eternal revelation to men as dull as stone

"It is fitting, then, not only to be called Christians, but to be so in reality."

What happened after the nativity scene? I know that it seems to be a rather odd question to ask because we have preserved the scene in our minds just as it appears before us in painted ceramic. I wonder what kind of lasting impression the birth of Jesus left on those who were called to bear witness to the event. We are told that the magi went back to their own country (Matthew 2:12), at which point we can only speculate what they did with their newfound knowledge of the Savior.

The shepherds, on the other hand, went all about the countryside to proclaim what they had seen and heard (Luke 2:17-18). This appears to be the little known fact of the story. We seem to be quite content to let the shepherds rest at the manger, gazing upon the baby. Even when baby Jesus has grown up and left the stable we still picture the shepherds and their blank stare into the troff (ok, perhaps it's a bad paint job on their eyes but try to hang with me here). The point here is that they took the revelation given them by God and spread the news to everyone they could find.

And remember, these were the shepherds, not exactly the high-end-socialites of the day. God indeed came to the lowliest in order to make such an important announcement. To emphasize humanity's need for him he sent word out to those who had nothing else in which they could trust. No money. No status. No power. No respect. The dirty, filthy, stinking, rotten, no-good, vulgar, despicable shepherds. The result? It changed their lives and they could not contain it.

Why come to these guys? If we look closely we will see that the physical nature of the shepherds as such despised outcasts demonstrates the spiritual nature of each and every one of us. We are the dirty, filthy, stinking, rotten, no-good, vulgar, despicable sinners. And God has come down to us.

Do we stay at the manger, gazing with blank stares which are poorly painted onto our faces?



*quote from The Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians, first century A.D.