Some thoughts on the incredible Christmas story!
I have been thinking about the true meaning of Christmas for the last few weeks. I have especially been focusing on the part of the shepherds and the wise men.
If you think about it God chooses some very unlikely people to witness and to announce the birth of a king and the Saviour of the world such as shepherds and some new age kings from the east.
However they are not as strange guests as you might think at first. I believe that these two groups of royal guests were a prophetic look into the future... Shepherds are mentioned all the way through the Old testament many of the main players throughout history at some point were shepherds showing that Shepherds are people very close to God's heart. Shepherds have incredible characteristics which are reminiscent of what Jesus says we should be like and later on in the letters from Paul. In my mind both shepherds and sheep depict a picture of humility and a kind of lowliness. Shepherds were at the bottom of the social ladder, they would have been smelly from the sheep probably be in rags perhaps quite nomadic.
These shepherds in particular may have had a special job or so I have read recently of looking after the lambs who would be used for the temple sacrifice. After hearing this news they would no-longer need to be doing their job because the greatest sacrificial lamb had just been born. Just like the first disciples who are fishermen before they follow Jesus the shepherds go to follow Jesus and not only that but the are shouting about it all over town. Here once again is an example of God exalting the lowly to VIP positions these strategically chosen shepherds end up as an audience to a choir of heavenly host's angels.
Despite what society might think God doesn't rank people with fewer possessions or those with poorer background lower he gives them as much esteem and honour as anyone else what shouldn't we?
Then we come to the three wise men who were astrologers who represent another section of society those who are into new age worship and we often we see them as the enemy people in many ways to be feared but that is not how they are seen in this story in many accounts of the story they are described even as Kings.
Here we see the upper end of society God also has a heart for them too, those who have position and money.
Whether the 3 wise men were kings or not they easily got to see Herod so they must have at the least been at the same social standing.
If they were in fact kings from the east and they did give a present of gold to Jesus pointing once again to their wealth the shepherds couldn't afford to bring baby Jesus any presents as there are non mentioned. A thought I had the other day, that just as the shepherds are a prophetic representation of the God's children so are the Kings that we once in the kingdom are to be kings who rule and reign properly for the King of Kings Jesus.
If you think about it God chooses some very unlikely people to witness and to announce the birth of a king and the Saviour of the world such as shepherds and some new age kings from the east.
However they are not as strange guests as you might think at first. I believe that these two groups of royal guests were a prophetic look into the future... Shepherds are mentioned all the way through the Old testament many of the main players throughout history at some point were shepherds showing that Shepherds are people very close to God's heart. Shepherds have incredible characteristics which are reminiscent of what Jesus says we should be like and later on in the letters from Paul. In my mind both shepherds and sheep depict a picture of humility and a kind of lowliness. Shepherds were at the bottom of the social ladder, they would have been smelly from the sheep probably be in rags perhaps quite nomadic.
These shepherds in particular may have had a special job or so I have read recently of looking after the lambs who would be used for the temple sacrifice. After hearing this news they would no-longer need to be doing their job because the greatest sacrificial lamb had just been born. Just like the first disciples who are fishermen before they follow Jesus the shepherds go to follow Jesus and not only that but the are shouting about it all over town. Here once again is an example of God exalting the lowly to VIP positions these strategically chosen shepherds end up as an audience to a choir of heavenly host's angels.
Despite what society might think God doesn't rank people with fewer possessions or those with poorer background lower he gives them as much esteem and honour as anyone else what shouldn't we?
Then we come to the three wise men who were astrologers who represent another section of society those who are into new age worship and we often we see them as the enemy people in many ways to be feared but that is not how they are seen in this story in many accounts of the story they are described even as Kings.
Here we see the upper end of society God also has a heart for them too, those who have position and money.
Whether the 3 wise men were kings or not they easily got to see Herod so they must have at the least been at the same social standing.
If they were in fact kings from the east and they did give a present of gold to Jesus pointing once again to their wealth the shepherds couldn't afford to bring baby Jesus any presents as there are non mentioned. A thought I had the other day, that just as the shepherds are a prophetic representation of the God's children so are the Kings that we once in the kingdom are to be kings who rule and reign properly for the King of Kings Jesus.
Comments