I started out my day stopping by to see some friends. They wanted to show me a website they found and liked reading. Of course since we are so close to Christmas there were a few articles on the subject. Thus began my thoughts of what might have happened if Jesus were coming today for the first time, ya know as a baby.
My first thought was about the shepherds. We read about them like it’s a happy little story with angels and shepherds, my kids have even been cute little shepherds in Christmas plays. Although my grandsons have portrayed camels, not sure if it’s a step up or not. What was the social status of a shepherd? You may or may not be surprised to find out they were considered the lowest most despised of the social groups.
There’s a story of another Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers and is taken to Egypt and is later reunited with his family, who were all shepherds. Joseph tells his family not to tell anyone what they do for a living. He tells them to say they are in the live stock business. Kinda like today if you are a prostitute you might say you’re in the entertainment business, ya with me. Ok, so it’s the shepherds that the angels tell about Jesus birth.
Luke 2:8 - 11 and there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you He is Christ, the Lord.”
Have you thought about this, if the shepherds spend all their time outside hanging out with smelly sheep, they were probably smelly too?
If we made the story today it could very well be men who clean sewers or garbage men that the angles appeared to. Aren’t these groups considered the lower social groups by the fine upstanding citizens of our communities?
And where was Jesus born? We all know, in a stable. I don’t know if you have ever been in a stable but let me tell you about an experience I had with a barn. I have to first tell you I am not a big pet person. I was at a very dear friend’s house and they built a new barn. Needless to say they had animals, dogs, chickens, horses, cows you get the picture. Any way my friend wants me and my youngest daughter to come out and see the barn and the horses. I walk out stepping carefully, if you get my meaning…. We were about 10 feet or so from the barn and I can smell the barn. I stopped in my tracks and was like, no way am I going any closer, it stinks!!! I did what any good friend and mother would do, I sacrificed my daughter and sent her into the barn and I went back into the house.
So Jesus was not only born in a stable/barn, it was no doubt a smelly barn. So let’s recap, Jesus is born in a smelly place and the angles tell the dregs of society about his birth. They, the dregs of society, hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in the manger (smelly barn). When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what the angel told them and everyone who heard it was amazed. But it doesn’t say everyone ran to the scene to witness it for themselves. They were just amazed at what the low lives told them. Were they amazed that the Messiah was born or were they amazed that the angels spoke to shepherds about something so important?
How often do we know someone and their smelly past and they meet Jesus and their life changes. They start sharing about how great God is and what He’s done in their life and we think, I know this person, did God really speak to them and did they really change?
The next thing that was brought to my attention was what most of these animals the shepherds hung out with were used for. Before Jesus died for us the sacrifices had to be made by man. It was a very sacred ritual done by the high priest in the temples, very holy and very respected. They would kill an animal for this sacrifice to receive forgiveness for their sins. Where did they get the animal? They bought them from the smelly, low life shepherds! The same people, who weren’t even allowed to hang out in the city streets with the rest of the Israelites because they weren’t good enough, were the very people they got the sacred sacrifice from. Isn’t it just like God to do something like that?
Where am I going with this? How do we apply it to today? I believe the story of Christmas would be written the same way today as it was all those years ago. Jesus would still be born amongst people like me with smelly lives. People who want to believe in a future in spite of their lot in life. People that are desperate for hope. Angels would talk to us just like those shepherds. Jesus would be born among common people so he could grow with them and understand all their struggles, and that’s just what He did. Nothing against clean decent people but sometimes it’s the ones who are the stinkiest that appreciate a good bubble bath.
So this Christmas as people get caught up in all the, what I call smelly aspects of Christmas, I pray you will take time to take a long hot bath in the love of Jesus and know He chose to come here and bring hope to all of us. If you haven’t asked Him to be your shepherd I pray you will do that today and then tell everyone you know That Jesus Christ was born!!
No comments:
Post a Comment