The first visitors of baby Jesus were the shepherds. When an angel told them that the Messiah has been born in the town of David, they hurried off and went to Bethlehem. The host of angels praising God must have given them the encouragement to go and visit the manger.
What can we learn from the shepherds? Of course, we can learn a lot but let us focus on one thing that is very striking — the shepherds did not stay in the manger.
The shepherds were in the presence of Jesus, the Messiah. They could have opted to stay and enjoy the company of Jesus. They must have been overjoyed to see the Lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world. It was a worship experience that was the highlight of their lives.
The shepherds could have stayed in the manger. They could have helped Joseph and Mary find a lodging place. They could have stood guard and watched over Jesus. But they did not. Why? Because they have a Gospel to share. They could not stay because they could not contain the message of salvation. Luke 2:17 to 18 say, “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”
The shepherds were the first evangelists who spread the word about Jesus, the Messiah.
We, too, should learn from the shepherds. We cannot stay in the sanctuary of the church and just worship God and sing praises. We have to get out of the four corners of the church and share the Gospel to others.
The experience of the shepherds is like the mountain-top experience of Peter, James and John when Jesus transfigured in front of them. But they cannot stay in the mountain. They have to go down. And although they were told by Jesus not to tell anybody about it yet, they would later tell it. That is the reason why Matthew, Mark and Luke recorded it.
So, this means that our experience in our personal relationship with Jesus Christ is meant to be shared. We should not contain Jesus in our lives only. The story of Jesus Christ was, is, and always meant to be shared.
May God bless us all!
Sincerely,
Rev. Francis Neil G. Jalando-on
Director, Office of Communication