The Shepherds

There is a lot to be said about the shepherds of Jesus’ day. They were a marginalized group of men, spending their days and nights out in the wilds watching over their sheep. Their occupation was necessary, especially since the priests were always in need of perfect, unblemished lambs for sacrifice in the temple, but still shepherds were looked down on.

Okay, so the sheep from my nativity set from Mexico are far from perfect. They look more like seals, don’t they? My thought is that Jesus is the only One who is perfect – completely white without blemish, without sin. Us sinful people down here on Earth? We are kinda green and goofy looking, and not even always so nice on the inside. But if we believe that Jesus came to die for us and cleanse us of our sins, we can shed that skin of imperfection and be white as snow.

Luke 2:15-20, New Living Translation

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.