Christmas Series
05/30/2019, by John Kincaid
Lesson 2078: The Shepherds - Luke 2:8-20
Mary and Joseph were far from home with no other family or friends for support.
Their only recorded visitors were the Jewish shepherds and Gentile wise men (Magi).
The players in the Christmas drama are perfectly cast, the 2 extremes of society:
Wise men represent wealthy, powerful, educated people from far-away (non-Jewish) places.
The local shepherds stand for the ordinary person, the common man, blue-collar.
Everyone was welcome at the stable. Shepherds were the first to find the Lamb of God.
Sheep and their shepherd in the Old Testament illustrate the relationship of Jesus to His flock.
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and David all worked as shepherds, a respected occupation.
Our word "pastor" comes from the ancient word for shepherd, leader of a flock.
Jesus Christ is the great shepherd, guiding and protecting the flock of believers.
Without Jesus, we would stray and die alone in hopeless despair, just like a lost sheep.
But Jesus is also the Lamb of God, the ultimate sacrifice: God's own offering. John 1:29
|
|
|
