Let Us Go Unto Bethlehem
“And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” Luke 2:15
Bethlehem was filled with people who had come to be counted for the census to determine how much tax they would owe the Roman government, and they were oblivious to the great event which had happened in a stable nearby town. But not everyone was in town that evening. There were some who were tending to their business out in the fields while the town bustled with visitors. They were shepherds who were watching over their flocks of sheep. Predators would use the cover of darkness to attack the sheep, thus it was required that the shepherds be with their sheep at night. I can imagine that it was very quiet that night. I wonder if the shepherds noticed the brilliant star which stood over Bethlehem, and if they did notice it, did it seem different than the night stars usually appeared? Did they wonder about it?
As the still night wore on, all of a sudden, a brilliant angel shining with the Lord’s glory appeared allowing this bright light to surround the shepherds. This scared them. What was this? The angel spoke, telling them to not be afraid because he had something to tell them that would make them extremely joyful. This very day the Savior who is Christ the Lord was born in the city of David which is Bethlehem. And here is how that you can recognize Him. He will be a Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. I suppose that most newborn babies would be wrapped in swaddling clothes, but there was only One who was lying in a manger. Suddenly many more angels appeared who praised God and said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
The angels departed, and the shepherds hastily made their way to Bethlehem to see this Baby. They knew that this Baby was the Savior because they realized that the angels had been sent by God. There was no other explanation. Their reaction tells us that they were familiar with Old Testament prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah who would save people from their sins. When they arrived at the stable, they found Mary, Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger just as the angel had said. After they departed, they began to tell what they had heard and seen with their own eyes, and those who heard them wondered about what the shepherds were telling them. However, there is no record of any of these folks searching out the stable for themselves to see the Babe in the manger. If these people knew of the prophecy of the Messiah, wouldn’t they be curious? It seems as though they were like so many today who have no real interest in God, in Christ, or in salvation. Many still think of Jesus as a Baby in the manger and not the Lord and Savior of mankind.
The shepherds had no doubt. They departed and began to glorify and praise God for everything they had heard and seen that day. However, there were other visitors who came later. They were magicians from the east, perhaps Persia, who were called the Magi, and who had seen the brilliant star which stayed over the place where Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were staying in Bethlehem. While the shepherds were Jewish, the Magi were Gentiles, but apparently, they were also familiar with the prophecy of the coming Messiah and traveled to Bethlehem to worship Him. Herod, who was the king of Israel at that time, was unaware of the birth of Jesus as were others of whom the Magi had made inquiry as to His location. Herod became worried. Who was this Babe whom some regarded as a King, as Herod’s chief priests and scribes had discovered by searching the writings of the prophets? He sent the Magi on their way requesting that they bring him word of the Babe’s location so that he could worship Him also. He lied. He had no intention of worshiping Jesus.
The Magi, upon arriving at the house where the young family had been lodging, fell to their knees and worshiped Jesus, who was now a young child. They brought gifts of gold, symbolic of Christ’s kingship, frankincense, which honored Christ’s divinity, and myrrh, a gum-resin used for embalming and also for a holy anointing oil, which was a foretelling of Christ’s crucifixion which He would suffer as the sacrifice for man’s sin. After the Magi departed, God warned them in a dream to not return to Herod. An angel also warned Joseph in a dream to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt to escape the ruthless declaration of Herod to kill every baby boy two years old and younger.
The visitors to Jesus when He was young were representative of the people for whom Christ would make the final sacrifice. The shepherds represented not only the ordinary common man, but also the Jewish nation to whom Jesus came first as their Messiah even though He was rejected by most. When He comes again, He will be recognized as God’s Son and all those of His chosen people who repent of sin and believe in Him will be saved. The Magi represent those who are wealthy and powerful, but more so they represent the Gentiles of the world whom God always intended to include in the plan of salvation.