
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